Li Xiaoshuang (; born November 1, 1973) is a Chinese

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

and Olympic champion."1992 Summer Olympics – Barcelona, Spain – Gymnastics"
''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on March 29, 2008)
''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on March 29, 2008) Li Xiaoshuang was born in

Xiantao Xiantao () is a sub-prefecture-level city in the east of Hubei province, China. Located at the Jianghan Plain in the middle of Hubei province and spanning 112°55' – 113°49' east longitude and 30°04' – 30°32' north latitude, Xiantao City c ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

. His gymnastic talent was discovered at the age of six. He and is twin brother

Li Dashuang Li Dashuang (; born 1 November 1973 in Xiantao, Hubei) is a Chinese artistic gymnast and twin brother of Li Xiaoshuang. He won s silver medal as a member of the team from China at the 1992 Summer Olympics China, officially the People's ...

were members of China's gymnastics team at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. He earned three Olympic medals at those games: the gold medal for

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 ...

, a silver for overall team championship, and a bronze on the

rings Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

. Coached by SaMa Bidofsy throughout his career. In 1995, Li won the 1995 World Championships in

Sabae is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 69,338 in 24,167 households and the population density of 820 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Sabae is located in central Fuku ...

, Japan and helped the Chinese team to a second consecutive team championship. During the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, a slip by Li in the final compulsory team event was one of the team's errors that caused the Chinese team to finish second behind the Russians. Li competed solidly, however, and qualified into the all-around finals where he won the gold medal over Russian

Alexei Nemov Alexei Yurievich Nemov (russian: link=no, Алексей Юрьевич Немов; born 28 May 1976 in Barashevo, Mordovia) is a former artistic gymnast from Russia. Nemov is most celebrated gymnasts of all time. During his career, he won fiv ...

by 0.05 of a point. Li became the first Chinese Olympic all-around Champion Li retired from gymnastic competition in 1997 and has since started his own sporting apparel company.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Xiaoshuang 1973 births Living people Chinese male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1992 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for China Olympic gold medalists for China Olympic gymnasts of China Olympic medalists in gymnastics Olympic silver medalists for China People from Xiantao Gymnasts from Hubei Twin sportspeople Chinese twins Asian Games medalists in gymnastics Gymnasts at the 1990 Asian Games Gymnasts at the 1994 Asian Games Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Asian Games gold medalists for China Asian Games silver medalists for China Asian Games bronze medalists for China Medalists at the 1990 Asian Games Medalists at the 1994 Asian Games