As we watch the intense Olympic competition in Rio unfold, we must not underestimate the beauty that shines from within the female athletes themselves.

With the Rio Olympic Games passing half, we couldn't let the event go by without publishing a list of the 10 most beautiful female athletes competing for China. They bring great honor to the country as well as to the literal beauty of sports.

Born in 1996, Liu Xiang is a swimmer who won the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia. Her smile is cute, attracting a large amount of fans. Due to her excellent appearance, she was named "The First Beauty of Swimming." [Photo: weibo.com]

Zhao Linan is the goalkeeper of Chinese women's national football team. 1.88 meters tall, she was the cover of For Him Magazine. Even though she was invited to be a professional model, she rejected because she thought playing football was more prestigious. [Photo: weibo.com]

Hui Ruoqi is a volleyball player on the Chinese national team. Due to her angelic face, she is not only popular on the Chinese internet, but also popular on the Japanese internet. On August 17, she helped China beat Brazil to the move on the semifinals at the Rio Olympics. [Photo: weibo.com]

Famous Chinese diver He Zi specializes in the 1 meter springboard, 3 meter springboard and 3 meter synchronized dives. She has a gorgeous appearance. Right after she won silver in the 3m springboard dive in the Rio Olympics, she received and accepted a marriage proposal from boyfriend and fellow diver Qin Kai. [Photo: weibo.com]

Zhang Yue is the goalkeeper of the Chinese women's national football team. However, as the back-up for Zhao Linan, most of her time in the Rio Olympics has been spent on the bench. [Photo: weibo.com]

Tennis player Wang Qiang has won ten singles and one doubles title on the ITF tour. In 2015, she was ranked 82nd in the world. [Photo: weibo.com]

Famous trampoline athlete He Wenna has one gold medal and one bronze medal from the Beijing and London Olympics. Meanwhile, her sweet smile has a large number of fans. Due to her beautiful movements, she has been named "The Princess of Trampoline" in China. [Photo: weibo.com]

Specializing in the pole vault, Li Ling won the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Championships in Doha this year with a height of 4.70 meters, breaking her own Asian record. On the other hand, her skinny body, small face and nice abdominal muscles have drawn the attention of numerous fans. [Photo: weibo.com]

Born in 1989, Sun Wenyan is a competitor in synchronized swimming. She won a silver medal in team competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She also has a baby face with a beautiful smile. [Photo: weibo.com]

Born in 1992, Shu Siyao is a group rhythmic gymnast. She is called as "new word horse goddess" because of her unique spin word horse and beautiful face. [Photo: weibo.com]

Source: english.cri.cn