Gymnastics Nostalgia: Appreciation of Retired Chinese Gymnasts

[CameliasFingerpaint]

I can’t with these threads anymore.

 

[Iminhanoi]

Yeah, even as an inveterate China WAG fan, I'm finding these threads a bit much.

But in this case, I'll take the bait. Yes, Li Shanshan was a good gymnast. She was the beamer they needed in 2008, when Xiao Sha and Sui Lu (both of whom had more natural talent, IMO) were too inconsistent. She'll also have a special place in my heart for beating Ponor for the BB silver at 2007 Worlds. She fell. Ponor didn't.

Agree

In fact Li Shanshan not weak in comparison of most other Chinese female WAG.

Cheng Fei, Deng Linlin, Yang Yilin, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan are high class masters, they are completely different than all other Chinese female gymnasts. While Li ShanShan is not different in Chinese WAG. That why people think Li Shanshan is too weak.

If Ou Yushan, Zhou Yaqin being in that team, they will be said the weakest link as well.

 

[RichardL]

Xiao Sha was something special for sure, wow. I just rewatched her 2007 TF routine, which had so many small errors and still scored 16+. She scored 14.65 in qualifications so must have had a disaster (15.65 in AA with very large errors). Gorgeous switch ring since we've been chatting about them.

 

[Iminhanoi]

Xiao Sha was something special for sure, wow. I just rewatched her 2007 TF routine, which had so many small errors and still scored 16+. She scored 14.65 in qualifications so must have had a disaster (15.65 in AA with very large errors). Gorgeous switch ring since we've been chatting about them.

The balance beam event final at 2007 Chinese National Gymnastics Championships is primary reason why Li ShanShan won the race ahead Sui Lu and Xiao Sha, and eventually earned a spot in 2008 Olympic team.

 

[Denn]

@Iminhanoi Several people have given you feedback in this thread. Did you read it and do you think you can do something with it?

Thanks

 

[Iminhanoi]

In floor exercise, Li ShanShan is definitely not weak in comparison with other Chinese WAG gymnasts. She has achieved bronze at floor final in Chinese National Gymnastics Championships 2007.

In floor qualifications of World Championships 2007, she scored 14.625.
It’s very solid score for a Chinese WAG gymnast (equal to 13.5-13.6 in 2024)



However, her floor routine at qualifications of Olympic 2008 was cruelly underscored for unknown reasons (14.2).

This routine should be at least 14.65-14.6; she scored 14.625 in floor qualifications of World Championships 2007, why she do the same at Olympic 2008 and only scored 14.2?

 

[Concorde]

This routine should be at least 14.65-14.6; she scored 14.625 in floor qualifications of World Championships 2007, why she do the same at Olympic 2008 and only scored 14.2?

Li Shanshan's execution scores were actually not significantly different between the two competitions:

2007 World Championships - 8.625
2008 Olympics - 8.500

However, she lost 0.3 in her difficulty score between the two competitions.

2007 World Championships - 6.0
2008 Olympics - 5.7 (2 1/2 twist was downgraded to a double twist for being underrotated)

2 1/2 Twist underrotated -> Credit as Double Twist, C element
Double Twist -> No DV, substitute the next highest valued skill, which is an A element

6.0 - 0.10 (devaluation of the 2 1/2 twist) - 0.30 ('repetition' of double twist) + 0.1 (counting A element) = 5.7

The underrotation of the 2 1/2 twist is easily visible from this angle:

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

 

[MaryClare]

@Iminhanoi Several people have given you feedback in this thread. Did you read it and do you think you can do something with it?

Thanks

Have you ever considered a career in international diplomacy, Denn?

 

[Denn]

Have you ever considered a career in international diplomacy, Denn?

LOL... I was trying to give the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Iminhanoi]

Li Shanshan's execution scores were actually not significantly different between the two competitions:

2007 World Championships - 8.625
2008 Olympics - 8.500

However, she lost 0.3 in her difficulty score between the two competitions.

