Chinese Table Tennis Player Awarded 6 Kilograms of Gold
Chen Meng, the reigning women’s singles table tennis champion, is leading the prize money charts among Chinese athletes returning from the Paris 2024 Olympics.
According to China Business Daily, Chen Meng is set to receive a remarkable $525,000 in prize money for her victories in both the women’s singles and women’s team events. A significant portion of this reward comes from a generous promise by real estate mogul Guo Bin, the husband of former table tennis star Wang Nan, who won a gold medal in women’s doubles at the Athens 2004 Olympics.
Following China’s first gold medal win in the mixed doubles event, Guo Bin announced on social media that he would award 3 kilograms of gold, valued at approximately $237,000, to Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin. Before the women’s singles final, Guo Bin increased the reward to 6 kilograms of gold for the champion—an accolade that Chen Meng earned after defeating Sun Yingsha.
Born in 1994, Chen Meng has won gold in both the women’s singles and women’s team events in the last two Olympic Games. Entering Paris 2024 as the second seed, she delivered an outstanding performance, defeating the top seed Sun Yingsha. Chen also claimed a World Cup title in 2020 and secured silver medals at the World Championships in 2019 and 2023.
Guo Bin and Wang Nan are prominent figures in the Chinese table tennis scene, known for their continuous investment in the sport. They established a training center in Yuhai, Shandong Province, which has become a regular training hub for the national table tennis team. Players appreciate the nurturing environment created by Wang Nan, which feels like home to them.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, China became the first team to sweep all five table tennis gold medals, including men’s singles, women’s singles, mixed doubles, men’s team, and women’s team. The mixed doubles event, newly added since Tokyo 2020, had seen China lose to Japan in the final, making this clean sweep a significant achievement.
Apart from Chen Meng, three other table tennis players rank among the top 10 earners from the Olympics. Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin each received around $270,000, while Fan Zhendong is in 10th place with $56,000.
Other notable prize money awards include Chang Yani (diving) with $105,000, Sun Jiajun (swimming) with $95,000, and Sheng Lihao (shooting), Chen Yiwen, and Quan Hongchan (diving) each receiving $63,000. Xiao Yanning and Xiang Binxuan (artistic swimming) were awarded $61,500 each.
The figures mentioned may not represent the final totals. Athletes also receive varying amounts of prize money from local governments and anonymous private donors. For example, the city of Zhangzhou in Fujian Province awarded approximately $168,000 to Olympic champions, while the Fok Ying Tung Sports Fund traditionally offers $150,000, including 1 kilogram of gold.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, China finished second overall with 40 gold medals, 27 silver, and 24 bronze. This tied them with the U.S. for the most gold medals but fell short by 16 silver medals. This was China’s second-highest gold medal count, following their performance at Beijing 2008, where they won 48 golds.
