If there’s anything that China likes more than seeing one of its own athletes atop the winner’s podium, it’s the thrill of knowing that he or she got there by shattering a world record. It’s no wonder, then, that China lavishes great rewards on athletes recognized by the governing bodies of sports as the best in their event.

In compiling our list of China’s current world-record holders, we did not include any sport decided by judges (e.g. gymnastics or diving) or races where differences in weather and terrain rule out direct comparison (e.g. triathlon). That left 11 world records in sports where there is a start, a finish and a stopwatch.