Winter Olympic champion Zhou Yang was selected on Wednesday as one of 10 Outstanding Women of Changchun which is her hometown.

The short track speedskater was cited by the Changchun government for her efforts and outstanding performances at the Vancouver Winter Games.

However, Zhou didn't attend the awarding ceremony because she had just arrived in Beijing on Tuesday. An official with the Changchun sports bureau took the prize instead.

Zhou Yang, born in 1991, made a perfect Olympic debut, beating three South Koreans to take the gold in the women's 1,500 meters final in Vancouver. She also helped the Chinese team win the 3,000m relay in a new world record time.