Winter Olympic gold medalist Zhou Yang was awarded as the Athlete with Outstanding Achievement Wednesday in her hometown Changchun, capital city of northeast Chinese Jilin Province.

"I am just one of the thousands of athletes and I am so honored to accomplish the dream of generations of winter athletes in Jilin," Zhou said modestly after receiving the award.

Zhou becomes the first Winter Olympic champion from Changchun when she won the women's 1,500m short track speed skating gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics where she was also a member of the winning team in the women's 3,000m relay.

Gao Guangbin, secretary of Changchun Municipal Party Committee, handed in the award to Zhou, and wished her a better achievement in the future.

"I was representing China on the rink and I know deeply about what I am carrying on my back. This award will drive me to more training and harder struggle," said Zhou.

"I hope that my Olympic titles would attract much more attention and support and also attract more youths to join in the winter sports," Zhou added.