Kong Yingchao

Kong Yingchao is a retired biathlete, who was born on 9 October 1982 in Neimenggu, China. Her first year in biathlon was 1995 and she made her World Cup debut in 1999. The best overall finish in her career is 15th in the 2006-2007 season. Kong managed to finish 12 times in the top 10. At the 2001 World Championships in Pokljuka she placed 42nd in the Individual, 56th in the sprint and 10th in the relay. Kong was part of the Chinese biathlon team that represented the country at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. She finished 44th in the Individual, 56 in the sprint and 13th with the relay. Later in 2003, Kong won 3 medals at the Asian Games in Aomori - 2 gold in the pursuit and in the relay and one silver in the sprint. During the 2004-2005 season in the World Cup her performance improved. She got on the podium twice for her 2nd place in the sprint and following pursuit in Pokljuka. At the 2005 World Championships her best result was 6th in the most prestigious discipline - the mass start which is only for the top 30 biathletes from the overall rankings. In the other events Kong placed 57 in the Individual, 38 in the sprint, 41st in the pursuit and 11th in the relay. The 2006-2007 showed to be a great success. It began with an 8th place in the Individual, the first race from the World Cup schedule in Ostersund. The next week in Hochfilzen, Kong finished 3rd in the sprint and 6th in the pursuit. After that she placed 8th in the sprint and 4th in the pursuit in Oberhof. The 2006 Olympics in Turin were her second games. Kong finished 25th in the Individual, 24th in the sprint, 17th in the pursuit, 23rd in the mass start and 9th in the relay. The season concluded with a 6th place in the sprint, 7th place in the pursuit in Lahti and a and 4th in the mass start in Holmenkollen. At the 2007 Asian Games in Changchun, Kong Yingchao won 4 medals - 2 gold in the pursuit and relay and 2 silver in the Individual and sprint. The best finish she achieved at the 2007 World Championships in Antholz-Anterselva was 6th with the relay. Her last Winter Olympics were in 2010 in Vancouver. Kong's results were 58th in the Individual, 61st in the sprint and 9th in the relay. After the 2009-2010 season she officially retired from biathlon.