Thirteen athletes from Wenzhou in East China's Zhejiang province were selected for the Chinese Delegation to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, marking the city's highest representation in Asian Games.
Ten athletes from Wenzhou competed in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, winning 10 golds, 4 silvers, and 1 bronze, giving the best performance in Wenzhou's history.
With a rich heritage in water sports, Wenzhou boasts eight athletes in water sports of the Asian Games, such as swimming, dragon boat racing, and sailing.
A trio of swimmers from Wenzhou, Xu Jiayu, Pan Zhanle and Liu Yaxin, are strong contenders for gold medals in both individual and relay events.
Two sailors from Wenzhou, Wen Zaiding and Dong Wenju, will compete at the Ningbo Xiangshan Asian Sailing Center in Ningbo, a millennium-old port city, in September.
Three athletes, Li Shuqi, Xue Lina, and Zhu Xiaoli, will compete at the Wenzhou Dragon Boat Sports Center from Oct 4 to 6, the nearest competition for local spectators to watch.
Among the 13 Wenzhou athletes, three are world champions, 28-year-old Xu Jiayu, 26-year-old Zheng Siwei and 19-year-old Wang Zhilin.
Xu has set an ambitious goal to repeat his success in Jakarta, aiming for multiple gold medals in swimming competitions.
Zheng holds the record for the number of world championships among Wenzhou athletes. As the defending champion in the Games, Zheng will team up with partners once again, vying for another win in badminton.
Wang, the youngest world champion from Wenzhou, will make her debut on the first day of competition. She will join forces with two fellow athletes from Zhejiang in pursuit of gold medals in air rifle competitions, a strong suit for the Chinese delegation.
Furthermore, three athletes, Li Qiaoqiao, Lin Heng and Zeng Yingying, will be making their inaugural appearances at the Games, writing new chapters in the athletic history of Wenzhou.
The Chinese delegation also includes five Wenzhou residents serving as team leaders and coaches for badminton, canoeing, rowing, boxing, and shooting, further strengthening the city's presence and expertise in the Asian Games.
