Name: Xiao Qin

Sport: Gymnastics

Birthday: January 12, 1985

Home: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Height: 1.64 meters

Weight: 55 kg

Experience:

1995: Joined army's Bayi gymnastics team

1999: Selected for the national gymnastics team

Major Achievements:

2001 World Gymnastics Championship: runner-up, pommel horse

2001 Five Continent Young Men's Invitational, France: champion, pommel horse; runner-up, all-around and free exercise

2002 National Gymnastics Championships: runner-up, pommel horse

2002 World Gymnastics Championships: runner-up, pommel horse

2003 World Gymnastics Championships: male team title

2005 World Gymnastics Championships: champion, pommel horse

2006 World Gymnastics Championships: champion, pommel horse; team title

Xiao Qin is one of the world's best at the pommel horse. Unfortunately, at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he fell during his routine and missed out on a medal. The fall also prevented his team from getting a medal in the team competition.

After the Olympics, Xiao and his teammates practiced harder than before. This paid off when Xiao won the pommel horse at the 2005 World Championships, and again at the 2006 World Championships. In 2006, he and his teammates also won gold in the team competition.

Xiao is a quiet man who seldom speaks with people he does not know. He is now a key figure with the national gymnastics team and experience has taught him to maintain his composure. He will try for gold at the Beijing Olympics by performing a difficult routine.

(China.org.cn June 24, 2008)