Winter Olympics Athlets Bios

Wang Manli

Sport Speed Skating
Event(s):1000m , 500m
Birthdate: March 7, 1973
Olympics 1998, 2002

Wang began speed skating in 1984 at age 11 by learning to skate on a small lake in a nearby park. She left home at 14 to train in Harbin, a major training site for many of China's winter Olympians.

Three-time Olympian Wang Manli hasn't won a medal in her previous two Games appearances, but since Salt Lake she has emerged as the fastest sprinter in the world. She won back-to-back 500m titles at the world single distances championships and earned the 2003-04 and 2004-05 World Cup crowns at that distance.

Competing in her second Olympics, Wang Manli struggled at the 2002 Salt Lake Games where she was 13th in the 500m. However, Wang's finish was an improvement from the 1998 Nagano Games, where she was 22nd in the 500m in her Olympic debut. Wang was an alternate for the Chinese team at the 1994 Lillehammer Games in the 500m.

Wang’s hobbies include reading and listening to rock music.