Being back in China for the Qingdao Grand Prix 2025 and seeing some recent medal-winning performances on the World Judo Tour from Chinese athletes, hints at the potential present in the country, perhaps not fully realised yet, certainly not in the modern era.
In 1992, when women competed in judo at the Games for the first time beyond the restricted format of the 1988 demonstration event, China was fully on task from the outset, winning gold in the +72 kg category. Xiaoyan Zhuang took that crown and was then succeeded in the next cycle by Sun Fuming, repeating the achievement.
Names such as Sun Fuming, who also won the world championships in 2003, are fairly well known but as we haven’t seen much of her or others in the public eye since their biggest victories, it can be easy to forget such dominance. She kept the seat warm for her teammate to ensure a third heavyweight Olympic title in a row would claimed.
In Sydney in 2000, it wasn’t only the heavyweight gold which commanded the spotlight but the outstanding achievement of having two champions at the one Games. Yuan Hua took the now +78 kg title but only after Tang Ling won gold on the previous day, one weight group lighter.
So the stage was set for China to be a regular on the tallest podia around the world but the heavyweight women’s bubble burst temporarily, making way for Xian Dongmei. Yes, she won gold at the next Games, in Athens, but at -52 kg, not at +78. That title return to China in 2008 though, as did the -78 kg title. Beijing provided the Chinese women’s team with their best Games ever, as a home Games often does for the resident team. Dongmei completed a triple crown for the team that year, winning her second Olympic title having been almost invisible for the 4 years between Athens and Beijing.
Since Beijing, the Chinese team have been far less prominent, no more Olympic golds and the men’s team has never made a big impact. There is a stirring in the international scene now though; a new technical director, France’s Stephane Traineau, a mix of incumbent and newer athletes travelling with the team, a selection of medals punctuating their presence on the World Judo Tour. All is pointing towards a resurgence, a galvanising of the potential and the resources to prepare for some big wins.
In Qingdao, the grand prix presents the current team with the perfect testing ground on which to push a young group of capable judoka under the spotlight. The medal tally and performance analysis tools will tell a clearer story at the end of the event. Could China become one of the big judo powerhouses again? Perhaps they’ll be ready for Los Angeles. Time will tell.