Lei Sheng

Lei Sheng (Chinese: 雷声; pinyin: Léi Shēng; born 7 March 1984) is a Chinese foil fencer, Olympic champion at the 2012 Summer Olympics and twice team world champion at the 2010 and 2011 World Fencing Championships.

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Lei.
Lei Sheng
Personal information
Born (1984-03-07) 7 March 1984
Height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight78 kg (172 lb)
Sport
CountryChina
SportFencing
Weaponfoil
Handleft-handed
National coachWang Haibin
FIE rankingcurrent ranking

Career

Lei took up fencing because he liked Zorro.[1] His results as a junior were unremarkable. The 2005–06 season saw his breakthrough: he climbed his first World Cup podium with a silver medal at La Coruña, followed by a victory at Espinho and a bronze medal at the Torino World Championships. He finished the season 5th in world rankings. In the following season he won the Bonn World Cup, the St Petersburg Grand Prix and the Montreal World Cup, along with a bronze medal in Venice. He placed third again in the World Championships after losing in the semifinals to Italy's Andrea Baldini.

He competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was defeated in the quarter-finals by eventual gold medallist Benjamin Kleibrink.[2] At the 2012 London Olympics, he won the gold medal in men's individual foil after defeating Egypt's Alaaeldin Abouelkassem with a score of 15-13.[3]

Along with 2013 world champion Miles Chamley-Watson of the United States, Lei was named “athlete role model” for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.[1] He was also chosen to bear the Chinese flag at the 2014 Asian Games[4] and the 2016 Summer Olympics.[5] Lei is the first ever Chinese Olympic athlete competing in a summer sport other than basketball to carry the Chinese flag in the opening ceremony.

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References
  1. "From Zorro to Olympic fencing champion: role models inspire kids". Youth Information Service. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  2. Olympic results
  3. "London 2012 Olympics: China's Lei Sheng claims foil gold as Europeans fall". Reuters. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  4. "Lei Sheng chosen as China's flag bearer for Incheon Asian Games". CCTV. 19 September 2014. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  5. "Fencing champion Lei Sheng to fly the flag for China at Rio Olympics". South China Morning Post. 3 August 2016.
Olympic Games
Preceded by
Yi Jianlian		 Flagbearer for  China
Rio de Janeiro 2016		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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