BEIJING, Dec. 31 -- Following are the top 10 Chinese athletes in the year of 2014 selected by Xinhua News Agency:

1. Li Na (tennis)

Won her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year and reached world No. 2, the highest ranking that an Asian player, male or female, has ever achieved; retired from tennis at the age of 32, citing injuries as reasons to force her out of tennis.

2. Ning Zetao (swimming)

Claimed four gold medals at the the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea; also broke men's 100m freestyle Asian record.

3. Zhang Hong (speed skating)

Won China's first ever Olympic speed skating gold after winning the women's 1,000m with a large margin at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

4. Zhang Jike (table tennis)

Won the men's World Cup title for the second time; led Chinese team to victories at the world team championships and the Asian Games.

5. Yang Haoran (shooting)

Won golds at the Nanjing Youth Olympics, world championships and Asian Games.

6. Liao Hui (weightlifting)

Swept the men's 69kg category gold medals at the world championships and also broke the snatch and overall world records.

7. Lin Dan (badminton)

Won the men's singles title at the Asian Games, completing his second "grand slam" of Olympic, world championship and Asian Games singles crowns.

8. Yao Jinnan (gymnastics)

Won the women's all-around, uneven bars, floor exercise and team golds at the Asian Games; also won the uneven bars gold at the world championships.

9. Chen Penbin (ultra-marathon)

Won a 100 kilometers nonstop ultra-marathon title in Antarctica, becoming the first Chinese to claim an international ultra-marathon title and also the first runner to compete in all seven continents.

10. Zhu Ting (volleyball)

Ace spiker of the Chinese women's volleyball team, helped the Chinese team reach final at the world championship after a 16-year-long wait; named in the best lineup of the world championship.