https://www.scmp.com/rss/509916/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China’s youngest Olympic champion at the Toyko 2020 Games, Quan Hongchan, has earned herself another plaudit as she was named to the Forbes China 30 Under 30 list for 2021, which was published on Thursday. The 14-year-old is the youngest person on the overall list of 300, which includes 30 names for 10 separate industries, with Quan and her fellow Chinese Olympic gold medal winners named to the sport list. Teammate Chen Yuxi, 16, is the next youngest athlete with 17-year-old Zhang Jiaqi also on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3149171/olympic-champ-quan-hongchan-youngest-name-forbes-chinas-30-under-30?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3149171/olympic-champ-quan-hongchan-youngest-name-forbes-chinas-30-under-30?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Sep 2021 09:26:38 +0000 The China National Games are well under way despite only officially starting later this month and Chinese Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal winning trampolinist Zhu Xueying saw her dreams of a double end in spectacular fashion. Zhu, who rose to global fame after complaining that her Tokyo 2020 gold medal was “peeling” in a post on her Weibo while in quarantine, crashed out of the competition in Xi’an, Shaanxi province on Saturday’s opening day of the trampoline events. The Olympic gold medallist... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3147695/olympic-trampoline-champion-zhu-xueying-crashes-out-china-national?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3147695/olympic-trampoline-champion-zhu-xueying-crashes-out-china-national?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Sep 2021 05:21:55 +0000 Simone Biles clinched a bronze medal upon her return to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mats having pulled out of several individual and team events because of mental health concerns. Biles, the reigning all-around champion after dominating the event at the 2016 Rio Games, scored a 14.000 after a solid balance beam final routine and double pike dismount at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre. She was all smiles while embracing coach Cecile Landi and surrounding competitors. China’s Guan Chenchen and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3143665/tokyo-olympics-simone-biles-returns-win-bronze-chinas-guan-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3143665/tokyo-olympics-simone-biles-returns-win-bronze-chinas-guan-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Aug 2021 10:06:54 +0000 Sunisa Lee will have her carry-on stuffed with medals when she heads back to the United States. The 18-year-old Olympic gymnastics champion from Minnesota added a bronze in the uneven bars finals on Sunday. Lee earned a silver in the team competition on Tuesday before grabbing gold in the all-around on Thursday. Lee has endured a bit of the usual whirlwind that comes with the territory when you win an Olympic title. The three days since her star-making triumph has featured the usual trappings of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3143402/tokyo-olympics-hmong-american-sunisa-lee-adds-bronze-medal-uneven-bars-usa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3143402/tokyo-olympics-hmong-american-sunisa-lee-adds-bronze-medal-uneven-bars-usa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Aug 2021 12:13:31 +0000 American teenager Sunisa Lee won the women’s gymnastics all-around Olympic gold on Thursday then immediately video called her parents, saying “I told them ‘I did it!’ and then we all started crying.” Lee, 18, succeeded defending champion Simone Biles who withdrew over concerns for her mental health when she overcame a strong challenge from Rebeca Andrade, the first Brazilian woman to win an artistic gymnastics medal. Russian women’s team gold medallist Angelina Melnikova finished in the bronze... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3143065/asian-american-gymnast-sunisa-lee-wins-gold-medal-womens-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3143065/asian-american-gymnast-sunisa-lee-wins-gold-medal-womens-all?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 13:57:59 +0000 The words send shivers up the spine of nearly every gymnast – the twisties. It’s the mental block that causes gymnasts, even those at the top of their game like US superstar Simone Biles, to lose control of their bodies while mid-air. Biles, who cited mental health concerns after withdrawing from the women’s gymnastics team final and Thursday’s individual all-around final, mentioned getting “the twisties” during a vault that served as her only routine of the final team competition. Seeing the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3142982/tokyo-olympics-simone-biles-suffering-twisties-what-are-they?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3142982/tokyo-olympics-simone-biles-suffering-twisties-what-are-they?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 06:04:00 +0000 Superstar US gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of a second event to protect her mental health on Wednesday, putting the spotlight on athletes’ well-being at a Tokyo Olympics held under strict rules to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Biles, who caused shock waves with her withdrawal during the team event on Tuesday, also ditched the all-around, raising doubts about her further participation in Tokyo. The 24-year-old American’s struggles follow those of Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, another... https://www.scmp.com/tokyo-2020-olympic-games/gymnastics/article/3142922/tokyo-olympics-us-gymnastics-star-simone-biles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tokyo-2020-olympic-games/gymnastics/article/3142922/tokyo-olympics-us-gymnastics-star-simone-biles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:35:49 +0000 Four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles pulled out halfway through the team all-around competition final on Tuesday over mental health concerns, with the Russian Olympic Committee team eventually beating the US to gold. USA Gymnastics confirmed on Tuesday that the 24-year-old Biles, considered one of the greatest of all time in her field, had withdrawn “due to a medical issue” and “will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competition”. Biles, who is the country’s... