Guowei Zhang

Guowei Zhang is one of the world’s best high jumpers. But that’s where his sporting talents stop. 

1. I'm no all-round sportsman

“I am not very good at any other sports. I have tried soccer, basketball, table tennis and even long and triple jump.

“Yet after I was asked to try the high jump and in my first competition I jumped 1.70m to finish third, my coach said, 'right, you are good at this, let's stick to his event'.

“God gave me the high jump and has given me this chance, so I work very hard on making the most of the opportunity.” 

2. I have a sweet tooth

“I love many different kinds of foods, but especially desserts and sweet foods. I love chocolate cake and apple pies. I like them very much but I have to control myself and limit my intake to during the off-season.

“My dream is to perform to my best at the Olympics. But if I had the freedom I would buy 10 or 20 different types of chocolate.” 

3. I don’t watch sport

“Unusually for someone in sports, I seldom watch sports on TV. I never have.

“If pushed, I would watch high jump and then maybe pole vault.

“I like watching TV and I prefer watching non-sports programmes. My favourite is one in China about lawyers called Laws on Line.”

RE-READ: Guowei Zhang – Lord of the Dance