2007 World Championships - 6.0
2008 Olympics - 5.7 (2 1/2 twist was downgraded to a double twist for being underrotated)

2 1/2 Twist underrotated -> Credit as Double Twist, C element
Double Twist -> No DV, substitute the next highest valued skill, which is an A element

6.0 - 0.10 (devaluation of the 2 1/2 twist) - 0.30 ('repetition' of double twist) + 0.1 (counting A element) = 5.7

The underrotation of the 2 1/2 twist is easily visible from this angle:

Of course, Li ShanShan’s skills in floor exercise is not world-class. But in fact, she has achieved bronze in floor exercise at Chinese National Gymnastics Championships 2007.

Her skills in floor exercise is equals to most other Chinese WAG

Lu Yufei has won floor exercise in Chinese National Gymnastics Championships 2021, but in Olympic Tokyo 2021 she just able to score 13.166 in team final.

 

[Iminhanoi]

Wang Yan won vault at Chinese National Gymnastics Championships 2014 & 2015, guaranteed herself a spot on the Olympic 2016 team.

 

[IratePanda]

Evidently, someone has declined to pick up the clue phone.

 

[JaJa]

Evidently, someone has declined to pick up the clue phone.

which many people seem to have on speed dial. Oh well . . . . . .there is always the IGNORE button.

 

[irichluck21]

@Iminhanoi I am very confused by some of your threaded topics as they go very off topic.

You posted this thread as 2025 Chinese Gymnastics Championships. When I click the thread I expect to see discussion centered around the 2025 Championships and possibly new seniors that might represent China in Jakarta next year.

Instead you have posts about retired gymnasts who are no longer competing, so there seems to be a disconnect.

There seems to be a strong impression and passion for Chinese gymnastics from you.


I suggest we change this thread to "China Gymnastics Appreciation" as then anyone clicking the thread will expect that topic instead of the one that you gave for this topic. You can continue to discuss Chinese gymnastics under this one thread, I think it would help to lessen the confusion and frustration from our members.

In general, here at Gymnaverse, we try to consolidate one or two topics into a thread so that it is easily manageable. Knowing you are a fairly new member to our board I figured I would explain with more detail about what the general vibe of the board is.

I know I appreciate your knowledge about Chinese Gymnastics, but creating multiple threads that could be under one thread creates a lot of confusion for our members, especially those that "lurk" and do not post, but are only reading.

Please let me know what you think of this feedback, if you want assistance on creating threads feel free to message me as I often do a lot of the organization of threads, especially when it comes to major events like Worlds or the Olympics.

 

[MaryClare]

Hi @Iminhanoi
I think I speak for most of us when I say that we are glad to have a new member contribute so enthusiastically to our community. Particularly when there isn’t very much going on in the gymnastics world. Some of it has been very interesting and well received, such as your updates on what some of the retired gymnasts are doing these days.

However, several of us have tried to kindly and diplomatically hint to you that the content and number of your threads are beginning to feel tiresome. They seem to be vessels for you to express your views and pontificate on your favourite topics, rather than to initiate any meaningful discussion.

We all have our favourites, and you’ll definitely find another couple of posters here who share your love of Chinese gymnastics. Perhaps it might be an idea to start a general thread for Chinese gymnastics.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Xiao Sha was something special for sure, wow. I just rewatched her 2007 TF routine, which had so many small errors and still scored 16+. She scored 14.65 in qualifications so must have had a disaster (15.65 in AA with very large errors). Gorgeous switch ring since we've been chatting about them.

We don't talk enough about Xiao Sha.

 

[Denn]

FYI, the admins have been talking about this. Thank you for the patience and politeness already shown. We're on it, and we will have a resolution one way or another in the next day or so, I think.

 

[Hatsumomo]

We don't talk enough about Xiao Sha.

You think there's room for a topic discussing some underrated/not-talked-enough-about gymnasts? I feel like a lot of gymnasts from the 2005-2008 era went under the radar.

 

[IratePanda]

We don't talk enough about Xiao Sha.

We can certainly fix that!

You think there's room for a topic discussing some underrated/not-talked-enough-about gymnasts? I feel like a lot of gymnasts from the 2005-2008 era went under the radar.

I would love to have a thread for underrated gymnasts from various time periods.