The Chinese team for the Beijing Olympics is composed of 77 athletes of which 11 are relay runners and six athletes who will not compete due to China entering four athletes as reserves.

The only notable absence is women’s 400m hurdler Huang Xiaoxiao, who had started the season well with a 54.50s season’s best in May. Huang, who will miss the Olympics due to an achilles tendon injury, would have been a medal candidate in Beijing, she finished in the Osaka World champs last year.

Liu Xiang, Zhou Chunxiu and Zhang Wenxiu – firm medal bets, again

The best hopes for a medal lie with the same three athletes who were at the podium in Osaka World Championships in 2007. Naturally the team is led by the reigning World and Olympic champion and former world record holder Liu Xiang. Although the Chinese star has dropped to number two in the sprint hurdles pecking order by World record holder Dayron Robles (CUB), he is still a clear medal favourite. Liu’s preparation to Beijing has been troubled by injury, but this has been the case before and it would not be a surprise if Liu once again found his best form at the most important meet of the year.

29-year-old marathon runner Zhou Chunxiu was really close to victory in Osaka and is looking to brighten her silver medal this time with a flicker of gold. The 2007 London marathon winner has competed very little during this season with her only notable performance being her win at the National Championships over the half marathon with a 68:59 personal best.

Osaka women’s Hammer Throw bronze medallist Zhang Wenxiu has also had a quiet season with very few competitions. She has won the last seven competitions but only one of them, Grand Prix in Osaka in May, was outside China. Notably it was in this competition where Zhang reached her still standing season’s best 73.52m.

Outside medal chances

China also has an outside chance for medals in several events. As usual, the women’s throwers in Shot Put and Discus Throw are strong and might be close to a medal on their best day.

In women’s Shot Put, China fields the same three athletes that finished in the top eight in Osaka. Li Ling was fourth in Osaka with also 19-year-old Gong Lijiao and Li Meiju performing well there. In the Discus Throw, China has entered four athletes, all of which are capable of reaching the final, but maybe a medal would be too much to ask of them.

Although the world list does not show Chinese athletes at the top of women’s distance running during the 2008 season, there still are two interesting runners in the 5000/10,000m races.

The 18-year-old Xue Fei, 2006 World Junior champion, is a fast finisher and will run the 5000m race in Beijing. Xue ran a 15:02.73 personal best last year and has won two slow national races this season including the Good Luck Beijing competition and the Olympic Trials.

18-year-old Zhang Yingying is the fastest marathon runner in the world this season, but because of her age can’t take part in that event. Instead Zhang has been entered to run a 5000/10,000m double in Beijing. Zhang has run 31:38.35 10,000m this season (31:17.30 PB 2007).

Although both of these athletes are far off the world’s best distance runners in 2008, as reminder it has to said that it looks exactly like it did in 2004 for Xing Huina. Before the Athens Olympics no one valued her as a medal candidate because she had only run 32:48.28 10,000m before winning the Olympic gold in 30:24.36 when it counted.

Any other possible medals would have to come from the Race Walking events. Full teams have been entered to all events and although China doesn’t have a clear favourite in any of the events with the standard of race walking in this country it’s always possible there could be a surprise like there was in Athens with Greek Athanasía Tsoumeléka winning the women’s 20m title. 31-year-old veteran Yu Chaohong, 4th in Athens 2004 in the 50km Race Walk, is the best known male walker. Women’s walking team includes 21-year-old Liu Hong, the Asian Games winner in 2006.

Mirko Jalava for the IAAF

Chinese Olympic Team 2008

Men

100m: Hu Kai

200m: Zhang Peimeng

400m: Liu Xiaosheng

800m: Li Xiangyu

Marathon: Ren Longyun, Deng Haiyang, Li Zhuhong

110m Hurdles: Liu Xiang , Shi Dongpeng , Ji Wei

400m Hurdles: Meng Yan

High Jump: Huang Haiqiang

Pole Vault: Liu Feiliang

Long Jump: Zhou Can, Li Runrun

Triple Jump: Zhong Minwei, Li Yanxi, Gu Junjie

Javelin Throw: Chen Qi

Decathlon: Qi Haifeng

20km Race Walk: Han Yucheng, Chu Yafei, Wang Hao, Dong Jimin

50km Race Walk: Yu Chaohong, Li Jianbo, Zhao Chengliang, Si Tianfeng

4 x 100m relay: Wen Yongyi, Lu Bin, Liang Jiahong, Hu Kai

Women

100m: Wang Jing

1500m: Liu Qing

5000 m: Xue Fei, Zhang Yingying, He Pan

10,000m: Zhang Yingying, Bai Xue, Dong Xiaoqin

Marathon: Zhou Chunxiu, Zhu Xiaolin, Chen Rong, Zhang Shujing

3000m Steeplechase: Li Zhenzhu, Zhu Yanmei, Jin Yuan, Zhao Yanni

High Jump: Zheng Xingjuan

Pole Vault: Gao Shuying, Li Ling, Zhou Yang

Triple Jump: Xie Limei

Shot Put: Gong Lijiao, Li Ling, Li Meiju

Discus Throw: Sun Taifeng, Song Aimin, Ma Xuejun, Li Yanfeng

Hammer Throw: Zhang Wenxiu, Wang Zheng

Javelin Throw: Zhang Li, Chang Chunfeng, Song Dan

Heptathlon: Liu Haili

20km Race Walk: Yang Mingxia, Jiang Qiuyan, Liu Hong, Shi Na

4 x 100m relay: Jiang Lan, Chen Jue, Wang Jing, Tao Yujia, Han Ling
4 x 400m relay: Chen Jingwen, Wang Jinping, Tang Xiaoyin (only three names at the moment because the fourth runner Huang Xiaoxiao is injured)