http://frostwhisper2012.blogspot.com/2012/12/li-ning.html
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| 4 AUG 1984: LI NING OF CHINA IN ACTION ON THE POMMEL HORSE AT THE 1984
LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS. NING WON THE GOLD MEDAL WITH A SCORE OF 19.95 POINTS. |
Li Ning started training at the age of eight and he 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" (体操王子).
Li is most famous for winning 6 medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, which was the first Olympics in which the People's Republic of China participated. He won 3 gold medals (in Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, and Rings), 2 Silver Medals, and a Bronze Medal. Li became the most decorated Chinese athlete at their first Olympics.
OLYMPIC JOURNEY
In 1984, the Chinese gymnastics team excelled, but in the team event it lost the Olympic title by 0.6 points to the USA. Ning’s first Olympic medal was a silver one, and this heralded the start of an impressive harvest. In the All-around competition, Ning made a mistake on the Parallel Bars, which penalised him for the final ranking. With 118.575 points, the Chinese gymnast finished third behind America’s Peter Vidmar, silver medallist, and Japan’s Koji Gushiken, who won the gold.
He made up for this in the Floor Exercises, winning his first gold medal with the excellent score of 19.925 out of 20. He beat his compatriot Lou Yun, who managed 19.775. Two gold medallists, twice.
On the Pommel horse, the competition was even tougher. Ning Li produced a remarkable performance which earned him the score of 19.950. The American Peter Vidmar also achieved an excellent performance. The two athletes had identical scores, and both stood on the top step of the podium. On the rings, Ning Li this time had to share the honours with Japan’s Koji Gushiken, as both men finished with the score of 19.850.
In the vault, for the first time in this event, four gymnasts tied for second place. With a score of 19.825, Li won silver, his sixth medal, making him the athlete with the most medals at the 1984 edition of the Games. This achievement earned him the nickname of “Little Prince Of Gymnastics”.
All in all, Li won 14 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships titles.
Li took part in his second 1988 Olympics despite carrying injuries. It was an end to an illustrious career, as he was off-form and made crucial mistakes which robbed him of the chance of a medal.
Li Ning was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2000, becoming the first Chinese inductee.
THE FINAL TORCHBEARER
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| Li Ning lighting the torch at the 2008 Summer Olympics |
At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Li Ning ignited the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony after being hoisted high into the air with cables and miming running around the rim of the stadium.
After his sports career, Li founded his own sports equipment company. He married his compatriot Youg-Yan Chen, a gymnast like himself and a bronze medallist at the 1984 Games. The Little Prince has today made a success of his post-competition career.
Li Ning Company Limited is one of the leading sports brand companies in China, mainly providing sporting goods including footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for professional and leisure purposes primarily under the LI-NING brand.
Li-Ning is the Official Outfitter of the Argentinian and Spanish National Basketball Teams and is a major world outfitter in Badminton.
NBA Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade became Li-Ning's newest NBA Endorser on September 10, 2012.
SOURCES
Wikipedia
Olympic.org
