Li Xiaoshuang

Infobox Gymnast
gymnastname= Li Xiaoshuang

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Li Xiaoshuang (zh-s|李小双, born November 1, 1973) is a Chinese gymnast and Olympic champion. [http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=23&sp=GYM "1992 Summer Olympics – Barcelona, Spain – Gymnastics"] "databaseOlympics.com" (Retrieved on March 29, 2008)] [http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=24&sp=GYM "1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta, United States – Gymnastics"] "databaseOlympics.com" (Retrieved on March 29, 2008)] When he arrived at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, he was a talented, but relatively unknown 18-year-old. He ended up leaving the Olympics with three medals. His most notable achievement was the gold medal he won on floor exercise due in large part to the rare triple-back somersault he executed in his first pass. He also garnered a silver in the team, and a bronze on the still rings.

Li Xiaoshuang and his twin brother Li Dashuang's gymnastics talent was discovered at the age of six [http://english.cri.cn/4026/2008/04/15/[e-mail]] . Both of them became a member of the China's gymnast team that won a silver medal in team combined exercises at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

In the two years following his Olympic triumph, Li failed to make headlines. His gymnastics became sloppy, and he consistently appeared unfocused at major international competition. Finally, in 1995, he re-emerged as the top male gymnast in the world. He blew away the competition at the 1995 World Championships in Sabae; first leading the Chinese team to a second consecutive team championship, then dominating the all-around defeating second place finisher Vitaly Scherbo by over a point en route. The entire Chinese team, male and female, served notice to the world that they were to be sure contenders for more gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

The male Chinese team were slated by most to dominate the team competition, just as they had in the previous two World Championships. Li was the undisputed leader. Through five events in the compulsories, the Chinese were rolling through the competition. On their final event, rings, Li made a bizarre error when his right hand slid through the hoop as he attempted to descend into an iron cross. He remained stuck in that position for a brief moment, used his strength to pull himself back up and re-position himself, and finished his routine without incident. The mistake cost him dearly, however, as the judges gave him a 8.350 for the routine, putting him in danger of not even qualifying for the all-around competition. The Chinese team proceeded to come unglued in the optionals, having to count two misses on high bar in the latter stages, and finishing a distant second behind the Russians. Li competed solidly, however, and qualified sixth into the all-around finals. Li admitted that the failure of his team meant that it was now upon him to redeem himself and his country in the all-around.

The all-around featured a fierce battle between Li and rising Russian star Alexei Nemov. No one outside of those two led the competition throughout. The battle for gold came down to their last routines, where Li nailed his high bar routine for a 9.775, and Nemov botched a tumbling run on floor for a 9.700. In the end, Li claimed the gold by .05 of a point. Li became the first Chinese Olympic all-around Champion and joined the ranks of legendary star, Li Ning.

Li retired in 1997 and has since started his own sporting apparel company, also like Li Ning.

References