The 20-year-old Gu Ailing won two gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which made her popular and became the new top of Chinese sports. The high attention has also brought great commercial value to Gu Ailing, she has signed a number of endorsement advertisements, and has become one of the most gold-attracting athletes in Chinese sports.
Forbes announced the 2023 Global Women's Athlete Income List, and Gu Ailing ranked second for the second year in a row. In 2022, Gu Ailing's advertising revenue plus bonuses will total 20.5 million US dollars, while Gu Ailing's annual income in 2023 will be 22.1 million US dollars, equivalent to about 160 million yuan. Pushing Gu to the top spot is the current No. 1 in women's tennis, Vatek, who has $9.9 million in prize money throughout 2023 and $14 million in off-court earnings, for a total annual income of $23.9 million.
And Gu Ailing has a long time to peak in the future, the last two World Cup events, Gu Ailing have won the championship, each time the score is more than 90 points, of which Hebei Chongli Station Gu Ailing still played with an injury but still won the championship, as long as she stays healthy, Gu Ailing will be the first woman in the active halfpipe in the next few years.
It is worth mentioning that there is another Chinese female athlete Zheng Qinwen on the Forbes list, who is a tennis player, 21 years old, and a young athlete, and tennis players have always been very impressive, and more than the top ten of the Forbes list are tennis players.
Throughout the 2023 season, Zheng Qinwen made consecutive breakthroughs, reaching the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time and winning two tour titles. He is ranked in the top 15 in the world and has set a new career high. In addition, Zheng Qinwen also won the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year award, and it is clear that Zheng Qinwen is not only a rising superstar in Chinese tennis, but also a superstar in world tennis, and she hopes to create the same achievements as her idol Li Na and try to become a Grand Slam champion.
Whether it is Gu Ailing or Zheng Qinwen, they are good enough, they are the best of the new generation of athletes in Chinese sports, representing the "new force" and making the entire Chinese sports scene look hopeful.
Competitive sports are always like this, there will always be people at the top, 20-year-old Gu Ailing, 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen, 16-year-old Quan Hongchan, the future belongs to the younger generation, and the development of Chinese sports is steadily advancing!
(Lin Xiaoxiang)