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3142760/tokyo-olympics-shock-simone-biles-withdraws-team-gymnastics-final?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3142760/tokyo-olympics-shock-simone-biles-withdraws-team-gymnastics-final?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jul 2021 13:25:04 +0000 Hong Kong vaulter Shek Wai-hung damaged his ankle on his second attempt in the men’s artistic gymnastics qualifying on Saturday, leaving a huge question mark hanging over his Olympics. Vault specialist Shek was first up in the second of three qualifying sessions at the Ariake Gymnasium in downtown Tokyo and he impressed with that initial effort. The back-to-back Asian Games champion scored 14.716 – based on a difficulty of 6.0, execution of 9.016 and penalty of -0.3. Shek became the first Hong... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3142383/tokyo-olympics-hong-kong-vaulter-shek-wai-hung-waits-ankle-injury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3142383/tokyo-olympics-hong-kong-vaulter-shek-wai-hung-waits-ankle-injury?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jul 2021 08:35:25 +0000 Simone Biles arrived at the Tokyo Olympics – having not lost an all-around competition in nine years – poised to add to her status as the greatest gymnast of all time. The general consensus is the only gymnast capable of beating Biles is Biles herself, as she looks to add to her haul of five Olympic medals, including four gold, won at the 2016 Rio Games. Aside from perhaps the women’s basketball team, Biles will be the closest thing the United States will have to a gold medal slam dunk in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3141874/olympics-who-can-beat-american-gymnast-simone-biles-only-simone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3141874/olympics-who-can-beat-american-gymnast-simone-biles-only-simone?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 16:52:47 +0000 Four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles is the USA’s most decorated artistic gymnast, but the magnitude of her influence goes well beyond floors, beams and vaults. The 24-year-old’s domination of the sport, which includes an unprecedented 19 world championships, seven US all-around titles, and many more sporting awards across various categories, would only widen should she medal again at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Biles has often spoken out about racial and gender... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3139766/simone-biles-biography-height-yurchenko-double-pike-and-repeating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3139766/simone-biles-biography-height-yurchenko-double-pike-and-repeating?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jul 2021 07:26:22 +0000 Our Tokyo Trail series looks at key issues and athletes in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics, which are scheduled for late July. This is the second in a two-part feature on Asian-American gymnasts who made headlines in the past week. When Asian-American gymnast Sunisa Lee clinched her spot on the US women’s gymnastics team last weekend, members of the Hmong ethnic minority rejoiced in her historic achievement. The 18-year-old will become the first member of the community – which has its roots in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3139706/tokyo-olympics-hmong-american-gymnast-sunisa-lee-makes-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3139706/tokyo-olympics-hmong-american-gymnast-sunisa-lee-makes-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jul 2021 00:00:23 +0000 Our Tokyo Trail series looks at key issues and athletes in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics, which are scheduled for late July. This is the first in a two-part feature on the Asian-American gymnasts who made headlines in the past week. Last week, Yul Moldauer achieved his lifelong dream to take part in the Olympics. After posting the second-best overall score in trials held in St. Louis, he qualified for the United States national gymnastics team, and a seat on the plane to Tokyo later this... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3139606/us-athlete-yul-moldauer-heads-tokyo-olympics-asian-americans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3139606/us-athlete-yul-moldauer-heads-tokyo-olympics-asian-americans?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jul 2021 09:00:27 +0000 The world and Olympic gymnastics champion put on a dazzling display during the US Olympic Trials on Friday night, pulling out all the stops – well, almost all of them – on her way to a commanding lead and a spot in Japan next month. Her all-around total of 60.565 included a 15.133 on beam that featured the “double-double” dismount named for her, a manoeuvre she’s kept under wraps since the 2019 world championships. She opted to skip the Yurchenko double-pike vault she unveiled in competition... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3138849/simone-biles-soars-tokyo-2020-spot-us-olympic-trials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3138849/simone-biles-soars-tokyo-2020-spot-us-olympic-trials?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Jun 2021 02:54:28 +0000 Brody Malone’s summer calendar might be filling up quickly. The 21-year-old won his first US men’s gymnastics title on Saturday night, shaking off an early miscue on parallel bars to post a two-day total of 170.700. The two-time NCAA champion’s victory gives him plenty of momentum heading into the US Olympic Trials in St Louis later this month. Malone admitted on Thursday that he didn’t feel much pressure, calling competing for Stanford at the NCAA championships far more nerve-wracking. Staked... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3136231/tokyo-2020-brody-malone-wins-first-us-gymnastics-title-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3136231/tokyo-2020-brody-malone-wins-first-us-gymnastics-title-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jun 2021 05:06:11 +0000 Hong Kong vault specialist Shek Wai-hung must have practised his jumps more than 1,000 times over the past three years – but it will the two jumps he makes at the Tokyo Olympics this summer that matter most. Returning to the Olympic Games after nine years, Shek is aiming high by performing two jumps with the highest difficulty value and named after 2016 Olympic champion Ri Se-gwang, of North Korea, who retired in 2020. “I now have much more confidence in handling the two difficult jumps after so... