China's Zhang Out of Olympics

Suli now in the single
© FISA

By Melissa Bray

Chinese medal hopeful in the women’s single, Xiuyun Zhang will not be racing at Athens after suffering from a heart attack. This is not the first time Zhang has had a heart attack and she has been diagnosed with heart disease.

Zhang qualified for Athens by finishing fifth at last year’s World Championships but she had seen no international racing this season after recovering from an ankle injury in the spring.

FISA has accepted the request by Chinese international director, Chen Chunxin for Zhang to be replaced by Mu Suli in the single. Suli comes out of the women’s eight and at 21 years old she is one of the younger members on the team.

Zhang has been on the international rowing scene for over a decade with a World Championship medal in the quad from 1993. She also rowed to Olympic silver medal success in 1996 in the double and was gearing up to row the single at the 2000 Olympics but had to withdraw at the last minute.

The Chinese team arrived in Athens last week and are now adjusting to the heat after spending their final Olympic preparation at their training centre in northern China.