1. Yao Ming Highest-paid athlete of China, having signed a five-year contract extension with NBA's Houston Rockets on a total of 76 million US dollars in August, before he helped Chinese men's basketball national team win their 14th and consecutive fourth Asian championships in September.
2. Guo Jingjing Undisputed "Diving Queen" of China, winning gold medals in almost all the top-rated world and regional tournaments, includingthe Montreal World Championships, the World University Games, the 10th Chinese National Games, and the East Asian Games.
3. Zhang Ning Thirty-year-old veteran who completed a "grand slam" winning run of world championships, Olympic Games, Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup, after helping the Chinese badminton team claim their fifth title of the world mixed team badminton championships at Beijing in May.
4. Zou Shiming China's first boxing world champion, lifting the trophy of the 48kg category at the 13th world senior boxing championships held at Mianyang, Southwest China in November.
5. Chang Hao China's first world Go champion entering the 21 century, beating South Korea's Choi Cheol-han 3-1 to win the Ing Cup World Go Championship.
6. Zhang Yining New generation to China's table tennis, lifting her first world championships singles trophy in Shanghai in May to become another " grand slam" winner of worlds, Olympics and World Cup, beating former world number one Wang Nan for a women's singles crown and leading Beijing women's team to defend the table tennis team titleat the 10th Chinese National Games.
7. Liu Xiang Winner of the Alternative Sportsperson of the Year at the 2008 Laureus World Sports Awards, adding an 110m hurdles silver medal at the Helsinki world championships to his history-making Olympic title taken at 2004 Games in Athens.
8. Chen Yanqing A comeback strongwoman of China, claiming the 58kg gold at the 10th Chinese National Games with three world records weight in October and putting her career in an end with another gold medal in the same category at November's East Asian Games in Macao.
9. Cheng Fei China's first world championship winner in the women's vault, whose routine performed at the 38th world gymnastics championship slate in November, including a back somersault with a straight backposition and two and a half twists, has been named after the 17-year-old Chinese. 10. Wu Peng Second Chinese male swimmer in over 20 years after Zeng Qiliangto win a medal in the world championships, taking the bronze in the 200m butterfuly at the Montreal worlds in August.
