Li Ning (born March 10, 1963 in

Liuzhou Liuzhou (; , IPA Pronunciation:) is a prefecture-level city in north-central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. The prefecture's population was 3,758,700 in 2010, including 1,436,599 in the built-up area made of 4 urban ...

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

) is a Chinese retired gymnast, billionaire entrepreneur, and the founder of the eponymous sportswear company

Li-Ning Li-Ning Company Limited is a Chinese sportswear and sports equipment company founded by former Olympic gymnast Li Ning. The company endorses a number of athletes and teams worldwide. History The company was founded in 1989 by Li Ning, a former C ...

Gymnastics career

Li started training at the age of eight and was selected into the national team in 1980. In 1982, he won six of the seven medals awarded at the Sixth World Cup Gymnastic Competition, earning him the title "Prince of Gymnastics" (). Li is most famous for winning six medals at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

, which was the first Olympics in which the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

participated. He won three gold medals (in

floor exercise In gymnastics, the floor is a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The gymnastics event performed on the floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for t ...

, pommel horse, and rings), two silver medals, and one bronze medal. Li became the most decorated Chinese athlete at the first Olympics that China participated in after the founding of the People's Republic in October 1949. Li won 11 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships medals, including gold medals in the rings (1985) and team all-around (1983). Li took part in his second 1988 Olympics in Seoul despite carrying injuries. It was an end to an illustrious gymnastic career, as he was off-form. He did not win any medals year.

Post-gymnastics

Li retired from sporting competition in 1988, and in 1990 he founded

Li-Ning Company Limited Li-Ning Company Limited is a Chinese Sportswear (activewear), sportswear and sports equipment company founded by former Olympic gymnast Li Ning. The company endorses a number of athletes and teams worldwide. History The company was founded in 19 ...

, which sells footwear and sporting apparel in China. Li remains chairman of the company's board of directors. According to Hurun Report's China Rich List 2014, he has an estimated fortune of RMB 5 billion, making him the 407th wealthiest person in China. Li was inducted into the

International Gymnastics Hall of Fame The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, located in Oklahoma City, USA, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring the achievements and contributions of the world's greatest competitors, coaches and authorities in artistic gymnastics. The early IGHO ...

in 2000, becoming the first Chinese inductee. In 2017, a statue was erected in his honor on the shores of Lake Geneva in Montreux. At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

, Li Ning ignited the cauldron at the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

after being hoisted high into the air with cables and miming running around the rim of the

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Personal life

Li is married to

Chen Yongyan Chen Yongyan ( Chinese: 陈永妍; born 1962) is a former Chinese gymnast. Chen was born in Wuzhou, Guangxi Province. She competed at the 1984 Olympic Games and won a bronze medal in the Women's Team competition. Chen is married to Li Ning ...

, a fellow gymnast who won an Olympic bronze in 1984.

References

External links

List of competitive results at Gymn Forum

60 Years of Asian Heroes, By

Hannah Beech Hannah Beech is an American journalist. Since August 2017, she has been the Southeast Asia Bureau chief for ''The New York Times'' based in Bangkok. She formerly worked for ''Time'' magazine; Beech specializes in Asia, and was sometimes credited ...

, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'', 2006 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Ning 1963 births Living people Asian Games gold medalists for China Asian Games medalists in gymnastics Asian Games silver medalists for China Chinese male artistic gymnasts Businesspeople from Guangxi Gymnasts at the 1982 Asian Games Gymnasts at the 1984 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1986 Asian Games Gymnasts at the 1988 Summer Olympics Gymnasts from Guangxi Medalists at the 1982 Asian Games Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Olympic cauldron lighters Olympic gold medalists for China Olympic gymnasts of China Olympic bronze medalists for China Olympic silver medalists for China Olympic medalists in gymnastics Peking University alumni People from Liuzhou Universiade gold medalists for China Universiade medalists in gymnastics World champion gymnasts Zhuang people Medalists at the 1981 Summer Universiade

Gymnastics career

Post-gymnastics

Personal life

See also

References

External links