Zhang Guowei (Chinese: 张国伟; born June 4, 1991) is a Chinese high jumper. He holds the Chinese indoor record of 2.33 metres, and has jumped 2.38 metres outdoors. He was the 2015 World Championship silver medallist and the silver medallist at the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. He has been a finalist at the World Championships in Athletics and the IAAF World Indoor Championships and represented China at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics.
 Zhang Guowei at the 2015 World Championships | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 4, 1991[1] Yantai, China |
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  China |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | High jump |
Medal record | |
| Updated on 30 August 2015 | |
Career
editBorn in Penglai, Zhang began to train in the high jump at the age of 15.[2]
His first season of international competition came in 2010 and with his best jump of the year (2.23 metres) he took the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Junior Athletics Championships, finishing behind Mutaz Essa Barshim.[3] He was runner-up to Huang Haiqiang at the Chinese Athletics Championships that year.[4] He was undefeated on the Asian Athletics Grand Prix circuit in 2011 and placed eighth at the Asian Championships.[5] He was selected for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, where he cleared a personal best 2.31 m in the qualifying and went on to finish tenth in the final.[6] A jump of 2.28 m at the national championships gained him his first Chinese high jump title.[7]
At the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships Zhang repeated his regional placing behind former junior rival Barshim and was the silver medallist.[8] His good form continued at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships as he finished joint fourth with a Chinese record-equalling mark of 2.31 m (tying with former world record holder Zhu Jianhua).[9] He was selected to represent China at the 2012 London Olympics but did not progress to the final.[10] He defended his national title in September by equalling his personal best mark.[11]
Zhang overhauled Zhu's 26-year-old Chinese indoor record in March 2013, clearing 2.32 m to become the outright record holder.[12] Zhang narrowly failed to equal Zhu's national record of 2.39 m when he came second at 2.38 m behind Mutaz Essa Barshim (winner at 2.41 m) in the Eugene Oregon IAAF Diamond Meet on 30 May 2015.[13] The 2015 World Championships were held in Beijing, and there Zhang achieved his best World Championship result, second place with a jump of 2.33 m.[14] This was the first World Championship high jump medal China had won since Zhu Jianhua's medal in 1983.[2]
In 2016, he again represented China at the Olympics.[15]
Zhang announced his retirement via social media in April 2020.[16]
Competition record
edit| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing China
| |||||
| 2010 | Asian Junior Championships | Hanoi, Vietnam | 2nd | 2.23 m | |
| 2011 | Asian Championships | Kobe, Japan | 8th | 2.15 m | |
| World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 10th | 2.25 m | ||
| 2012 | Asian Indoor Championships | Hangzhou, China | 2nd | 2.28 m | |
| World Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 4th | 2.31 m | ||
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 21st (q) | 2.21 m | ||
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 9th | 2.29 m | |
| 2014 | Asian Indoor Championships | Hangzhou, China | 3rd | 2.20 m | |
| World Indoor Championships | Sopot, Poland | 7th | 2.29 m | ||
| Asian Games | Incheon, South Korea | 2nd | 2.33 m | ||
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 2nd | 2.33 m | |
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, United States | 6th | 2.29 m | |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 25th (q) | 2.22 m | ||
| 2017 | Asian Championships | Bhubaneswar, India | 2nd | 2.28 m | |
| World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 24th (q) | 2.22 m | ||
References
edit- ^ "Guowei ZHANG | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org.
- ^ a b Wu, Vincent (8 December 2014). "Zhang Guowei: Following the footstep of China's high jump legend Zhu Jianhua | FEATURE | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ Asian Junior Championships 2010 Archived 2013-08-31 at the Wayback Machine. WJAH. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Jalava, Mirko (2010-08-09). National record for Yang Yansheng in men's Pole Vault - Chinese Champs & Asian Games Trials. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Xie Limei again the best as Asian Grand Prix concludes in Wujiang. IAAF (2011-05-30). Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Guowei Zhang Archived November 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Jalava, Mirko (2011-09-11). Women's throws, men's 100m national record highlight the Chinese championships. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Krishnan, Ram. Murali (2012-02-19). Barshim soars 2.37m Asian record in Hangzhou as Asian Indoor champs conclude. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Ramsak, Bob (2012-03-11). EVENT REPORT - Men's High Jump - Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Men's High Jump Qualification Archived 2012-12-08 at archive.today. London2012. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Jalava, Mirko (2012-09-26). Chinese championships close out domestic season well. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ Jalava, Mirko (2013-03-07). Dong Bin leads the way as indoor records tumble in Nanjing. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ^ "Diamond League Results" (PDF). diamondleague.com. May 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "Guowei ZHANG | Profile". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ "Zhang Guowei Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. 2020-01-14. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ "China's twerking high jumper Zhang Guowei retires at 28". CNA. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
