2026 Chinese Nationals

[IratePanda]

CGA will announce provisional rosters for the Asian Championships next week. The women will have an internal verification before their team is finalized. The competition is in China (Zunyi, Guizhou province), so they really want to maximize medal potential.

Based on Nationals results, Ke Qinqin, Zhang Qingying, and Zhang Yihan are probably locks. I won't try to predict the other two spots. I get headaches just thinking about it.

 

[IratePanda]

Asian Championships Senior WAG team:
Ke Qinqin
Zhang Qingying
Zhang Yihan
Qiu Qiyuan
Du Siyu

Juniors:
Zhong Qi
Xie Guying
Yu Wenjing
Chen Ziyan
He Xinyu

 

[irichluck21]

Asian Champs team looks like the World team as well.

 

[IratePanda]

Asian Champs team looks like the World team as well.

Yes, and probably the Asian Games, too.

 

[Passion]

I'm super hoping there's a little more depth by fall so they don't have to send the same team to Asian Games and Worlds. They're all going to be dead by Worlds

Asian Games are Sept 19th -Oct 4th in Japan, with the artistic gymnastic portion happening Sept. 21st - Sept. 25th.

World Championships are October 17th - 25th.

They usually leave for Worlds a week before, so let's assume around Oct. 10/11. If they leave Japan immediately on Sept. 26, they will only be home for 14 days before shipping out for Rotterdam.

Sigh. At least in 2027 all the focus will be on peaking for Worlds.

 

[IratePanda]

I'm super hoping there's a little more depth by fall so they don't have to send the same team to Asian Games and Worlds. They're all going to be dead by Worlds

Asian Games are Sept 19th -Oct 4th in Japan, with the artistic gymnastic portion happening Sept. 21st - Sept. 25th.

World Championships are October 17th - 25th.

They usually leave for Worlds a week before, so let's assume around Oct. 10/11. If they leave Japan immediately on Sept. 26, they will only be home for 14 days before shipping out for Rotterdam.

Sigh. At least in 2027 all the focus will be on peaking for Worlds.

I have this fantasy of taking my daughter to Chengdu for Worlds and a visit to the panda sanctuary. We'd eat some killer food, too! But, alas, it's just a fantasy. She starts seventh grade that month, and I can't pull her out of school for two weeks. Plus, I'm not sure I could get a visa.

Anyway, yes, I would love to see a different team at the Asian Games, maybe Qin Xinyi, Zhang Xinyi, Yang Fanyuwei, Jiang Shuting, and Chen Feng or Chu Yiming. The issue is whether or not they could beat Japan. I know this is usually a bigger concern on the MAG side, but I doubt CGA would be happy with anything less than team gold on the WAG side, too.

 

[Aeris]

Asian Champs team looks like the World team as well.

I really hope Yang Fanyuwei is not left out, if she remains the best UB worker by far.

LOL if I am going to have to root against Du Siyu for this selection, after being her biggest supporter in previous years.

 

[makam]

I have this fantasy of taking my daughter to Chengdu for Worlds and a visit to the panda sanctuary. We'd eat some killer food, too! But, alas, it's just a fantasy. She starts seventh grade that month, and I can't pull her out of school for two weeks. Plus, I'm not sure I could get a visa.

Anyway, yes, I would love to see a different team at the Asian Games, maybe Qin Xinyi, Zhang Xinyi, Yang Fanyuwei, Jiang Shuting, and Chen Feng or Chu Yiming. The issue is whether or not they could beat Japan. I know this is usually a bigger concern on the MAG side, but I doubt CGA would be happy with anything less than team gold on the WAG side, too.

Japan would also have to manage their athletes, no? Maybe Japan sends the B team too.

 

[irichluck21]

Don't the Chinese normally prioritize Asian Games over Worlds?

 

[Passion]

It depends on the specific circumstances and locations.

For example 2023 Asian Games were in China, so very important. CHN MAG already had qualified a team to the Olympics so Zhang Boheng was sent to Asian Games and Worlds team was more specialists to still get EF hardware. The WAG team however was not yet qualified to Paris, so the stronger WAG team was sent to Worlds.

In 2014 WAG sent the exact same team to Asian Games and Worlds, I think they were about 10 days apart. Everyone was dying by Worlds and Chen Siyi had a fever.

MAG sent two different teams in 2014, the stronger team went to Worlds (at home in Nanning) while the weaker team was sent to Asian Games in South Korea. It’s China MAG’s only team loss at Asian Games, they took the bronze behind Japan and South Korea.

