Zhong Tao

Zhong Tao (钟涛; born 12 August 2002) is a Chinese pole vaulter. He became a national indoor champion in 2024 and then won the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Championships.

Career
Zhong earned his first international title in 2019, winning the Asian U18 Championships. He also equaled the championship record of 5.00 metres.

After finishing 4th and 7th at the 2021 Chinese championships and National Games, Zhong improved his best to 5.61 m in May 2023, qualifying him for the 2023 World Athletics Championships. At those World Championships, Zhong finished 18th overall and did not qualify for the final.

At the 2024 Astana Indoor Meeting, Zhong finished 3rd in the pole vault. He won his first national title at the 2024 Chinese Indoor Athletics Championships, beating Huang Bokai and Yao Jie in an anticipated match-up. At the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, Zhong became Asian champion as he jumped 5.65 m, 0.05 metres better than the field.

Zhong finished tied for 4th at the 2024 Xiamen Diamond League.

Personal life
Zhong is from Tongling, Anhui, China. He attended Yangjiashan Elementary School, where he began to train for athletics. He has been described as the "big brother" of the Chinese pole vaulting world.