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Li Xiaopeng (gymnast)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Li Xiaoping.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.
Li Xiaopeng
Li in 2024
Personal information
Full nameLi Xiaopeng
Born (1981-07-27) July 27, 1981 (age 43)
Changsha, Hunan
Height5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented People's Republic of China
LevelSenior
Eponymous skills"Li Xiaopeng hop" in vault and "Li Xiaopeng arm hang"
Retiredyes
Medal record
Artistic Gymnastics
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Team
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Team
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Parallel bars
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens Parallel bars
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1997 Lausanne Team
Gold medal – first place 1999 Tianjin Team
Gold medal – first place 1999 Tianjin Vault
Gold medal – first place 2002 Debrecen Vault
Gold medal – first place 2002 Debrecen Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 2003 Anaheim Team
Gold medal – first place 2003 Anaheim Vault
Gold medal – first place 2003 Anaheim Parallel bars
Silver medal – second place 1997 Lausanne Parallel bars
Silver medal – second place 2005 Melbourne Parallel bars
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Lausanne Floor exercise
World Cup Final
Gold medal – first place 1998 Sabae Floor exercise
Gold medal – first place 1998 Sabae Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 2002 Stuttart Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 2006 Sao Paulo Parallel bars
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 Bangkok Team
Gold medal – first place 1998 Bangkok Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 2002 Busan Team
Gold medal – first place 2002 Busan Vault
Gold medal – first place 2002 Busan Parallel bars
Silver medal – second place 1998 Bangkok Vault
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Bangkok Floor

Li Xiaopeng (Chinese: 李小鹏; pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎopéng; July 27, 1981) is a male Chinese gymnast, who specializes in parallel bars and vault. He currently holds 16 world titles, more than any other gymnast in China.[1] On 29 August 2009, he was the torch bearer for the torch relay of the East Asian Games in Hong Kong. He retired from the sport in late 2009.[2]

Early years

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He began gymnastics training at Changsha Spare-time Sports School in Hunan 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

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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 Championships. 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 2000 Summer Olympics. At the Sydney Olympics, 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 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.[3]

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.[4]

In 2008, after suffering from a 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. He retired in late 2009.[2]

Competitive highlights

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Li in 2008
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 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 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 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

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The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique has named two routines after Li. They are "Li Xiaopeng hop" in vault, and "Li Xiaopeng arm hang" in parallel bars.

Personal life

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He first met his wife, Li "Angel" Anqi, at the 2003 World Championship in Anaheim, California. Her father, Li Xiaoping, served as a host and interpreter for the Chinese team.[5] They became engaged in 2008,[6] and married in Los Angeles on June 5, 2010. The couple held a second marriage ceremony in Beijing on July 11, 2010.[5] Due to a problem with the visa of Li's parents, they were unable to attend the LA wedding ceremony. On January 12, 2012, they had their first child named Olivia (Li Xinqi). His second child, a son, named Max was born in June 2016.[7]

Television shows

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Li Xiaopeng and his daughter have been regular cast members on the show Dad is Back (a version of Korean reality-variety show The Return of Superman) on which fathers have to take care of their children without the help of anyone (including their wives) in 48 hours. After the first season was aired, his daughter gained a lot of love from public and fans. He also appeared on other television shows such as the first season of The Amazing Race China and the 2016 Race the World (非凡搭檔), which he had to quit before the finale due to the expected birth of his second child.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "李小鹏". data.sports. Archived from the original on August 15, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Chinese Top Gymnast Li Xiaopeng Enjoys Retired Life". CRI English. 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014.
  3. ^ "People's Daily Online -- China's top gymnast Li poised for Athens Olympics".
  4. ^ "体操：李小鹏亮相[组图]_奥运频道_新华网". Archived from the original on August 12, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Turner, Amanda (4 August 2010). "Li Xiaopeng Wedding Music Video A Hit". International Gymnast Magazine.
  6. ^ "女友是止痛靈丹". Yahoo 新聞香港. Archived from the original on 17 August 2008.
  7. ^ "李小鹏首次曝光二胎！原来是个可爱的儿子(图)". June 30, 2016.
  8. ^ "感动加遗憾！ 非凡好搭档李小鹏退赛守护Angel". 12 June 2016.
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