China at the 2004 Summer Olympics

China competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's ninth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1952. A total of 384 Chinese athletes, 136 men and 248 women, were selected by the Chinese Olympic Committee to compete in 28 sports. For the third time in its Olympic history, China was represented by more female than male athletes.

China left Athens with a total of 63 Olympic medals – 32 golds, 17 silver, and 14 bronze – finishing third in the overall medal standings and second only to the United States in the gold medal tally. The Chinese delegation proved particularly successful in several sports, winning nine medals each in diving and shooting, eight in weightlifting, six in table tennis, and five each in badminton and judo. Chinese athletes dominated in badminton, diving, and table tennis, where they each won gold medals in most sporting events. Three Chinese athletes managed to defend their titles from the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, while six of them won more than a single medal in Athens. China's team-based athletes came strong and successful in Athens, as the women's volleyball team managed to strike the Russians for the gold medal.

Among the nation's medalists were hurdler Liu Xiang, who emerged as China's first male athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in men's track and field, badminton player Zhang Ning in the women's singles, diving tandem Wu Minxia and Guo Jingjing in the women's synchronized platform, and tennis players Li Ting and Sun Tiantian, who became the first Asians to capture an Olympic title in the women's doubles. Badminton player Gao Ling, who won a gold and a silver in both the mixed doubles with Zhang Jun and the women's doubles with Huang Sui, became the most decorated Chinese athlete in the sporting history with a total of four Olympic medals. Along with Zhang Jun and Gao Ling for their Olympic defense campaign, taekwondo jin Chen Zhong successfully repeated her gold medal from Sydney in the women's heavyweight division.

With Beijing being the host city of the 2008 Summer Olympics, a traditional Chinese segment was performed during the closing ceremony.

Medalists

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Archery
Five Chinese archers (two men and three women) qualified each for the men's and women's individual archery, and a spot for the women's team.


 * Men


 * Women

Athletics
Chinese athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard).


 * Key
 * Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
 * Q = Qualified for the next round
 * q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
 * NR = National record
 * N/A = Round not applicable for the event
 * Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round


 * Men
 * Track & road events


 * Field events


 * Combined events – Decathlon


 * Women
 * Track & road events


 * Field events


 * Combined events – Heptathlon

Badminton

 * Men


 * Women


 * Mixed

Men's tournament

 * Roster


 * Group play


 * Quarterfinals


 * Classification match (7th–8th place)

Women's tournament

 * Roster


 * Group play


 * Classification match (9th–10th place)

Boxing
People's Republic of China sent six boxers to Athens. They won one bronze medal, with one other quarterfinalist. Their combined record was 6-6 as three boxers lost their first matches. They were in a five-way tie for 16th place in the medals board for boxing.

Sprint

 * Men

Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify to final; q = Qualify to semifinal
 * Women

Track

 * Time trial


 * Omnium

Diving
Chinese divers qualified for eight individual spots at the 2004 Olympic Games. Four Chinese synchronized diving teams qualified through the 2004 FINA Diving World Cup.


 * Men


 * Women

Fencing

 * Men


 * Women

Women's tournament

 * Roster


 * Group play


 * Semifinals


 * Bronze Medal match

Women's tournament

 * Roster


 * Group play

Artistic

 * Men
 * Team


 * Individual finals


 * Women
 * Team


 * Individual finals

Women's tournament

 * Roster


 * Group play


 * Quarterfinal


 * 5th-8th Place Classification


 * 7th-8th Place Final

Judo
Nine Chinese judoka (two men and seven women) qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics.


 * Men


 * Women

Modern pentathlon
Three Chinese athletes qualified to compete in the modern pentathlon event through the Asian Championships.

Rowing
Chinese rowers qualified the following boats:


 * Men

Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; R=Repechage
 * Women

Sailing
Chinese sailors have qualified one boat for each of the following events.


 * Men


 * Women

M = Medal race; OCS = On course side of the starting line; DSQ = Disqualified; DNF = Did not finish; DNS= Did not start; RDG = Redress given
 * Open

Shooting
Twenty-six Chinese shooters (fifteen men and eleven women) qualified to compete in the following events:


 * Men

* = Won in shoot-off
 * Women

Softball
In the final game of the preliminary round, China was the victim of the first perfect game in Olympic softball history, losing to Japan 2–0. Their defeat two days later in the semifinal, again to Japan, eliminated China from medal contention.


 * Preliminary Round


 * Quarterfinal

Swimming
Chinese swimmers earned qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the A-standard time, and 1 at the B-standard time):


 * Men

* Competed only in heats and received medals
 * Women

Synchronized swimming
Nine Chinese synchronized swimmers qualified a spot in the women's team.

Table tennis
Nine Chinese table tennis players qualified for the following events.


 * Men


 * Women

Taekwondo
Two Chinese taekwondo jin qualified for the following events.

Tennis
China won its first Olympic tennis medal, a gold, in the women's doubles. Following this victory, China became the only nation to claim gold medals in all three Olympic racquet sports (badminton, table tennis, tennis), and more importantly, to capture the gold medal in the women's doubles for all of these events.

Triathlon
Two Chinese triathletes qualified for the following events.

Women's tournament
Summary


 * Roster


 * Group play


 * Quarterfinal


 * Semifinal


 * Gold Medal Final


 * Won Gold Medal

Weightlifting
Ten Chinese weightlifters qualified for the following events:


 * Men


 * Women

Wrestling
Key:
 * VT - Victory by Fall.
 * PP - Decision by Points - the loser with technical points.
 * PO - Decision by Points - the loser without technical points.


 * Men's freestyle


 * Men's Greco-Roman


 * Women's freestyle