ATHLETES from Taiwan

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Taiwanese Athletes of all time. This list of famous Taiwanese Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Taiwanese Athletes.

1. Yang Chuan-kwang (1933 - 2007)

With an HPI of 49.88, Yang Chuan-kwang is the most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages on wikipedia.

Yang Chuan-kwang, or C.K. Yang (Amis: Maysang Kalimud, Chinese: 楊傳廣; pinyin: Yáng Chuánguǎng; July 10, 1933 – January 27, 2007), was an Olympic decathlete from Taiwan. Yang attended college at UCLA, where he trained and competed with teammate and Olympian Rafer Johnson and was coached by Elvin C. Drake.

2. Chi Cheng (1944 - )

With an HPI of 47.49, Chi Cheng is the 2nd most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Chi Cheng (born March 15, 1944, in Hsinchu, Japanese Taiwan) is a Taiwanese track and field athlete. She was an Olympic medalist in 1968 and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year for 1970. She was a former pentathlete turned sprinter.

3. Chen Shih-hsin (1978 - )

With an HPI of 29.17, Chen Shih-hsin is the 3rd most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Chen Shih-hsin (Chinese: 陳詩欣; pinyin: Chén Shīxīn; born 16 November 1978) is the first Taiwanese athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics. She won the gold medal in the women's 49-kilogram category in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics on August 26. Chen was recognized as one of the Taiwanese Ten Outstanding Young Persons in 2001. Currently, she is an associate professor at University of Taipei. Chen is of Taiwanese Aboriginal descent, with her mother being a member of the Atayal tribe.

4. Kuo Hsing-chun (1993 - )

With an HPI of 28.61, Kuo Hsing-chun is the 4th most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Kuo Hsing-chun (Chinese: 郭婞淳; pinyin: Guō Xìngchún; Amis name: Tana; born 26 November 1993) is a Taiwanese Amis weightlifter, Olympic gold medalist, five time world champion, two time Universiade champion, Asian Games champion, and five time Asian champion, competing in the 58 kg division until 2018 and 59 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. She has set 11 senior world records in her career.

5. Chu Mu-yen (1982 - )

With an HPI of 27.83, Chu Mu-yen is the 5th most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Chu Mu-yen (Chinese: 朱木炎; pinyin: Zhū Mùyán; born 14 March 1982) is a Taiwanese Taekwondo athlete from Taiwan. He is the second Taiwanese athlete and the first male to win a gold medal at the Olympics, winning in men's under 58-kilogram class in Taekwondo at the Athens 2004 Games. In the 2008 Olympics, Chu won the bronze medal in the men's under 58-kilogram class in Taekwondo. He also won the gold medal in the 2003 World Taekwondo Championships.

6. Yang Yung-wei (1997 - )

With an HPI of 26.31, Yang Yung-wei is the 6th most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Yang Yung-wei (Chinese: 楊勇緯; pinyin: Yáng Yǒngwěi; Paiwan language: Drangadrang; born 28 September 1997) is a Taiwanese Paiwan judoka. He is the current silver Olympic medalist in the extra lightweight event. He also won one of the bronze medals in the men's 60 kg event at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

7. Chen Wei-ling (1982 - )

With an HPI of 26.03, Chen Wei-ling is the 7th most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Chen Wei-ling (Chinese: 陳葦綾; pinyin: Chén Wěilíng; born 4 January 1982) is from Tainan, Taiwan. She is an Olympic weightlifter and powerlifter.

8. Hsu Shu-ching (1991 - )

With an HPI of 25.20, Hsu Shu-ching is the 8th most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Hsu Shu-ching (Chinese: 許淑淨; pinyin: Xǔ Shújìng; born 9 May 1991) is a Taiwanese weightlifter.

9. Lee Yang (1995 - )

With an HPI of 24.69, Lee Yang is the 9th most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Lee Yang (Chinese: 李洋; pinyin: Lǐ Yáng; born 12 August 1995) is a Taiwanese badminton player and 2020 Olympics men's doubles champion.

10. Sung Yu-chi (1982 - )

With an HPI of 21.59, Sung Yu-chi is the 10th most famous Taiwanese Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Sung Yu-chi (Chinese: 宋玉麒; pinyin: Sòng Yùqí; born 16 January 1982 in Shulin, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Taiwan) is a Taekwondo athlete from Republic of China. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China and won the bronze medal.