Published on: 2026-06-16
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Recently, the American magazine Time published a list of the 100 most influential people in sports for 2026. It included Chinese athletes Sun Yingsha and Gu Ailin.
Sun Yingsha became the only female representative in table tennis on the list. She entered the “Pioneers” category. Time magazine called her “the epitome of modern table tennis.” At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Sun Yingsha helped the Chinese national team win gold in the women’s team table tennis tournament, as well as winning gold in mixed doubles and silver in women’s singles. In 2026, she became the world cup champion in singles, becoming the first athlete in history to win the World Cup in this category three times in a row.Now 25-year-old Sun Insha has held the top spot in the world ranking for more than 200 weeks, which is a record of the modern era and the ranking system.
Freestyle skier Gu Ailin was included in the “Icons” category. Time magazine named her the only representative of extreme sports, having won three medals at two Winter Olympic Games — in Beijing in 2022 and Milan in 2026.
This rating features many famous athletes, including football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, basketball players LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama, tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, Formula 1 racer Lando Norris, track and field athlete Faith Kipketer, and others.
It is noted that Time magazine presented the list of the 100 most influential people in sports for the first time.
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