14. Zheng Zhi leads China's challenge for football medal

BEIJING: Charlton Athletic midfielder Zheng Zhi (pic) will lead China’s Under-23 squad at next month’s Beijing Olympic football tournament, local media reported yesterday. Zheng Zhi, who turns 28 next month, together with defender Li Weifeng, 29, and striker Han Peng, 24, have been selected as the three over-age players by China’s Serbian coach Ratomir Dujkovic, the Beijing Daily said. “It is my dream to march into the Olympic final in the Bird’s Nest, as the coach has said,” Zheng Zhi told the paper after scoring a penalty in a 4-0 warm-up victory over Malaysia in Jilin province at the weekend. Regular captain and playmaker of the senior team, Zheng Zhi suffered back and toe injuries during China’s failed bid to progress past the third round of Asian qualification for the 2010 World Cup. “I want to get myself back into top... [read full story]