Denisse López Sing is a retired Mexican

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 gymnast. She was the first gymnast from Mexico ever to qualify for an event final at the World Gymnastics Championships

World Gymnastics Championships

The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:...

 and the Olympic Games

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

.

Lopez began gymnastics at the age of seven in 1984. By 1987, she was competing in international meets as a junior, including the 1987 Puerto Rico Cup, where she won a bronze medal on the floor exercise. In 1990, Lopez nearly swept the Mexican national championships, placing second in the all-around and winning the titles on the balance beam, floor exercise and vault. She represented Mexico at the 1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

The 26th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Indianapolis, USA, in the Hoosier Dome, September 6 to 15, 1991.-Medals:-All-round:-Apparatus:-All-round:-Apparatus:-References:**...

, but placed well out of the medals on every event.

Although Mexico did not qualify a full team for the 1992 Olympics

1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

, Lopez was able to compete as an individual. In the preliminary round of competition, she finished 80th in the all-around.

Following a five year hiatus from the sport, Lopez made a highly successful return to competition in 1997, winning the all-around and vault titles at the '97 Pan American Championships. Over the next three years she would become known as a vault specialist, winning gold medals on the event at the 1997 World University Games, the 1999 Gymnix International, the 2000 Pacific Alliance Championships, the 2000 Cottbus Cup and the Copa Gimnastica. Even when she did not medal, she never finished lower than sixth on vault in any competition she entered.

At the 1999 World Gymnastics Championships in Tianjin

Tianjin

' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...

, Lopez placed 50th in the all-around during the preliminary competition; however, she was also ranked third on the vault, qualifying for the event finals. Her eventual sixth-place finish was the highest ever for a Mexican gymnast in a major international competition, and still stands as a record today.
Lopez attended her second Olympics in 2000 in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

. She competed only on vault, qualifying for the event finals and finishing in eighth place (she later moved up to seventh after Dong Fangxiao

Dong Fangxiao

Dong Fangxiao is a retired Chinese gymnast. She now lives in New Zealand with her husband, and competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She originally won a bronze medal with the Chinese team, however following an investigation, the International Gymnastics Federation ruled that she was under the...

 of China was disqualified for being underage).

Lopez competed in a few meets in 2001, including the Cottbus Cup and the French Telecom International, but was beset by injuries. She retired and, in 2002, graduated from University with a degree in psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

.

Achievements

• Tercera copa Puerto Rico Ejercicios en piso 3°
• Competencia dual Mica All-Around 1°
• Torneo gimnastas 2000 Viga 3°
• Copa internacional elite All-Around 2°
• Copa internacional elite Salto 1°
• Copa internacional elite Viga de equilibrio 3°
• Copa internacional elite Ejercicios en piso 1°
• Panamericano de gimnasia Salto 1°
• Juegos centroamericanos Competencia por equipos 2°
• Juegos centroamericanos Salto 3°
• Internacional de Rumania Salto 2°
• Juegos centroamericanos Competencia por Equipos 2°
• Juegos centroamericanos All-Around 3°
• Juegos centroamericanos Salto 3°
• Juegos centroamericanos Barras asimétricas 2°
• Copa Puerto Rico Salto 1°
• Peach Tree Invitational All-Around 3°
• Peach Tree Invitational Salto 3°
• Peach Tree Invitational Barras asimétricas 3°
• Peach Tree Invitational Ejercicios en piso 3°
• Wild Rose Invitational Salto 1°
• Campeonato Panamericano All-Around 1°
• Campeonato Panamericano Salto 1°
• Campeonato Panamericano Viga de equilibrio 2°
• Universiada de Verano Salto 1°
• Internacional de Rumania All-Around 3°
• Internacional de Rumania Salto 3°
• Internacional de Rumania Viga de equilibrio 2°
• Internacional de Rumania Ejercicios en piso 3°
• Gymnix internacional Salto 1°
• Le Duel Suiza Salto 2°
• Alianza Pacífico Salto 1°
• Copa gimnástica All-around 2°
• Copa gimnástica Salto 1°
• Copa gimnástica Ejercicios de piso 3°
• Internacional de Rumania Salto 3°