Liu Xuan is a Chinese Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast. She was born in Changsha, China and coached by Guo Xinming and Zhang Zhen.
Liu said she took up gymnastics with encouragement from her mom, who had to cease gymnastics training during her younger years because of the closure of the gym during the Cultural Revolution. In fact, Liu's decision to continue for another 4 years after a disappointing 1996 Atlanta Olympics (where she failed to make beam finals due to a fall in the team optionals) was partly to realize her mom's unfulfilled dream.
Liu was the first female gymnast to perform a one-arm giant swing on the uneven bars which is named after her in the Gymnastic's Code of Points; she also performed this skill into a Geinger release move. However, this skill was considered too risky for women gymnasts, and hence was given a low "C" difficulty rating so as to discourage female gymnasts from attempting it. As a result, Liu herself also stopped performing it after the 1996 Olympics.
Liu was also strong on balance beam.
In 2000, she was China's first Olympic Champion on balance beam as well as China's first All Around Medalist. At the 2000 Olympics Liu Xuan also led her team to a bronze medal. This is China's first and only team medal for Women's Artistic Gymnastics in a non-boycotted Olympics. Liu Xuan retired after the 2000 Olympics.
* Trained at the age of 5, recruited by the Hunan Gymnastic Team at the age of 8, and joined the National Team at 13 years old.
* Chinese female gymnastic star
* Won the gold medal of Beam in 2000 Sydney Olympics.
* After retirement, she studied Journalism at Beijing University in 2001 and graduated this year.
* She acted in a movie & TV drama series; hosted TV program; commented 2004 Olympic Gymnastics Game for CCTV.
She is now preparing the qualification exam of the International Gymnastics referee.
Major victories
1994 Asian Games Team champion, Uneven Bars 1st runner-up
1995 World Championships Team 1st runner-up
1996 World Cup Uneven Bars 2nd runner-up
1998 World Cup Beam champion
2000 China Beam champion, All-Around 1st runner-up
2000 Sydney Olympic Beam Gold
Interests: Reading, music
In June 2005 she filmed a movie and more recently is hard at work on a singing career.
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