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Li Xiaopeng (gymnast)
Encyclopedia
Li Xiaopeng is a male Chinese
gymnast
, who specializes in parallel bars and vault
. He currently holds 16 world titles, more than any other gymnasts in China. On 29 August 2009, he was the torch bearer for the torch relay of the East Asian Games
in Hong Kong
.
Province at the age of 6 and was a member of the Hunan provincial team at 12. Li's diligence and skill soon set him apart from his peers, which could be proved by his several provincial titles. At the age of 15, he was selected into the national team.
. At the same event, Li also received a silver medal for parallel bars, just second to his teammate Zhang Jingjin, and a bronze for floor exercise.
At the 1999 Tianjin World Championships
, Li was part of the Chinese team to become men's team champion. Individually, he won his first gold medal in vault. However, his failure in parallel bars left something to be desired, which pushed him to train harder for the Sydney Olympics.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
, Li and his teammates gave an outstanding performance, earning them the gold medal at the prestigious men's team event, a first for Chinese gymnasts. Li also won an individual gold medal in parallel bars.
At the 2003 Anaheim World Championships
, Li Xiaopeng was the only person to win three gold medals, namely for men's team final, vault and parallel bars. Thus he was voted as the 2003 World Gymnast of the Year.
However, due to a severe foot injury, Li's performance at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games
was unsatisfactory. China finished 5th at the men's team final, and Li could only get a bronze in parallel bars, after being undefeated in major competitions since 2000. He was the fourth athlete to compete in the vault event finals, but unfortunately shuffled during the initial sprint and fell on the first jump.
Li had been suffering from a chronic ankle injury and had an operation in 2005. He rested for that whole year, refraining from participating in any competitions.
In 2006, he made a successful comeback by winning a gold in parallel bars at the São Paulo World Cup Series Final. By then he had tied with his idol, China's gymnastic legend Li Ning
, by winning a record of 14 world titles.
In 2008, after suffering from toe injury, he came back and won titles for parallel bars at the two gymnastics World Cups, Cottbus and Tianjin.
After winning two gold medals for men's team and parallel bars at the Beijing Olympics
, he surpassed Li Ning by holding 16 world titles, more than any other gymnasts in China.
has named two routines after Li. They are "Li Xiaopeng hop" in vault, and "Li Xiaopeng arm hang" in parallel bars.
and Wen Jia. The couple married in LA on June 5, 2010. and plans to hold a second marriage ceremony in Beijing on July 11, 2010. Due to a problem with the visa of Li's parents, they were unable to attend the LA wedding ceremony. They will, however, attend the Beijing ceremony.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
gymnast
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, who specializes in parallel bars and vault
Vault (gymnastics)
The vault is an artistic gymnastics apparatus, as well as the skill performed using that apparatus. Vaulting is also the action of performing a vault. Both male and female gymnasts perform the vault...
. He currently holds 16 world titles, more than any other gymnasts in China. On 29 August 2009, he was the torch bearer for the torch relay of the East Asian Games
East Asian Games
The East Asian Games is a multi-sport event organised by the East Asian Games Association and held every four years since 1993 among athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council of Asia , as well as the Pacific island of Guam, which is a member of the Oceania National...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Early years
He began gymnastics training at Changsha Spare-time Sports School in HunanHunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
Province at the age of 6 and was a member of the Hunan provincial team at 12. Li's diligence and skill soon set him apart from his peers, which could be proved by his several provincial titles. At the age of 15, he was selected into the national team.
National team
At 16, Li Xiaopeng became China's youngest world (team) gymnastics champion ever when he and his teammates won the men's team final at the 1997 Lausanne World Championships1997 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 33rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1997.The 1997 Worlds were notable because they were the first major contest to be held after the elimination of compulsory exercises.-All-round:-Apparatus:...
. At the same event, Li also received a silver medal for parallel bars, just second to his teammate Zhang Jingjin, and a bronze for floor exercise.
At the 1999 Tianjin World Championships
1999 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 34th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held at Tianjin Arena in Tianjin, China in 1999.-All-around:-Apparatus:-All-around:-Apparatus:...
, Li was part of the Chinese team to become men's team champion. Individually, he won his first gold medal in vault. However, his failure in parallel bars left something to be desired, which pushed him to train harder for the Sydney Olympics.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
Gymnastics at the 2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer Olympics, three different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline. The artistic gymnastics and trampoline events were held at the Sydney SuperDome on September 16–25 and September 22–23, respectively...
, Li and his teammates gave an outstanding performance, earning them the gold medal at the prestigious men's team event, a first for Chinese gymnasts. Li also won an individual gold medal in parallel bars.
At the 2003 Anaheim World Championships
2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 37th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Anaheim, California, United States, in 2003.Tie-breakers were not used at this competition...
, Li Xiaopeng was the only person to win three gold medals, namely for men's team final, vault and parallel bars. Thus he was voted as the 2003 World Gymnast of the Year.
However, due to a severe foot injury, Li's performance at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games
Gymnastics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, three disciplines of gymnastics were contested: artistic gymnastics , rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline...
was unsatisfactory. China finished 5th at the men's team final, and Li could only get a bronze in parallel bars, after being undefeated in major competitions since 2000. He was the fourth athlete to compete in the vault event finals, but unfortunately shuffled during the initial sprint and fell on the first jump.
