Zou Shiming is 26 years old, 162 centimeters tall, and 48 kilograms in weight. He is China's light flyweight celebrity.
His first big win was when he took the Light Flyweight Silver Medal at the 2003 AIBA World Amateur Boxing Championships in Thailand. Then he came in third at the Athens Olympic Games. When he followed this up with the Gold Medal at the 2005 AIBA World Amateur Boxing Championships in China, he became the first Chinese boxer ever to win a gold medal at the world championships.
In addition to his international reputation, he has received many accolades back home. These include "National Advanced Worker," "Guizhou Province May 1 Labor Medal," "Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Guizhou Province," and more besides. However, he says he has never been happier than when he was elected as a delegate to the 17th National Congress of the CPC.
Boxing was banned in China during the 1980s. This created a skill's vacuum which meant that since then very few athletes in China have been able to compete successfully in the sport at international level. Prior to Zou's 2003 silver medal, the highest international achievements for Chinese boxers were a gold medal at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games and a fifth place in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
However in recent years Chinese boxing has seen dramatic improvements as access to better know-how and to more advanced training methods have started to take effect. Take Zou's example, during competitions away from home he could find some foreign coaches and competitors who were willing to share their international experience and give him feedback on his boxing. Some would even record his matches for evaluation. In order to overcome the weaknesses of a short arm reach, he came up with a fast, flexible, and aggressive "pirate" style that has caught the attention of international boxing. His success speaks for itself and he is happy to see his sport now receiving the recognition it deserves.
Zou believes strongly that high levels of effort both in training and in competition can lead not only to personal success but can present his country in a good light. He has already carved out a fine reputation for himself in his own country and is now looking forward confidently to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games where he hopes for further success for himself and for China.
In his personal life, the internet is his window on the world. He updates his blog enthusiastically and chats with his on-line friends. He has also been working to master French cuisine.
When Zou was elected as a delegate to the 17th National Congress, he said, "This is a priceless opportunity for me to meet with the state leaders, and to attend this meeting will be a wonderful life experience."
(China.org.cn, 17thcongress.org.cn by Zhang Nina, October 12, 2007)
