In the 2004 Athens Olympics, 235 Chinese athletes qualified for the finals in 107 events in 23 sports. Eighty three of them set six world records and 17 Olympic marks, wining 32 gold medals, 17 silver medals and 14 bronze medals in 55 events in 18 sports. China finished the games with a second place ranking behind only the United States (35-39-29) in the final medal standings.

China maintained its dominance in the sports of diving, shooting, table tennis, badminton and weightlifting. Chinese athletes made impressive progress in fencing and women's cycling, wrestling and archery. Also, major breakthroughs were made in several track and field events, swimming events, rowing and canoeing.

Hurdler Liu Xiang(刘翔) from Shanghai made history in the Greek capital when he struck gold in the men's 110m hurdles final in a world record-equaling time of 12.91seconds. He is the first Asian to win the men's 110m hurdles in Olympic and world athletic history.

His female compatriot Xing Huina(邢慧娜) followed suit in the women's 10,000m by beating a number of world class runners, including Ethiopia's Ejegayehu Dibaba and double Olympic champion Derartu Tulu, to win the gold.

In the swimming pool, 20-year-old world champion Luo Xuejuan(罗雪娟) proved her ability once again in the women's 100m breaststroke when she won the event with a convincing time of 1:06.64 at Athens' Olympic Aquatic Centre.

Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun exhibited perfect teamwork in the men's C2 500m canoe, while another Chinese pair, Li Ting and Sun Tiantian(孙甜甜), won China's first gold medal in the women's doubles in tennis.

At the 2004 Athens Summer Games, China accepted its first volleyball Olympic title in 20 years, beating Russia 3-2 in the women's final, restoring Chinese women’s volleyball to its former glory.