Asian Geographic - 09.2018

ure | asian people

business magnates | leadership icons | sporting heroes | science pioneers | cultural figures | philanthropic champions

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28

China
Lang Ping (b. 196 0)
Volleyball player & coach

he “Iron Hammer” is the irst person
in volleyball history to win gold both
as a player (2 World Cups, 1 World
Championship & 1 Olympics) and as
a coach (20 1 5 World Cup & 20 1 6 Rio
Olympics). She is one of the most
respected people in modern Chinese
sports history.

29

China

Ma Long (b.1988)

Table tennis player

Long has an impressive record:

the current Olympic and World

Champion held no. 1 ranking for 64

months – the longest by any male

player in the history of the sport – and

completed the Grand Slam (winning

the Olympics, World Championships

and World Cup) in 20 1 6.

30

Singapore

Angela Lee (b.1996)

Mixed martial artist

he “Unstoppable” began competing

at age six. She became the world’s

youngest MMA champion in 20 1 6,

at age 19, earning her the title “female

Mike Tyson of the MMA world”.

Since that time, she has become

one of the most popular MMA

ighters in Asia.

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31

China
Ding Junhui (b.19 8 7)
Snooker player

he only Asian snooker player to be ranked world
No. 1 (from 2014) and to reach a World Championship
inal (20 1 6), Ding is considered the most successful Asian
player in the history of the sport. He has accumulated
more than 450 century breaks (i.e., a score of 100 points or
more within one table visit, with no missed shots). In 2018,
Ding was inducted into the world snooker Hall of Fame in
central London.

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32

China

Yao M i n g (b.1980)

Basketball player

One of the former superstar basketball players of the

National Basketball Association (Houston Rockets), Yao

Ming was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in

2016. Newly graduated with a degree in economics from
      Shanghai Jiao Tong University, he now builds schools
      and backs several humanitarian and environmental
      causes. He is currently supporting WildAid’s latest global
      campaign against ivory, shark’s in and rhino horn trade.

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“Glory is attained from hard work, step by step.”

• Ma Long