Li had been suffering from a chronic ankle injury and had an operation in 2005. He rested for that whole year, refraining from participating in any competitions.
In 2006, he made a successful comeback by winning a gold in parallel bars at the São Paulo World Cup Series Final. By then he had tied with his idol, China's gymnastic legend Li Ning
Li Ning
Li Ning is a well-known Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur. He was born in an ethnic Zhuang family.-Gymnastics career:...
, by winning a record of 14 world titles.
In 2008, after suffering from toe injury, he came back and won titles for parallel bars at the two gymnastics World Cups, Cottbus and Tianjin.
After winning two gold medals for men's team and parallel bars at the Beijing Olympics
Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, three different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline. The artistic gymnastics events were held at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium on August 9–19. The rhythmic gymnastics events were held at the Beijing...
, he surpassed Li Ning by holding 16 world titles, more than any other gymnasts in China.
Competitive highlights
| Year | Competition Description | Location | Apparatus | Rank-Final | Score-Final | Rank-Qualifying | Score-Qualifying |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | World Championships | Lausanne | Team | 1 | 226.117 | ||
| Parallel Bars | 2 | 9.737 | |||||
| Floor Exercise | 3 | 9.537 | |||||
| 1998 | World Cup/Series Final | Sabae | Parallel Bars | 1 | 9.750 | ||
| Floor Exercise | 1 | 9.425 | |||||
| 1999 | World Championships | Tianjin | Team | 1 | 230.395 | 1 | 230.546 |
| Vault | 1 | 9.668 | |||||
| Parallel Bars | 6 | 9.137 | |||||
| 2000 | 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... |
Sydney | Team | 1 | 231.919 | ||
| Parallel Bars | 1 | 9.825 | 3 | 9.762 | |||
| Floor Exercise | 5 | 9.737 | 2 | 9.725 | |||
| 2002 | World Cup/Series Final | Stuttgart | Parallel Bars | 1 | 9.837 | ||
| World Championships | Debrecen | Vault | 1 | 9.818 | 1 | 9.718 | |
| Parallel Bars | 1 | 9.812 | 1 | 9.587 | |||
| 2003 | World Championships | Anaheim | Team | 1 | 171.996 | 3 | 225.119 |
| Vault | 1 | 9.818 | |||||
| Parallel Bars | 1 | 9.825 | |||||
| Horizontal Bar | 5 | 9.662 | |||||
| 2004 | World Cup/Series Final | Birmingham | Parallel Bars | 4 | 9.712 | ||
| 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... |
Athens | Team | 5 | 171.257 | 4 | 229.507 | |
| All around | 84 | 28.699 | |||||
| Vault | 7 | 9.368 | 2 | 9.800 | |||
| Parallel Bars | 3 | 9.762 | 2 | 9.787 | |||
| Rings | 61 | 9.112 | |||||
| 2005 | World Championships | Melbourne | All around | 86 | 19.137 | ||
| Vault | 13 | 9.437 | |||||
| Parallel Bars | 2 | 9.675 | 5 | 9.662 | |||
| 2006 | World Cup/Series Final | São Paulo | Parallel Bars | 1 | 16.450 | ||
| World Cup/Series | Stuttgart | Parallel Bars | 1 | 16.300 | 1 | 16.350 | |
| 2008 | World Cup/Series | Tianjin | Parallel Bars | 1 | 16.775 | ||
| Horizontal Bar | 2 | 16.200 | |||||
| Cottobus | Parallel Bars | 1 | 16.250 | 1 | 16.500 | ||
| Horizontal Bar | 3 | 15.975 | 2 | 15.925 | |||
| 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... |
Beijing | Team | 1 | 286.125 | 1 | 374.675 | |
| All around | 45 | 78.500 | |||||
| Parallel Bars | 1 | 16.450 | 1 | 16.425 | |||
| Horizontal Bar | 10 | 15.400 | |||||
| Vault | DNQ | DNQ | - | 16.775(One vault only) | |||
| Floor Exercise | 28 | 15.100 | |||||
| Rings | 42 | 14.800 |
Influences
The Fédération Internationale de GymnastiqueFédération Internationale de Gymnastique
The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique or International Federation of Gymnastics is the governing body of competitive gymnastics. Its headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded on July 23, 1881 in Liège, Belgium, making it the oldest international sport organisation...
has named two routines after Li. They are "Li Xiaopeng hop" in vault, and "Li Xiaopeng arm hang" in parallel bars.
Personal life
Since 2003, Li has been dating Chinese-American model Li "Angel" Anqi, daughter of former gymnasts Li XiaopingLi Xiaoping
Li Xiaoping is a male Chinese gymnast. He competed at the 1984 Olympic Games, and won a silver medal in Men's Team. In the 1983 World Championships, he won a gold medal for Men's Team and a gold medal for pommel horse.-References:...
and Wen Jia. The couple married in LA on June 5, 2010. and plans to hold a second marriage ceremony in Beijing on July 11, 2010. Due to a problem with the visa of Li's parents, they were unable to attend the LA wedding ceremony. They will, however, attend the Beijing ceremony.