Former Olympic and world champions Li Ning and Deng Yaping have been voted the China' s Stars of the Century by the China Olympic Committee (COC)In Beijing on Saturday.

Gymnast Li Ning and table-tennis player Deng Yaping topped other four nominees of their own genders respectively in a poll of journalists from the China Sports Journalists Association.

Sailboard Olympic gold medalist Li Lishan from Hong Kong, China won the special bonus of the Stars of the Century with each of the three athletes receiving a over-one-kilogram-weight gold trophy.

Li Ning, who was hailed as the Gymnastic Prince, is the only Chinese who was voted as oen of the 25 Athletes of the Century by the International Sports Journalists Association.

The gymnast of Zhuang nationality swept six gold medals by winning the horizontal bar, floor exercise, pommel horse, vault, rings and the all-around titles at the World Cup in 1982 in Yugoslavia.

Deng Yaping, who was the world number one women table-tennis player during the span from 1993 to 1998, was the first player who swept the women's singles titles in the World Cup, World Championships and the Olympic Games.

She won four Olympic table-tennis golds, the most for Chinese Olympian, 11 titles in the World Championships and three World Cup championships in the 90's.

Li Lishan was the only Olympic gold medalist from Hong Kong, China after she took the victory in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.