Born in Pingding county, administered by Yangquan city in North China's Shanxi province, Ji Maode was selected as the center for the Shanxi Provincial Basketball Team and participated in the Fifth National Games in Nanjing in 1932.

Subsequently, he changed sports to adopt the pentathlon and triumphed to become the pentathlon champion at the 18th North China Games. In 1935, he participated in the Sixth National Games, to become the earliest national pentathlon champion from Yangquan.