Ning Zetao of China poses with his gold medal after winning the men's 100m freestyle final at the Aquatics World Championships in Kazan, Russia, Aug. 6, 2015. (Photo : Reuters)
China Central Television (CCTV) Sports Awards for Best Male and Female Athlete of the Year went to swimmer Ning Zetao and race walker Liu Hong. CCTV Sports recognized the athletes on Sunday, Jan. 24.
The 23-year-old Ning, also an award winner in 2014, won the world 100-meter freestyle title in 47.84 seconds in Kazan, Russia, on Aug. 6, 2015. As a result, he became the first man from Asia to win a medal of any color in the blue ribbon event at the world championship since 1973, CRI English reported.
On the other hand, the 28-year-old Liu Hong cut more than one minute off her own best record to win the 20km race walk in 1 hour, 24 minutes, 38 seconds. Liu set a new world record at the Spanish leg of the 2015 IAAF Race Walking Challenge in La Coruna, Spain, in June. Furthermore, she was the winner of the same event at the world championship in Beijing.
The same publication reported that the Chinese men's relay team comprising Mo Youxuan, Xie Zhenye, Su Bingtian, and Zhang Peimeng retained the Best Pairing Award. Su, who clocked 9.99 seconds twice in 2015, parted away with the Best Breakthrough Award.
The women's volleyball team from China, who won the 2015 World Cup in Japan, received the Best Team Award. The team coach, Jenny Lang Ping, was named the Best Coach in addition to being given the Sports Special Contribution Award.
Basketball player Zhou Qi, perceivably the hope of the Chinese national team, was named the Best Rookie of the Year.
The yearly CCTV Sports Awards has been hailed as the Chinese version of the Laureus World Sports Awards.
