China's Olympic gold medallists will get cash rewards of 350,000 yuan ($51,000), nearly twice the amount given for the Athens 2004 Games, state media reported on Tuesday.

The figure was given by Xiao Shan, deputy head of the country's sports ministry, the Beijing News reported.

Chinese gold-medal winners at the 2004 Games were given 200,000 yuan, Xiao said.

China displaced the United States as the world's premier sporting nation by winning 51 gold medals, its best Olympic showing ever, at the just-completed Beijing Games.