The Olympic stage is not only for the sporty elite, but also for the commercial stars of the future. If your Olympic performance left a lasting impression and you’re something to look at in addition, you will surely be a firm future favorite with various sponsors, both at home as well as abroad.

Liu Xiang is a prime example of the above-stated. After his inspiring success in Athens 2004, the 21-year-old hurdler became a national icon overnight. His new status caused his earnings to go from 1.6 million yuan in 2004 up to 163.2 million yuan in 2008, according to Forbes' data.

16 days into the London Games, China.org.cn gives you ten possibilities on who will be the next commercial Chinese sports superstars, based on their popularity on their microblogging fans in China. All of them make their first Olympic appearance at the London Games.

   Chen Ding (陳定)

 Sport: Race walking

Microblogging fans: (till 3:30 p.m. Aug. 11): 229,730

Born on August 5, 1992, Chen Ding went to the Baoshan Sports School in Yunnan at the age of nine and began professional race walking training in 2004. In 2007, he was selected to join the Shenzhen municipal sports team of Guangdong Province and he later gained a place on the Chinese track and field team in 2009. Last year, he made third place in the race walking Challenge Competition in Switzerland. Then, on August 5 of this year, he became the Olympic champion in the men's 20-km race walking event at the 2012 London Games, making the gold medal be his best birthday present to date.

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