Basketball buddies help women's team capture gold after five straight victories

With five straight wins to capture gold, China's women's basketball team crushed the competition at the Chengdu FISU World University Games, and a number of younger stars have shone on the court.

Among them, one of the brightest is Liu Yutong, who has been dubbed as the team's Shaquille O'Neal.

The 22-year-old Liu, who is 201 cm tall and weighs 110 kg, has been a dominant player on both offense and defense. Mimicking the style of NBA legend O'Neal, Liu scored 16 points to help the Chinese squad win the final on Saturday against Japan, 99-91.

"Fans can call me whatever they want, I'm OK with all of that. And I just want to express my thanks to all who support me," said Liu, who has also been nicknamed "Big Baby" by fans.

"I just feel that the experience at the Chengdu games is very valuable. I haven't competed at such a high-level event for a very long time. This is a new achievement for me, and I have gained a lot. I will need to process what I have learned here, and I will keep training and grow."

After winning gold in Chengdu, Liu said she was so thrilled that she even felt dizzy during the celebration.

"I'm grateful for the popularity that I have now. So I need to work even harder in the future and pass that energy on to more people. I noticed that there are many young kids here watching us in Chengdu. I hope through our performance, we can attract more young people to the sport," she added.

Liu, who is from Beijing Normal University, was a star player in the Chinese University Basketball Association and will join the Women's Chinese Basketball Association next season. It is believed that she also has a strong chance to join the women's national team in the future.

"It's because of basketball that I was able to go to such a good university, and that so many people like me. At the very beginning, I had no idea what sports were about, and I had no clear goals," she said.

"But as I continued to play, sports and basketball changed me. I now have a totally different mindset. Sports now influence all aspects of my life."

Liu said that she's grateful that she chose to enter university instead of joining a professional league right after high school. That decision allowed her to broaden her view of the world and gave her the chance to play in the Chengdu games.

"Joining the university team was a turning point in my career. Now I just want to thank my university and coaches who trusted me a lot. And I have shone on the university stage," she said.

"And for many student-athletes, during our time at university, we might have only one chance to play in the World University Games. I cherish it a lot. I wanted to seize it and to just do my best."

The women's team not only has its "Shaq", but also its "Yao Ming".

Fans have dubbed Han Xu as the female version of the Chinese basketball legend. Her arrival at the Chengdu FISU Games attracted huge media attention, as she is also a core player of the Chinese national team.

Before the Chengdu games, Han played a crucial role in helping Team China win the FIBA Women's Basketball Asia Cup and was named the MVP of the competition in July. She carried the momentum of that victory to the games.

In Saturday's final, Han scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists. After the victory, Han praised her relationship with Liu.

"From middle school to high school, from kids to adults, we have had a great friendship. And we fought together again at the Chengdu games. No matter what games we play, we are always the best," Han, who represented Shanghai Jiao Tong University at the games, wrote on social media after winning.

"This summer is coming to an end, but the future for Chinese women's basketball will always be promising! More beautiful stories to come!"

Han and Liu were teammates at Tsinghua University High School, and their friendship has been growing ever since.

"We were not in the same grade, and I'm older than her. But I like her a lot and she has always been super cute," Han said of Liu. "She played so well at the games, and I'm so pleased to see that. I just hope in her future career, she can stay healthy and do our nation proud."

For Liu, she was also happy to once again play alongside Han.

"We have known each other since we were kids at middle school. And we have been trying hard to grow in our different careers and sectors," Liu said.

"At the Chengdu games, we teamed up once again, and we have very strong feelings about this reunion. The games were very lucky for us."