Li Ning

For other uses, see Li Ning (disambiguation).
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Li.
Li Ning
李宁
— Gymnast —

Li lighting the torch at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name Li Ning
Nickname(s) The little prince of gymnastics
Country represented  China
Born (1963-03-10) March 10, 1963
Laibin, Guangxi
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight 58 kg (128 lb)
Discipline Men's artistic gymnastics
Head coach(es) Zhang Jian
Retired 1988
Medal record
Olympic Games
1984 Los Angeles Floor
1984 Los Angeles Pommel Horse
1984 Los Angeles Rings
1984 Los Angeles Team
1984 Los Angeles Vault
1984 Los Angeles All-Around
World Championships
1983 Budapest Team all-around
1985 Montreal Rings
1983 Budapest Vault
1985 Montreal Team all-around
1985 Montreal Pommel horse
1987 Rotterdam Rings
1987 Rotterdam Team all-around
1981 Moscow Team all-around
1983 Budapest Rings
1983 Budapest Floor
1985 Montreal Floor
Li Ning
Traditional Chinese 李寧
Simplified Chinese 李宁

Li Ning (born March 10, 1963 in Laibin, Guangxi) is a retired Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur. He founded the sportswear company Li-Ning.

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" (体操王子/體操王子).

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 three gold medals (in floor exercise, 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).[1]

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 and made crucial mistakes which robbed him of the chance of a medal.

Post-gymnastics life

Li Ning on a 1996 Azerbaijani stamp

Li retired from sporting competition in 1988, and in 1990 he founded Li-Ning Company Limited, which sells footwear and sporting apparel in China.[1] 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.[2]

Li was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2000, becoming the first Chinese inductee.[3]

At the 2008 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.[4][5][6]

Li is married to Chen Yongyan, a fellow gymnast who won an Olympic bronze in 1984.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Li Ning. sports-reference.com
  2. ↑ "China Rich List 2014 - Li Ning". Hurun Report. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "LI NING". International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Games begin with spectacular show". BBC.co.uk. 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  5. ↑ "Li Flies High at Opening Ceremonies". International Gymnast. 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  6. ↑ Fong, Mei (2008-08-25). "Li Ning on the Beijing Olympics". The Wall Street Journal.
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Olympic Games
Preceded by
Nikolaos Kaklamanakis		 Final Summer Olympic Torchbearer
Beijing 2008 		Succeeded by
Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Desiree Henry, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, and Adelle Tracey
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