Chen Zhong ( zh, s=陈中, t=陳中, p=Chén Zhōng; born November 22, 1982) is a retired Chinese

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

competitor who represented her country at international level for more than 10 years, including three consecutive Summer Olympic Games. She won China's first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

in Sydney,Chen Zhong
''China Daily'' (30 July 2007). Retrieved on 22 April 2010.
(30 August 2004). Retrieved on 23 April 2010. and successfully defended her title at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

in Athens.Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, Athens (2004)
Taekwondo: Official results book
Retrieved on 22 April 2010.
(''c.'' 2005). Retrieved on 22 April 2010. She competed at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in Beijing, but did not make it past the quarter-final round.

Early life

Chen was born on 22 November 1982 in

Jiaozuo Jiaozuo ( zh, s= , p=Jiāozuò ; postal: Tsiaotso) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Henan province, China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the south, Xinxiang to th ...

, Henan, People's Republic of China.Official Website of the Chinese Olympic Committee: Chen Zhong
(''c.'' 2004). Retrieved on 22 April 2010.Athlete's profile: Chen Zhong, Taekwondo
''Shanghai Daily'' (2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010. She played basketball at the Jiaozuo Amateur Sport School for four years before changing to taekwondo in 1995. At first, she found the training difficult (she was required to execute more than 1,000 kicks each day) and would call her mother regularly.
''ABC Sport'' (25 July 2008). Retrieved on 22 April 2010. Chen doubted that she could continue but her mother told her to persevere, saying that if others could endure the programme, so could she. Chen was selected for the Chinese national taekwondo team in 1997.

Competitive taekwondo career

In the first two years of her international competitive career, Chen was Chinese national champion in her division, and took bronze at the 1997 East Asian Games in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

and silver at the 1998 Asian Championships in Ho Chi Minh City.Taekwondo Data: Chen, Zhong
(''c.'' 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010. She won a bronze medal in taekwondo at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. Aged 16 at the time, she refused to leave the competition mat for over an hour after losing the semi-final match. In 1999, she came third in her division at the World Championships in Edmonton. In 2000, Chen graduated from the Beijing Sports School, and went on to study at Beijing Sport University. Leading up to the Olympic Games that year, she won gold at the 2000 Asian Championships in Hong Kong. Chen won the gold medal in the women's +67 kg (heavyweight) competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, defeating Natalia Ivanova from Russia. This was China's first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo. Chen continued performing at the highest levels of competition, taking first place at the 2001 World Cup in Ho Chi Minh City, second place at the 2001 World Championships in

Jeju City Jeju City (; ) is the capital of the Jeju Province in South Korea and the largest city on Jeju Island. The city is served by Jeju International Airport (IATA code CJU). Located on an island off the Korean Peninsula, Jeju has mild, warm weather ...

, first place at the 2002 World Cup in Tokyo, and second place at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, all in the 72 kg division. In 2003, she came third at the World Championships in

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; ) is an Northern Limestone Alps, Alpine mountain resort, ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ...

. In 2004, Chen successfully defended her Olympic title at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, defeating Myriam Baverel of France. Chen Liren was coaching her at this time. In 2005, due to sport-related injuries, Chen underwent surgery on her right knee.China Economic Net: Chen wins women's over 72 kg taekwondo gold
(11 December 2006). Retrieved on 23 April 2010. The following year, she won gold in her division at the 2006 Asian Games in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

. The year after that, she took first place at the World Championships in Beijing.Martial Arm: Chen Zhong kicks high
(2007). Retrieved on 23 April 2010.
''China Daily'' (23 May 2007). Retrieved on 23 April 2010. Leading up to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Chen won her division at the 2008 Asian Championships in

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

.China wins two gold medals at Asian Taekwondo Championships
''China Daily'' (28 April 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010. By this time, Zhang Jinghui (a former teammate) was coaching her. Given her dominant performance, Chen entered the Beijing Olympic campaign as a clear favourite to win a third consecutive Olympic gold medal.Harris, N. (2008)

''The Independent'' (24 August 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010.Smith, M. D. (2008)
Tae Kwon Do may steal some of Beijing spotlight
''New York Sun'' (7 August 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010 At the quarter-finals of the women's heavyweight taekwondo competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Chen fought Sarah Stevenson from Great Britain and was declared the winner, but British officials protested.Taekwondo preview: Chinese Chen Zhong kicking for taekwondo history
''Xinhuanet'' (22 August 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010.Reprieved Stevenson takes bronze
''BBC Sport'' (23 August 2008). Retrieved on 23 August 2008. They claimed that the referees missed a scoring kick by Stevenson; subsequent examination of video footage showed this to be true. Chen's victory was rescinded, and Stevenson advanced. This was the first time in Olympic taekwondo history that a result was changed.Cuban Taekwondo champ banned for life after kicking referee
''Fox News'' (24 August 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010. In the semi-final round, the British athlete lost to María del Rosario Espinoza (the eventual gold medallist), meaning that any opportunity for Chen to win a medal through

repechage Repechage ( , ; , ) is a practice in series competitions that allows participants who failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round. A well-known example is the wild card system. Types Different type ...

was gone.Chinese Chen no chance to gain Olympic Taekwondo medals
''People's Daily Online'' (23 August 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010. During most of her competitive career, Chen was listed at in height and in weight. One of her training methods was to practise kicking a volleyball that had been thrown into the air. Around 2003, she held the rank of 3rd '' dan'' in taekwondo.Taekwondo Players: Olympic Taekwondo players
(''c.'' 2003). Retrieved on 22 April 2010.

Post-competition career

In the period leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics, Chen had indicated that she would retire for taekwondo competition after the Olympic tournament. She said, "I'm a single girl who has wandered around for 10 years. My parents want me to settle down." She has described herself as introverted, and paints as a hobby.Chen claims world title, now sets sights on Olympic triple
''Shanghai Daily'' (23 May 2007). Retrieved on 23 April 2010.

Notes

a. Sarah Stevenson eventually won the bronze medal in the women's heavyweight taekwondo competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics; this was Great Britain's first Olympic taekwondo medal.Hodges, V. (2008)
Sarah Stevenson battles to Britain's first taekwondo medal following day of drama
''Telegraph'' (23 August 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010.British Taekwondo Control Board: Stevenson wins GB's first Olympic Taekwondo medal
(24 August 2008). Retrieved on 23 April 2010.

References

External links

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contains photographs of Chen (August 2004). {{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Zhong Living people 1982 births Olympic gold medalists for China Olympic medalists in taekwondo Olympic taekwondo practitioners for China People from Jiaozuo Taekwondo practitioners at the 2000 Summer Olympics Taekwondo practitioners at the 2004 Summer Olympics Taekwondo practitioners at the 2008 Summer Olympics Martial artists from Henan Asian Games medalists in taekwondo Taekwondo practitioners at the 1998 Asian Games Taekwondo practitioners at the 2002 Asian Games Taekwondo practitioners at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Chinese female taekwondo practitioners Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Asian Games gold medalists for China Asian Games silver medalists for China Asian Games bronze medalists for China Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games World Taekwondo Championships medalists