Gong Zhichao was born on December 15, 1977 in Anhua County, Central China's Hubei Province. She began to practice playing badminton when she was eight years old. In July 1996, she became a member of the national team.
In the same year, Gong claimed the women's singles title in the Asian Badminton Championships. After that, she ranked second in women's singles in the 1996 Russia Open.
In 1997, she won women's singles championships in the Sweden Open and All-England Open and finished second in women's singles in the World Championships. In that year's Sudirman Cup, she and her teammate claimed mixed team title.
She was women's singles champion in the 1998 Japan Open, key player of China's champion team in the 1998 Uber Cup and runner-up of women's singles in the 1998 Asian Badminton Championships.
In the 1998 Asian Games held in Thailand, Gong was gold medallist in women's team and silver medallist in women's singles.
In 1999, she finished third in women's singles in the World Badminton Grand Prix. The following year, she led China to championship in women's team in the 2000 Uber Cup, claimed women's singles in the All-England Open and Japan Open, won the gold in women's singles at the Sydney Olympics.
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