achtungbaby
03-04-2003, 10:36 AM
BEIJING (AP) -- Yao Ming may be one of the hottest new stars in the NBA, but that wasn't enough to bag him China's ``Sportsman of the Year'' award.
Yao and three other candidates fell in balloting to world champion gymnast Li Xiaopeng, who helped China win the 2000 Olympic all-around gold and won three golds in last year's Busan Asian Games.
Yao, the Houston Rockets' star rookie, was in Washington for a game against Michael Jordan and the Wizards at the time of the announcement, which took place Friday, Beijing time.
Even the 21-year-old Li said he thought Yao would take the top prize.
``I thought that Yao would win, because no one can deny that basketball is a more popular sport than gymnastics in China. In our country, everyone, including me, likes Yao Ming,'' Li was quoted saying by China's official Xinhua News Agency.
Yao, the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft last year, has shot to fame across China and in the United States, where he has become a stereotype-smashing source of pride for Asian-American men.
However, one of the 80 sports authorities who picked the winner said the nominees' international competition results were a more important criteria than their popularity.
``Li Xiaopeng won six international titles last year, and I think he deserves the title,'' said former Olympic champion runner Wang Junxia.
Yao and three other candidates fell in balloting to world champion gymnast Li Xiaopeng, who helped China win the 2000 Olympic all-around gold and won three golds in last year's Busan Asian Games.
Yao, the Houston Rockets' star rookie, was in Washington for a game against Michael Jordan and the Wizards at the time of the announcement, which took place Friday, Beijing time.
Even the 21-year-old Li said he thought Yao would take the top prize.
``I thought that Yao would win, because no one can deny that basketball is a more popular sport than gymnastics in China. In our country, everyone, including me, likes Yao Ming,'' Li was quoted saying by China's official Xinhua News Agency.
Yao, the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft last year, has shot to fame across China and in the United States, where he has become a stereotype-smashing source of pride for Asian-American men.
However, one of the 80 sports authorities who picked the winner said the nominees' international competition results were a more important criteria than their popularity.
``Li Xiaopeng won six international titles last year, and I think he deserves the title,'' said former Olympic champion runner Wang Junxia.