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3135098/gymnast-shek-wai-hung-back-olympics-two-difficult-vault-jumps-could?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3135098/gymnast-shek-wai-hung-back-olympics-two-difficult-vault-jumps-could?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 May 2021 12:03:36 +0000 A decade ago the plight of former champion gymnast Zhang Shangwu shocked China and made world headlines when he was discovered begging in Beijing, prompting one of the country’s richest men to give him a job. That should have heralded a turnaround for the troubled Zhang, who had been imprisoned for theft after injury ended his gymnastics career. But after another stint in jail, Zhang is again making a living on the streets, doing handstands and singing for a live online audience in a car park in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3129488/former-champion-chinese-gymnast-back-streets-doing-handstands-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3129488/former-champion-chinese-gymnast-back-streets-doing-handstands-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Apr 2021 08:05:40 +0000 Hong Kong gymnast Stone Shek Wai-hung is undeterred by any delay in the Tokyo Olympics, having already endured the heartbreak of failing to qualify for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 28-year-old Asian Games champion in the men’s vault said he backed the decision by the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Tokyo Games by one year because of the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the world. “I support the decision because the situation is quite serious and dangerous for athletes, staff... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3077024/tokyo-2020-gymnast-shek-wai-hung-stays-focused-olympic-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3077024/tokyo-2020-gymnast-shek-wai-hung-stays-focused-olympic-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2020 01:13:54 +0000 Gymnast Shek Wai-hung became the fifth individual athlete from Hong Kong to book a ticket to next year’s Olympic Games after finishing seventh in the men’s vault at the world championships in Stuttgart on Sunday. Competing against the world’s best gymnasts in the final, Shek, who was third in qualifying, failed to deliver on his first vault, a performance that blew his chances of winning a medal. His execution score of 7.933 in the first jump was the lowest among all eight finalists and although... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3032742/gymnast-shek-wai-hung-becomes-fifth-hong-kong-athlete-book-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3032742/gymnast-shek-wai-hung-becomes-fifth-hong-kong-athlete-book-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Oct 2019 13:13:18 +0000 Many could have predicted that track cycling star Sarah Lee Wai-sze would successfully defend her two gold medals in sprint and keirin at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia this summer. Indeed, other gold medals won by Hong Kong athletes in Jakarta were not too difficult to foresee such as Cheung King-lok’s and Leung Chun-wing’s in the men’s madison in track cycling, especially after the pair was crowned champion in a World Cup series event in Minsk, Belarus earlier this year. The men’s... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2171252/meet-hong-kongs-most-underrated-champion-shek-wai-hung-overcomes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2171252/meet-hong-kongs-most-underrated-champion-shek-wai-hung-overcomes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Nov 2018 00:05:04 +0000 Gymnastics has made a compelling case for its return to the Sports Institute, more than a decade after being forced to leave their training venue at the Fo Tan complex. Thanks to Shek Wai-hung winning back-to-back gold medals in the vault at the Indonesia Asian Games last month, the Gymnastics Association is pressing for reinstatement at the elite venue. “We have already proved our quality with Shek’s success at the top level and to help develop more potential gymnasts like Shek, we need a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2165507/why-are-we-exception-gymnastics-makes-gold-plated-case-return-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2165507/why-are-we-exception-gymnastics-makes-gold-plated-case-return-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Sep 2018 07:51:05 +0000 We can immediately tell here in Rio when China’s women’s gymnastics team is on TV – a Post story from May where their coach insists they meet the Olympics age requirements has a massive spike in web traffic because people are Googling ‘How old are China’s women’s gymnastics team’. It’s easy to see why from the press seats perched vertiginously near the top of the giant gymnastics arena. WATCH: Golden moments on Day 4 at the Rio Olympics Or actually, it’s not easy to see why – from this... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2001934/chinas-little-women-raises-big-questions-marks-about-their-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2001934/chinas-little-women-raises-big-questions-marks-about-their-age?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Aug 2016 10:30:15 +0000 China will send an untried women’s squad to the Rio Games as their team manager insists his young charges meet the minimum age requirement set by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), allaying fears of an underage controversy that emerged at two previous Olympics. The Chinese squad named five girls and three reserves with Shang Chunsong, the oldest at 20, while teammates, Wang Yan (16), Fan Yilin (16), Mao Yi (19) and Liu Tingting (15) set to make their Olympic debut. Liu Tingting... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/1954554/china-unveils-fresh-faces-womens-gymnastics-team-who-are-set-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/1954554/china-unveils-fresh-faces-womens-gymnastics-team-who-are-set-first?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 May 2016 13:45:15 +0000