- Ma Yanhong
Infobox Gymnast
gymnastname= Ma Yanhong
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fullname= Ma Yanhong
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country= CHN
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birthdate= March 21, 1964 or July 5, 1963 (disputed)
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discipline= WAG
level= Senior International
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gym= Shichahai Sports School for Amateurs
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eponymousskills= Ma dismount (uneven bars)
retired=
medaltemplates=Ma Yanhong (
Simplified Chinese : 马燕红) (bornMarch 21 ,1964 ,Beijing ,China ) (also reported in some media asJuly 5 ,1963 ) [ [http://en.beijing2008.com/01/94/article211929401.shtml Biography at Beijing 2008 Olympics site] ] is a retired Chinese Olympic athlete, Hui Minority. She was the first Chinese gymnast, male or female, to win a gold medal at theWorld Gymnastics Championships and theOlympic Games . [ [http://www.china.org.cn/english/2004/May/96896.htm "Gymnastics Team Sets Goal for Games"] Zhan Haitao, Li Xiao (trans), "China Daily," May 31, 2004]Ma began gymnastics at the Shichahai Sports School for Amateurs in her hometown of Beijing. [http://en.beijing2008.com/01/94/article211929401.shtml Biography at Beijing 2008 Olympics site] ] The age at which she started training has been variously reported as six, eight and nine. [http://web.archive.org/web/20010216224205/http://www.intlgymnast.com/legends/ma.html "Legends: Ma Yanhong"] "International Gymnast"] [http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/ma_yanhong.html List of competitive results at Gymn-Forum] ]
In 1978, her first year with the Chinese national team, Ma made her international debut at the
Asian Games , where she shared in the team gold medal and won theuneven bars title. She repeated her success at the 1978 Shanghai Cup, again winning team and bars titles. Ma was a member of the 1979, 1981 and 1983 World Championships teams; she was the Chinese National Champion in 1982. At the 1984Los Angeles Olympics uneven bars final, Ma was suffered fromAppendicitis , though in great pain she insisted on finishing the competition. Finally Ma tied with AmericanJulianne McNamara to win the gold medal on bars in that competition and both of them scored a perfect 10.0 in the final. This is the first Olympic gymnastics gold medal in the Chinese gymnastics history.Ma's best event was unquestionably the
uneven bars ; she placed first on this apparatus at the age of fifteen at the 1979 World Championships. Her bars routines were noted for their technical difficulty, virtuosity and originality. The dismount she pioneered, a hecht-front salto-full now known as the Ma, was classified at "Super E," the highest difficulty rating possible, in the 2005-2006 "Code of Points." Ma was not only a bars specialist, however: she placed fourth in the all-around at the 1981 World Championships, sixth all-around at the 1984 Olympics, and often won silver or bronze medals on thefloor exercise andbalance beam in international meets.After retiring from gymnastics, Ma pursued a University education and spent some time in the UK and the United States, coaching at clubs in
California . She returned to China in 1994 and is now involved in business. She also owns a Japanese restaurant in Beijing and has worked as a commentator for various gymnastics competitions, including the 1999 World Championships inTianjin . She is inducted into theInternational Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2008, and became the first Chinese women inductee of theInternational Gymnastics Hall of Fame . [cite web
title = MA YANHONG
work = International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
url = http://www.ighof.com/honorees/honorees_Ma.html
accessmonthday = Aug 5
accessyear = 2008 ]References
External links
*fig|id=4914|name=Ma Yanhong
* [http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/ma_yanhong.html List of competitive results]
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