On March 30, the Chinese Olympic Committee held an award ceremony for the “City of Olympic Champions” trophy to Anshan at the Liaoning Friendship Hotel in Shenyang. With a total of 16 Olympic gold medals won by 11 athletes, Anshan is the city with the highest number of gold medals among all prefecture-level cities in China, making it well deserving of the title “City of Olympic Champions”.
At the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, Anshan-born athlete Xu Mengtao won one gold medal and one silver medal. With this achievement, Anshan-born athletes have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. With a total of 16 Olympic gold medals won by 11 athletes, Anshan earns its place as the city with the highest number of gold medals among all prefecture-level cities in China, making it the well-deserved “City of Dual-Olympic Champions”.
At the Olympic Games Tokyo 2021, seven athletes from Anshan competed in seven different sports: table tennis, gymnastics, weightlifting, badminton, shooting, rhythmic gymnastics, and swimming. These athletes, including Ma Long, Liu Yang, Li Wenwen, Li Junhui, Xiao Jiaruixuan, Xu Yanshu, and Wang Jianjiahe, brought great pride to their city with their remarkable achievements. In total, they won six medals, including four golds, one silver, and one bronze, while also achieving two fourth-place finishes and one fifth-place finish. Additionally, they set new Olympic records in three events, demonstrating their exceptional talent. As a result of their success, Anshan’s total number of gold medals ranks first among all prefecture-level cities in China.
From the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984 to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, Anshan has produced 11 Olympic champions: Jiang Ying, Song Nina, Guo Yue, Li Xiaoxia, Ma Long, Yu Yang, Du Jing, Sun Yujie, Liu Yang, Li Wenwen, and Xu Mengtao. Together, they have won a total of 16 Olympic gold medals, making Anshan one of the few cities in China, along with Harbin and Beijing, to have both Summer and Winter Olympic champions. As such, Anshan is rightfully known as the “City of Dual-Olympic Champions”.
Anshan-born athletes have not only won numerous Olympic gold medals, but also of high quality. Among them, Ma Long is the first male player in the history of world table tennis to achieve two Grand Slams and is the athlete who has won the most Olympic gold medals in Chinese history. Xu Mengtao is the first Chinese athlete to win the Olympic gold medal in the freeski women’s aerials, and is also the world’s first athlete to achieve the Grand Slam in aerials.
Anshan-born athletes have made their mark in the Olympic Games, particularly in the sport of table tennis. Guo Yue, Li Xiaoxia, and Ma Long have represented China in four Olympic Games, collectively contributing eight gold medals to China’s medal tally.
In addition to freeski aerials, table tennis, and volleyball, Anshan-born athletes have also won gold medals in badminton, fencing, gymnastics, weightlifting, and other competitions. With multiple gold medal events and a wide distribution of gold medalists, Anshan’s sports programs have flourished and demonstrated strong capabilities across various fields of competition.
