Zou Shiming, China's first Olympic champion boxer, feels thrilled to be mentioned in the same breathe as superstars David Beckham and Lionel Messi.

Named as adidas' global ambassador to promote its ClimaCool running shoes, Zou was invited to shoot a TV commercial with a glittering group of elite athletes, which included soccer greats Beckham and Messi as well as NBA star Derrick Rose, in London earlier this year.

"I feel so excited to be able to appear in the TV commercial together with so many big names," Zou said during a ceremony to celebrate the 10th anniversary of adidas' line of ClimaCool shoes. "It was an unforgettable experience to work with global luminaries from various fields."