China Sports Weekly (3.15-3.21)

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:

1. China wins a silver and a bronze at Short Track worlds

China won silver in the men's 5,000-meter relay and bronze in the women's 3,000m relay at the ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Championships which concluded on March 15 in Canada.

The young Chinese team of Zhang Bohao, Li Kun, Zhu Yiding and Li Yuheng finished with silver in men's relay Final A behind Canada. Italy took bronze.

In the women's 3,000m relay final, China overtook Canada with one lap remaining to finish third. The Netherlands claimed the title in 4:10.519, with Italy taking silver.

2. China secures place in FIBA Women's World Cup

China concluded its FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying campaign with an 83-71 victory over Brazil in Wuhan, China on March 17, while Mali and the Czech Republic also advanced to the finals in September.

Brazil trailed 69-54 entering the fourth quarter but cut the deficit to eight points before Han Xu scored four straight points to steady China. Chen Mingling then made two free throws with 30 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Han led China with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Wang Siyu added 17 points. Zhang Manman and Yang Shuyu contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Having already secured a World Cup place before the final day of competition, China finished the qualifying campaign with a 4-1 win-loss record.

3. China loses to Australia in AFC Women's Asian Cup semifinal

Defending champion China lost to Australia 2-1 in the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup semifinal in Perth, Australia on March 17.

Australia took the lead in the 17th minute through Caitlin Foord, whose first-time shot from a Mary Fowler cutback found the left corner of the net.

Zhang Linyan drew China level shortly afterward when she pounced on a defensive mix-up and won a penalty after being tackled down by Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold in the box. Zhang scored from the spot in the 26th minute.

Australia captain and all-time leading scorer Sam Kerr netted the winner on the counterattack in the 58th minute when Foord played her through on the left and Kerr took the ball around Chinese goalkeeper Peng Shimeng, rolling her shot in from a tight angle.

Without star attacker Wang Shuang through suspension, China registered 14 shots to Australia's eight, pushed hard in the final 30 minutes, but could not create a clear chance for a second equalizer.

4. Chinese paddler Fan Zhendong to join Borussia Dusseldorf

German table tennis club Saarbrucken announced on March 16 that Chinese star Fan Zhendong will leave the team at the end of the current season to join Borussia Dusseldorf.

Fan joined Saarbrucken in June last year, and the club said signing a player of his caliber had allowed it to play a pioneering role in the sport, describing the move as a significant moment in the history of German and European table tennis.

"I would like to express my sincerest thanks to the Saarbrucken table tennis club for giving me this incredible opportunity," Fan said in a statement.

"It has been a very special experience in my career. However, at this stage of my career, I feel ready to take a new step. Borussia Dusseldorf is one of the strongest forces in European and world table tennis, and my close friendship with Timo Boll has also inspired me to embrace this new challenge."

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Fan won gold medals in both the men's singles and men's team events. The victory completed his career Grand Slam after he had already secured singles titles at the World Cup and the World Table Tennis Championships.

5. Dongguan player-coach Yang leads WCBA All-Star Game vote

Dongguan guard Yang Liwei headlines the starters announced on March 17 for the 2025-26 Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) All-Star Game.

Yang, a former captain of China's national team, has combined playing and assistant coaching duties this season, averaging 8.8 points and 3.8 assists in 13 appearances. She received a leading 224,706 fan votes.

She is joined in Team South by teammates Yang Shuyu, Huang Sijing and Chen Mingling, while Sichuan veteran forward Gao Song completes the starting lineup.

Xinjiang guard Wu Tongtong leads Team North with 134,529 votes. The rest of the lineup features Shijiazhuang guard Wang Lili, Jiangsu forward Luo Xinyu and Shanxi pair Zhai Ruoyun and Zhang Ru.

The 2025-26 WCBA All-Star Weekend will be held in Xi'an, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, from March 21 to 22. In addition to the All-Star game, other events include the Rising Star Game, 3-point contest and skills challenge.■