China WAG have never lost team gold at the Asian Games since gymnastics was included as an event in 1974.

2018 Asian Games and Worlds were a bit farther apart so it wasn’t as much of an issue.

Both events are important this year. China enjoys winning over Japan in Japan and the WAG team has a streak to maintain. I don’t think WAG will be the exact same team for both events though, because Yang Fanyuwei will definitely be sent somewhere. There will probably be some overlap.

 

[IratePanda]

It depends on the specific circumstances and locations.

For example 2023 Asian Games were in China, so very important. CHN MAG already had qualified a team to the Olympics so Zhang Boheng was sent to Asian Games and Worlds team was more specialists to still get EF hardware. The WAG team however was not yet qualified to Paris, so the stronger WAG team was sent to Worlds.

In 2014 WAG sent the exact same team to Asian Games and Worlds, I think they were about 10 days apart. Everyone was dying by Worlds and Chen Siyi had a fever.

MAG sent two different teams in 2014, the stronger team went to Worlds (at home in Nanning) while the weaker team was sent to Asian Games in South Korea. It’s China MAG’s only team loss at Asian Games, they took the bronze behind Japan and South Korea.

China WAG have never lost team gold at the Asian Games since gymnastics was included as an event in 1974.

2018 Asian Games and Worlds were a bit farther apart so it wasn’t as much of an issue.

Both events are important this year. China enjoys winning over Japan in Japan and the WAG team has a streak to maintain. I don’t think WAG will be the exact same team for both events though, because Yang Fanyuwei will definitely be sent somewhere. There will probably be some overlap.

China has also won every WAG AA title since 1974. My favorite win was He Ning in 2006. She was kind of an underdog at Worlds that year, so it was nice to see her shine as an individual. She had a thrilling battle with Zhou Zhuoru, too!

Another fave was Sui Lu in 2010. She wasn't really even an all-arounder, but Huang Qiushuang basically said "f this, I don't really want the gold" (Kind of a recurring theme in her career).

ETA: I also wanted to mention that Qin Xinyi is the WAG senior alternate. I low-key hope she replaces Qiu Qiuyuan, who clearly isn't at her best. If Qin competes, she'll probably do BB/FX with Du Siyu on V/UB.

 

[Passion]

China has also won every WAG AA title since 1974. My favorite win was He Ning in 2006. She was kind of an underdog at Worlds that year, so it was nice to see her shine as an individual. She had a thrilling battle with Zhou Zhuoru, too!

My favorite picture of He Ning is from '06 Asian Games. I loved her Requiem for a Dream FX.

 

[Passion]

China MAG's provisional teams for Asian Championships

Senior Team
Zhang Boheng
Yang Haonan
Tian Hao
Li Hongyan
Liu Yang (Hunan)
Alt: Chen Zhilong

Junior Team
Yang Lanbin
Long Houcheng
Tian Shijin
Zhang Mohan
Zheng Baosen
Alt: Dong Li

 

[IratePanda]

My favorite picture of He Ning is from '06 Asian Games. I loved her Requiem for a Dream FX.

View attachment 14040

Oh, thank you! I love this photo, too. Even Zhou Zhuoru looks happy. She was such a great gymnast, too.

I had the opportunity to meet He Ning in 2009, right after she won the National AA gold (not the National Games; this was a qualifying meet). She was very sweet and humble. Huang Qiushuang was also in the room, but she didn't engage with me at all--or even the Chinese journalist who accompanied me. The most charitable explanation is that she felt shy around a random foreigner, even one with reasonably good Mandarin. But at the time, I thought she was annoyed and jealous about all the attention He Ning was getting for her surprise win. The AA gold really should have been Huang's, but she threw it away with a silly mistake (setting the pattern for the rest of her career).

 

[irichluck21]

Do we know the Japanese WAG team? Will it be the same chosen for Worlds? Crazy that the World team is chosen first.

 

[IratePanda]

Do we know the Japanese WAG team? Will it be the same chosen for Worlds? Crazy that the World team is chosen first.

I believe they're sending the same teams to Worlds and Asian Games. I'm not sure about Asian Champs. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Denn]

I can't remember which province the two Liu Yang guys are from. Can we just call the newer one "Liu Yang the Lesser"?

 

[Passion]

The new one is from Hunan. The original one is from Liaoning and hasn’t competed this year. I’m not sure if he plans to continue to LA or not. So it’s pretty much all Liu Yang from Hunan for now.