Li Zhenzhong

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameLi•Zhenzhong
Used nameLi•Zhenzhong
Name orderOriental
Original name李•震中
Other namesLee Tsuntung
Born11 April 1916 in Tianjin, Tianjin (CHN)
Died24 February 2017 in Shanghai, Shanghai (CHN)
Measurements188 cm
AffiliationsHualian, Shanghai (CHN)
NOC People's Republic of China

Biography

Li Zhenzhong took up basketball at the age of 14 and gained experience as a member of several local teams by the age of 16. In 1934 he competed in the basketball tournament at that year’s Far Eastern Championship Games, and then entered Nanjing Central National Sports College, where he honed his athletic skills for two years. During this time, Li also excelled in track & field, especially in the high hurdles. The outbreak of conflict with Japan forced him to work a haphazard series of jobs, but he continued to play for a Chinese team, playing in various countries in Southeast Asia, while raising funds for the Chinese resistance.

After the war Li joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University and resumed his basketball career. He was then selected to represent China at the 1948 London Olympics basketball tournament as the team captain, where the nation won three of its matches, lost two, and was eliminated in round robin play. Li, one of the country’s best centers, played guard at the Olympics.

Li Zhenzhong retired from active competition shortly after the Games and went on to have a lengthy teaching career at the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education and Shanghai Normal University. He also authored several editions of a basketball textbook and established the Li Zhenzhong Sports Education Fund. He died at the age of 100 in February 2017.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1948 Summer Olympics Basketball (Basketball) CHN Li Zhenzhong
Basketball, Men (Olympic) China 18

Special Notes