From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This is a Chinese name; the family name
is Li.
Li Xiaoshuang (simplified Chinese:
李小双; traditional Chinese:
李小雙; pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎoshuāng;
born November 1, 1973 in Xiantao, Hubei) is a Chinese gymnast and Olympic champion.[1][2]
Li Xiaoshuang and his twin brother Li Dashuang's gymnastics talent was
discovered at the age of six[3]. Both
of them became a member of China's gymnastics
team that won a silver medal in the team competition
at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
When Li Xiaoshuang 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.
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.
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