Gong Lijiao

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Gong Lijiao
Luquan, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight108 kg (238 lb)
Sport
CountryChina China
SportAthletics
EventShot put
Coached byLi Meisu

Gong Lijiao (simplified Chinese: 巩立姣; traditional Chinese: 鞏立姣; pinyin: Gǒng Lìjiāo; born 24 January 1989) is a Chinese Olympic shot putter and the 2020 Olympic champion in that event. A three-time Olympic medalist, she holds a record eight medals at the World Athletics Championships, including two World titles.[1]

Career

She finished seventh at the 2007 World Championships, her international debut. At the 2008 Summer Olympics she finished fifth but received the bronze medal later after two competitors were stripped of their medals because of doping violations.

She set a personal best throw of 19.46 metres in the qualifying round of the 2008 Olympics; this was the furthest mark for a female Chinese shot putter for over a decade. At the 2009 National Games of China, Gong further improved her personal best to 19.82 m, taking her to tenth place on the all-time Chinese shot putter's list.[2]

She won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin with a personal best of 19.89 metres.[3]

She won the gold medal at the 2009 National Games of China in Jinan with a personal best of 20.35 metres.[4]

She won the gold medal at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships in Guangzhou with a personal best of 19.04 metres.

Gong initially finished fourth in the London 2012 Summer Olympics, but was retroactively awarded the bronze medal after the winner, Nadzeya Astapchuk, was disqualified for failing a drug test.[5] On 20 August 2016, the IOC announced that Yevgeniya Kolodko, the Russian silver medalist, failed an anti-doping test and Gong was therefore upgraded to the silver.[6]

In 2018, Gong won the gold medal in women's shot put during the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.[7]

In 2021, she won the gold medal in women's shot put at the 2020 Summer Olympics In Tokyo with her personal best of 20.58 m,[8] thereby becoming the first Chinese athlete to be crowned the Olympic champion in any field event and the first athlete from Asia to win an Olympic gold medal in women's shot put.[9]

At the 2023 World Athletic Championships, Gong won the bronze medal after tying Portuguese thrower Auriol Dongmo's best throw of 19.69 metres and prevailing on countback. This was her eighth World medal, breaking Ezekiel Kemboi's record for the most medals by an athlete at the championships.[1]

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing  China
2007 World Championships
Osaka, Japan
6th 18.66 m
2008 Asian Indoor Championships
Doha, Qatar
1st 18.12 m
Olympic Games
Beijing, China
3rd 19.20 m
2009 World Championships
Berlin, Germany
3rd 19.89 m
Asian Championships
Guangzhou, China
1st 19.04 m
2010 World Indoor Championships
Doha, Qatar
6th 18.64 m
Continental Cup Split, Croatia 2nd 20.13 m
Asian Games
Guangzhou, China
2nd 19.67 m
2011 World Championships
Daegu, South Korea
3rd 19.97 m
2012 Olympic Games
London, United Kingdom
2nd 20.22 m
2013 World Championships
Moscow, Russia
3rd 19.95 m
2014 World Indoor Championships
Sopot, Poland
3rd 19.24 m
Continental Cup
Marrakesh, Morocco
1st 19.23 m
Asian Games
Incheon, South Korea
1st 19.06 m
2015 World Championships
Beijing, China
2nd 20.30 m
2016 Olympic Games
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4th 19.39 m
2017 World Championships
London, United Kingdom
1st 19.94 m
2018 World Indoor Championships
Birmingham, United Kingdom
3rd 19.08 m
Asian Games
Jakarta, Indonesia
1st 19.66 m
Continental Cup
Ostrava, Czech Republic
1st 19.63 m
2019 Asian Championships
Doha, Qatar
1st 19.18 m
World Championships
Doha, Qatar
1st
19.55 m
2021 Olympic Games
Tokyo, Japan
1st 20.58 m PB
2022
World Championships
Eugene, United States
2nd 20.39 m
2023
World Championships
Budapest, Hungary
3rd 19.69 m
Asian Games
Hangzhou, China
1st 19.58 m

References

  1. ^ a b "American Ealey wins shot put gold again, Gong claims eighth successive medal". Reuters. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  2. IAAF
    . Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  3. ^ "12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics - Berlin 2009 - Timetable/Results - 08-16-2009". berlin.iaaf.org. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Tilastopaja Oy Result Service". www.tilastopaja.org. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  5. ^ "IOC withdraws gold medal from shot put athlete Nadzeya Ostapchuk". Olympic News. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  6. ^ "IOC sanctions Evgeniia Kolodko for failing anti-doping test at London 2012". Olympic News. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  7. Xinhua. 27 August 2018. Archived from the original
    on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  8. ^ May, Tiffany; Chen, Elsie (5 August 2021). "A Chinese gold medalist was asked about her "masculine" appearance, prompting outrage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Athletics - Final Results". Tokyo Olympics Official Website. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

External links