Table tennis Grand Slam winner Ma Long and volleyballer Zhu Ting were voted the Best Male and Female Athletes of the Year 2016 respectively at the prestigious China Central Television (CCTV) Sports Awards gala in Beijing on Sunday evening.
Table tennis player Ma Long, the Best Male Athlete of the Year 2016 /CFP Photo
Volleyball player Zhu Ting (right), the Best Female Athlete of the Year 2016 /CFP Photo
The Best Coach award went to volleyball legend Lang Ping, the first person to win the Olympic gold medal in the event both as coach and player. The Chinese national women's volleyball team - Olympic gold medallists under Lang's command - captured the Best Team award. Both Lang Ping and the team have won the awards for three consecutive years.
Volleyball coach Lang Ping (front), the winner of the Best Coach award and her squad in the Chinese national women's volleyball team, the winner of the Best Team award /CFP Photo
29-year-old ping pong star Ma won the men's singles table tennis gold medal at the Rio Olympics, beating teammate Zhang Jike in the final, becoming the fifth Grand Slam male winner after Liu Guoliang, Kong Linghui, Zhang Jike of China and Jan-Ove Waldner of Sweden.
Nominated for the second straight year, Ma beat four other candidates, including Rio Olympics men's 200-meter freestyle swimming winner Sun Yang and badminton champion Chen Long, to claim his first Best Male Athlete award. He described 2016 as "perfect" for him.
It was also Zhu's second nomination as Best Female Athlete. The 22-year-old was a key player for the Chinese national team, and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the women's volleyball tournament at the Rio Olympics.
Now playing for Vakifbank Club in Turkey, Zhu did not attend the ceremony, but made a short video for her acceptance speech.
"The year of 2016 was full of happiness and unforgettable for me. I wanted to say thanks to our coach, our team and our fans. I will be better in 2017," Zhu said in the video.
The Chinese national diving team received two awards as Ren Qian, the women's 10-meter platform winner at Rio was named Best Rookie, and her teammates Wu Minxia and Shi Tingmao got the Best Pairing award.
Boxer Zou Shiming, the winner of the Best Non-Olympic Athlete award /CFP Photo
Cyclist Gong Jinjie, the winner of the Best Breakthrough award /CFP Photo
The two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming, who lifted the WBO flyweight world title in 2016, won the Best Non-Olympic Athlete award. Wheelchair fencer Rong Jing, who won three gold medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, was named Best Disabled Athlete. The Best Breakthrough award went to Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi, who won China's first cycling Olympic gold at the Rio Games in the team sprint event.
(With inputs from Xinhua)
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