BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines over the past week:
1. China's Qin takes bronze, 3 world records shattered at FINA short-course c'ships
Silver medalist Nic Fink (L) of the United States, gold medalist Seto Daiya (C) of Japan and bronze medalist Qin Haiyang of China pose for photos after the men's 200m breaststroke final at the 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2022, in Melbourne, Australia, Dec. 16, 2022. (Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)
China's Qin Haiyang on Friday claimed a bronze medal by clocking 2:02.22 in the men's 200m breaststroke, while three new world records fell on day four of the 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m).
"The bronze is not an unexpected result for me, as I came here racing for the gold," Qin told Xinhua, noting that the race helped him identify his deficiencies in physical strength and sprint finish.
2. Feature: World Cup sets off consumption boom in China
Jawad El Yamiq (Top C) of Morocco heads the ball during the Semifinal match between France and Morocco of the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, Dec. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
Despite a five-hour time difference and absence of their national team, Chinese football fans are still full of zest for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as the global football extravaganza has fueled a consumption drive in the world's second-largest economy.
Wang Xiaolin, one of the avid fans in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, has set up a home theater that includes a projector he specially purchased for the tournament. He ordered fresh meat, vegetables and beer online and invited several friends to watch matches while eating hotpot at midnight.
"It's a quadrennial carnival, and there's plentiful star power. The passion of football fans from China can never be underestimated," Wang said, adding that he also bought an official match ball and a mascot figurine for the World Cup.
China is estimated to have about 200 million football enthusiasts in 2022, and with the country's disposable income level on the rise, more fans will be willing to pay to enjoy football matches, according to data firm Statista.
3. China's Zheng Qinwen named WTA Newcomer of the Year
Zheng Qinwen of China reacts during the women's singles third round match against Jule Niemeier of Germany at the 2022 US Open tennis championships in New York, the United States, Sept. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
China's Zheng Qinwen was named the 2022 Newcomer of the Year after rising over 100 places in the rankings this season, the WTA announced on Monday.
Zheng started her season ranked No.143 before breaking into the top 27 by the end of the year, as the 20-year-old advanced to the last eight at the National Bank Open and reached her first WTA 500 final at the Pan Pacific Open, after an impressive run at Roland Garros, where she stunned two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep of Romania and French veteran Alize Cornet en route to the last 16.
"As a first-year student on the WTA tour, I'm delighted to receive this award, it's a great reward for my efforts and the best way to end the year. 2023: keep up the good work," Zheng commented on her social media.
4. China wraps up Short Track Speed Skating World Cup with a silver
Athletes of China (top), Italy (L, bottom) and Hungary (R, bottom) holding Bing Dwen Dwen pose for photos during the flower ceremony after the Beijing Winter Olympics mixed team relay final of short track speed skating at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
China finished the Almaty leg of the 2022-2023 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup with a silver medal in the mixed relay.
China only entered two of six Final-As raced on the last competition day. In the women's 3,000m relay, affected by a collision with a South Korean skater, the Chinese team of Gong Li, Wang Xinran, Wang Ye and Zhang Chutong finished fourth in four minutes and 22.673 seconds. Canada claimed victory in 4:10.479, with the Netherlands taking silver in 4:16.038.
Li Wenlong finished sixth in the second race of the men's 1,500 Final A in 2:23.400. South Korean Park Ji-won pocketed the gold with 2:20.340.
5. Chinese shuttlers bag three titles at BWF World Tour Finals
Zheng Siwei (R) and Huang Yaqiong of China pose after winning the mixed doubles final at the 2022 BWF World Tour Finals in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)
Chinese shuttlers won three titles in the season finale of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals which ended here on Sunday.
In the men's doubles final, China's Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi had the upper hand for most of their match against Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia. After taking the first set, they seemed to be cruising to victory when leading 15-8 in the second set. But they suddenly lost tempo to allow the Indonesian veterans to force the match into a decider, in which Liu and Ou regained their dominance to take the match 21-17, 19-21, 21-12.
"We made many unforced errors in the second set, which should not have happened. But we stuck to our game plan and tried our best in every single play. It's rewarding for us to take the match back into our hands," said Liu afterwards.■
