Li Xiaoshuang

cctv.com 09-06-2004 17:13

In China's national men's gymnastics team, many world champions shared the surname Li. Two of them are twin brothers Li Dashuang and Li Xiaoshuang. At the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, Li Xiaoshuang won China's only gold medal in gymnastics for floor exercise. At the Atlanta Olympics four years later, he became the first Chinese athlete to win the men's all-round gymnastics title. His brother Li Dashuang also participated in clinching the men's gymnastics team title at the 1994 world championship. In today’s documentary, we look back on the twins' glorious career and share their experiences after retirement.

The Li brothers were born into a poor family in Hunan province. When the gym selected them for training, their parents did not even know exactly what gymnastics was. What attracted them most was the daily subsidy from the government. Food shortages were common in China at the end of 1970's. In 1976, China had just gone through the Cultural Revolution and the country's economy was on the verge of collapse. Under such circumstances, sports meant more than athletic perfection. It was a stable career.

As the twins gradually showed their talent in gymnastics, they were admitted to higher level teams. They came to realize that they could achieve more than making a living from gymnastics. They began aiming for national, even world championships. The twins traveled a difficult path before the right opportunity finally arrived. Li Xiaoshuang was the first to be selected for the national team. It wasn't long before his brother joined him as a team mate.

At last, Li Dashuang and Li Xiaoshuang were admitted to the national team. There they met Huang Yubin, the chief coach of China's National Gymnastic Team. He had been an outstanding athlete before becoming a coach. Huang Yubin was a gold medallist at the 5th World Championships in 1980. Under his guidance, the Li brothers improved quickly. However, as the competition between athletes grew fiercer, the Li brothers found that there was a large difference in their abilities. In tomorrow’s documentary we follow the Li twins on their road to the Olympics.

Editor:Xiang Jing  Source:CCTV.com