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Born | Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China | 24 August 1976||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 60 kg (132 lb; 9 st 6 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Country | China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Speed skating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
World championship wins | 1997 Overall 1998 Overall 1999 Overall 2000 Overall 2001 Overall 2002 Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Yang Yang (Chinese: 杨扬; pinyin: Yáng Yáng; born 24 August 1976) is a retired Chinese short track speed skater. She is a two-time Olympic Champion from 2002 Winter Olympics and a six-time Overall World Champion for 1997–2002. Known as Yang Yang (A), she was formerly a member of the Chinese national short track team. Yang is one of the most accomplished short track speed skaters of all time having won 34 world titles, including six Overall World Championships. She is the first person to have won six Overall World Titles and won six consecutively. Her victory in the women's 500 m short track at the 2002 Winter Olympics made her China's first-ever Winter Olympics gold medalist. She added a second gold in the women's 1000 m short track at the same Games and has also won two silver and a bronze medal. After 2003 World Championships, Yang took time off competing, but came back in 2004–2005 season in lead-up to 2006 Winter Olympics where she won the bronze medal in 1000m race. She retired soon afterwards.
Naming
Yang, born in 1976, is sometimes known as Yang Yang (A), to differentiate her from the speed skater named Yang Yang, born in 1977 and known as Yang Yang (S).
By coincidence, Yang had a contemporary on the Chinese skating team, one year and one month her junior, also named Yang Yang in pinyin and English (although with a different given name character in Chinese). The "(A)" identifier was used as a way to distinguish her from the younger Yang Yang. Originally, the older Yang Yang was known as Yang Yang (L) for "large" (大 or 'big' in Chinese is used to distinguish between younger and older persons of roughly the same age), as she is older than Yang Yang (S) for "small"; however, she objected to the "L" identifier, changing it to "A" for "August", her birth month. Although the younger Yang Yang (S) is now retired from competition and there is no longer a need to distinguish between the two in results, Yang Yang (A) still used the identifier in competition, considering it a part of her identity.[1][2][3][4]
Retirement
Yang Yang (A) was chosen to be one of 12,000 torchbearers to carry the Olympic torch for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and on November 22, 2009, she ran a portion of the Prince Edward Island legs.[5][6]
Yang was elected as an IOC member in 2010 becoming mainland China's fourth IOC member.[7] She is also a committee member of the World Anti Doping Agency,[8] and founding member of the Chinese Athlete Education Foundation.
In 2013, Yang co-founded the Feiyang Skating Centre in Shanghai, a new double-rink facility with an Olympic-sized rink upstairs and a recreational-sized rink downstairs, built to promote ice sports in China.
In 2021, Yang became a high profile supporter of UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. She amplifies Chinese social media content highlighting the power of sport to transform the lives of people fleeing conflict and persecution.[9]
Career
Personal records | ||||
Women's short track speed skating | ||||
Event | Result | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
500 m | 44:084 | 2002-02-20 | Calgary | |
1000 m | 1:30.216 | 2005-10-02 | Hangzhou | 2005 / 2006 World Cup |
1500 m | 2:21.690 | 2002-02-13 | Salt Lake City | 2002 Winter Olympics |
3000 m | 5:03.652 | 2000-12-10 | Changchun | 2000 / 2001 World Cup |
Gallery
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Yang Yang in Montreal, 2002.
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(2002) – Speed Skating World Cup – Montreal – Yang Yang
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(2002) – Speed Skating World Cup – Montreal – Yang Yang answering questions from journalists.
References
- ^ "Five-Ring Circus: Yang Yang and Yang Yang". The Toledo Blade. 2002-02-13. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
- ^ Lopresti, Mike (2006-02-10). "Athletes usher in the Torino Games". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Yang Yang (A)". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Yang Yang (S)". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ "Sports News, Opinion, Scores, Schedules | TSN".
- ^ "CANADIAN TOURISM COMMISSION | Media Advisory: International Torchbearers Update". Archived from the original on 2009-11-18.
- ^ "China's former skater Yang Yang elected as new IOC member". Archived from the original on 2010-02-16.
- ^ "Yang Yang becomes first Chinese WADA vice president". China Daily. 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- ^ "Yang Yang". UNHCR. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
External links
- Yang Yang (A) (Short-track Speed Skating) from china.org.cn
- Yang Yang at Olympics.com
- Yang Yang at Olympedia
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Chinese female short-track speed skaters
- Olympic bronze medalists for China
- Olympic gold medalists for China
- Olympic short-track speed skaters for China
- Olympic silver medalists for China
- Olympic medalists in short-track speed skating
- Short-track speed skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics
- Short-track speed skaters at the 2002 Winter Olympics
- Short-track speed skaters at the 2006 Winter Olympics
- Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics
- Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics
- Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics
- Asian Games medalists in short-track speed skating
- Short-track speed skaters at the 1996 Asian Winter Games
- Short-track speed skaters at the 1999 Asian Winter Games
- Short-track speed skaters at the 2003 Asian Winter Games
- Chinese International Olympic Committee members
- World Anti-Doping Agency members
- People from Jiamusi
- Sportspeople from Heilongjiang
- Medalists at the 1996 Asian Winter Games
- Medalists at the 1999 Asian Winter Games
- Medalists at the 2003 Asian Winter Games
- Asian Games gold medalists for China
- Asian Games silver medalists for China
- FISU World University Games bronze medalists for China
- Winter World University Games medalists in short track speed skating
- Competitors at the 1997 Winter Universiade
- World Short Track Speed Skating Championships medalists