Sun Wen, the soul of the Chinese women's soccer team and co-player of the century with America's Mia Hamm, was ranked third in the 2002 Women World Player voting, making pale by comparison her men's compatriots.

During the men's World Cup finals, the Chinese players found themselves lagging far behind their east Asian neighbors and long-time rivals South Korea and Japan, who co-hosted the World Cup.

The poor results in China's first and only three World Cup matches, with no goal scored and nine allowed, were overshadowed by South Korea and Japan who made it to the semifinals and second round respectively.

The disappointment was repeated in the Asian Games in the South Korean city of Busan, when the Chinese eleven fell to Japan in a quarterfinal match.

The defeat this time, however, was subdued because Chinese sportsmen had another blow to deal with.

The Chinese men's basketball team, with their most boastful produce Yao Ming, 2002 NBA top draft pick, surrendered the Asian Games crown for the first time in 20 years before South Koreans' dogged challenge in the final, following their slack performance in the world championships and a 12th finish.

In contrast, the Chinese women's basketball team had a much happier year as they not only sat in the sixth position in the world championship, held in China for the first time, to ensure an Olympic berth for Asia, but only regained Asian Games title after 16 years.

Also in the Games, there were people who ended an even longer waiting for gold.

Chinese women hockey players, rocketing to fame with stunning performance at international level, made their second breakthrough in two months as they overcame hosts South Korea to lift the gold medal, 20 years after the sport was admitted to Asia's version of the Olympic Games.

Earlier in Macao, the tenacious Chinese players, led by stern-faced South Korean coach Kim Chang Back, fought their way to the Hockey Champions Trophy title, the first ever international major for the country.

The glorious year culminated in the World Cup in Perth, Australia, where an already well-known Chinese squad fended off fatigue and injury to take the bronze in December.

But noticeable as a breakthrough was made on hockey field, it was definitely not the only one.

Chinese skater Yang Yang (A) ended China's winter Olympic gold drought with her victories in the women's 500-meter and 1,000-meter short-track speed skating in Salt Lake City in February.

Tan Xue clinched China's first individual fencing world title as she won the women's saber final in Lisbon in August, while Li Na charged to the women's keirin crown at the track cycling world championships in Copenhagen in September.

(People?s Daily December 26, 2002)