Zhong_Tao_(pole_vaulter)
Zhong Tao
Chinese high jumper (born 2001)
Zhong Tao[lower-alpha 1] (Chinese: 钟涛; born 12 August 2002) is a Chinese pole vaulter. He became a national indoor champion in 2024 and then won the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Championships.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Native name | Chinese: 钟涛 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  China | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 August 2002 (21 years, 285 days old)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Tongling, Anhui, China[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Sport of athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Pole vault | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals |
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| Personal best(s) | PV: 5.75m (2024) LJ: 6.92m (-0.5) (2020) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 6 April 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Zhong earned his first international title in 2019, winning the Asian U18 Championships. He also equaled the championship record of 5.00 metres.[1]
After finishing 4th and 7th at the 2021 Chinese championships and National Games, Zhong improved his best to 5.61 m in May 2023, qualifying him for the 2023 World Athletics Championships. At those World Championships, Zhong finished 18th overall and did not qualify for the final.[1]
At the 2024 Astana Indoor Meeting, Zhong finished 3rd in the pole vault.[3] He won his first national title at the 2024 Chinese Indoor Athletics Championships, beating Huang Bokai and Yao Jie in an anticipated match-up.[4] At the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, Zhong became Asian champion as he jumped 5.65 m, 0.05 metres better than the field.[1]
Zhong finished tied for 4th at the 2024 Xiamen Diamond League.[1]
Zhong is from Tongling, Anhui, China. He attended Yangjiashan Elementary School, where he began to train for athletics.[1][5][2] He has been described as the "big brother" of the Chinese pole vaulting world.[4]
Personal best progression
| # | Mark | Pl. | Competition | Venue | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.60 m |  | National Grand Prix, Youth Olympic Games Trials | Zhuzhou, China | 16 Apr 2018 | [6] |
| 2 | 5.00 m |  | National Indoor Grand Prix | Nanjing, China | 18 Feb 2019 | [7] |
| 4 | 5.15 m | | National Youth Games | Luoyang, China | 27 Jun 2019 | [8] |
| 5 | 5.40 m | 4th | Chinese Athletics Championships | Shaoxing, China | 12 Jun 2021 | [9] |
| 6 | 5.45 m |  | CAA Training Base Indoor Permit Meeting | Nanjing, China | 4 Mar 2022 | [10] |
| 7 | 5.50 m | | National Indoor Grand Prix | Jinan, China | 15 Feb 2023 | [11] |
| 8 | 5.61 m | 4th | National Grand Prix | Taizhou, Jiangsu, China | 25 May 2023 | [12] |
| 9 | 5.75 m | | Chinese Athletics Championships | Tianjin, China | 28 Mar 2024 | [13] |
- Zhong Tao at Tilastopaja (registration required)
- "冠军之路钟涛的励志成长故事_世界_训练_比赛". www.sohu.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- Shakeel, Maleehah (27 January 2024). "Astana Indoor Meet: Mondo Duplantis Roars Over Kazak Turf With First Pole Vault Gold for 2024". EssentiallySports. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- "田径-全国室内锦标赛：钟涛获男子撑杆跳高冠军_比赛_姚捷_博凯". www.sohu.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- "钟涛：中国男子撑杆跳高的新星，具有爆发力好、个人能力较强优势". www.163.com (in Chinese). 22 March 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhong.