| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
| Olympic Games | ||||
| 3 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 3:56.11 |
| Semifinal | 200m Backstroke | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 2:09.59 |
| Heats | 100m Backstroke | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | DSQ |
| World Championships | ||||
| 1 | 100m Backstroke | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 59.05 |
| 1 | 50m Backstroke | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 27.06 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 3:52.19 |
| 2 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 3:55.61 |
| 5 | 100m Backstroke | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 59.28 |
| Semifinal | 200m Backstroke | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 2:08.86 |
| Heats | 200m Backstroke | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 2:15.67 |
| Asian Games | ||||
| 1 | 100m Backstroke | 2010 | Guangzhou, CHN | 59.20 |
| 1 | 200m Backstroke | 2010 | Guangzhou, CHN | 2:06.46 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2010 | Guangzhou, CHN | 3:57.80 |
| World Championships Short Course | ||||
| 1 | 50m Backstroke | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 26.27 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 3:48.29 |
| 2 | 100m Backstroke | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 56.18 |
Hobbies
Listening to music, surfing the internet. (data.star.sports.cn, 05 Jan 2010)
Occupation
Athlete
Language(s) spoken
Mandarin
Club name
Hubei Swimming Team, Hebei, CHN
Coach
Shi Xiaoming (CHN) from 2001 (baike.soso, 26 Nov 2010)
Debut
2006 for China, Asian Games (Doha) (renwuonline, 26 Nov 2010)
Injuries
In early 2010 she had surgery on her nose that effected her the entire year. (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 23 Oct 2010)
She developed fluid on her knee after a period of hard training. She was required to lighten her training load and undergo physiotherapy to treat the problem. She was nearing full recovery in January 2007. (sports.sohu.com, 20 Jan 2007)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
She started swimming at age eight with the Hunan provincial team in China. (sports.sohu.com, 20 Jan 2007)
Reason for taking up this sport
She learned to swim so she could navigate the lake in front of her house in case it flooded. (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 23 Oct 2010)
Training
Twelve sessions of two hours each week. Nine of those are spent in the water and the rest on land. (sports.sohu.com, 20 Jan 2007)
Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning the gold medal and breaking a world record in the 4x100m medley relay at the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome. (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 20 Feb 2011)
General
OLYMPIC HEARTBREAK
She was considered a medal chance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but was disqualified for a false start in the 100m backstroke. The failure was a significant set back for the then-18-year-old who flirted with retirement shortly afterwards. "I am very, very disappointed and even feel my life is less fun because of it," she said at the time. "I cannot get out of such a setback. China Central Television Station shot a short film reviewing my Olympic experience in Beijing. I cried hard every time I saw it played on TV." Zhao however turned her life and career around, going on to win the 50m backstroke at the 2009 Rome World Championships. "It's my first world championship and this was beyond my wildest dreams," she said in tears. (english.wh.gov.cn, 11 Aug 2009)
Previous Olympics
Beijing 2008
