2012 London Olympics

China Names Preliminary Women's Olympic Squad

China Names Preliminary Women's Olympic Squad

Jun 19, 2012 by Marina Mazor
China Names Preliminary Women's Olympic Squad
According to International Gymnast Magazine, China, the defending team champion from the Beijing Olympics, has named a preliminary squad of seven gymnasts for its Olympic team this summer.


The Chinese team lined up for training at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo where they won the bronze medal.

Reportedly, of the seven, four have been named to the team -- Sui Lu, Yao Jinnan, Huang Qiushuang, and 2008 Olympian Deng Linlin.  One of the remaining three -- 2008 Olympians He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan, as well as 2011 world team member Tan Sixin -- is expected to be the fifth member of the team.  

Two-time Olympian and superstar vaulter, Cheng Fei, is out of contention for the team after rupturing her Achilles.  Click here to read that story.

The four named members are an accomplished group, comprised of multiple World Champions.  Sui Lu is the current gold medalist on balance beam and finished second on floor exercise at last year's Worlds.  She also won bronze on floor at the 2009 World Championships in London.

Yao Jinnan finished second to Sui Lu on beam in Tokyo, and won the all-around bronze medal.  She is a favorite to compete for the all-around title at the Olympics.

Deng Linlin was a member of China's 2008 gold medal team in Beijing, as well as the 2009 World Champion on balance beam and silver medalist on the event in 2010.

Huang Quishuang placed fourth all-around at the 2010 World Championships and won the bronze medal on uneven bars in 2011.

Click here for the full article on International Gymnast's website.