Xiao Hongyan ( born 26 January 1965) is a former

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

long-distance runner. She was the bronze medallist in the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

at the

1986 Asian Games The 1986 Asian Games ( ko, 1986년 아시아 경기대회/1986년 아시안 게임, Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 10th Asian Games and the X Asiad ( ko, 제10� ...

and won the 1988

Rotterdam Marathon The Rotterdam Marathon, currently branded NN Rotterdam Marathon, is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April every year since the third edition in 1984 and attracts many top athletes ...

. Her personal best of 2:32:11 hours is a former Chinese record for the marathon. Born in Rushan, Shandong, she started out as a

middle distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 15 ...

and won the national junior

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since t ...

and

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

titles in 1982. She quickly moved up to the marathon distance and came third in the event at the 1983 Chinese National Games.烟台市著名运动员、教练员－肖红艳(中长跑)
. Jiaodong. Retrieved on 2012-04-22. She won the Chinese senior title over

at the 1986 national championships and gained selection for the

as a result. She was primarily instructed to run tactically to provide the more talented Wang Xiuting with a chance to win the title. Her team mate won the race while Xiao finished behind Japan's Kumi Araki to take the bronze medal. In respect of this achievement, she was entered into the marathon at the 1987 Chinese National Games and she won the gold medal in a career best performance of 2:32:11 hours. This time was a Chinese national record for the event, although it lasted less than a year as Zhao Youfeng ran faster in March 1988. She was given permission to compete at the

in April 1988 and she became the race's first Asian champion, winning in a time of 2:37:46 hours.Rotterdam Marathon
ARRS (2012-04-17). Retrieved on 2012-04-22. She retired from competition and became a coach in the Shandong Province from 1992 onwards. She has trained athletes to an international junior standard, including Sun Guanghong and Li Yunxia. In recognition of her achievements, she has received National Labor Medals from her Province and received merits from the regional sports committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiao, Hongyan Living people 1965 births Chinese female long-distance runners Chinese female marathon runners People from Weihai Runners from Shandong Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for China Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games