Yang Wei

Yang Wei, born on March 20, 1975, is a native of Xiantao City, Hubei Province. His father’s name is Yang Yuanpin, his mother’s name is Xiao Dongxin, and he has an older sister named Yang Fan. In childhood, Yang Wei was born with congenital nutritional deficiencies, weighing only 3.25 kilograms and was relatively weak, with long arms and insufficient leg strength. In the early 1980s, at the age of 5, he enrolled in Xinsheng Street Primary School in Xiantao City and met coach Peng Youping of Xiantao Amateur Sports School, beginning gymnastics training. Due to his outstanding upper limb strength, he was selected into the gymnastics training system, but because of his leg shape issues, he faced some restrictions. Coach Peng Youping devised a “Leg-Binding Reshaping Method,” which involved daily bandaging of the legs with gauze and massage to improve leg shape. After some training, Yang Wei’s gymnastics skills improved significantly.

In 1990, Xiantao Gymnastics School recommended him to the Hubei Provincial Gymnastics Team, but he was not selected due to his leg issues. Subsequently, Ding Jie, a coach from Wuhan Sports University, favored him, allowing Yang Wei to study there. In 1992, Yang Wei won five championships at the National Youth Gymnastics Competition. In 1996, he rejoined the Hubei Provincial Gymnastics Team.

Yang Wei’s career in international competitions achieved remarkable success. In 1997, he won a team gold medal at the 8th National Games held in Shanghai. In 1998, at the 13th Asian Games, he won team gold and placed second in the all-around. The same year, he ranked sixth in the National Gymnastics Championships and third on the horizontal bar. In 2000, Yang Wei represented China at the Sydney Olympics, helping the Chinese men's team win gold and winning a silver medal in the all-around individual competition.

Between 2001 and 2004, Yang Wei achieved numerous accolades domestically and internationally, including winning the all-around title in 2001 and the Asian Games all-around gold in 2002. In 2003, at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Anaheim, USA, he secured the team championship and advanced to the individual all-around final as the second qualifier, narrowly taking the silver medal. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, despite losing the gold in the individual all-around due to errors, he finished seventh.

The Beijing 2008 Olympics marked the peak of his athletic career. As a key member of the Chinese gymnastics team, he led the team to win the gold medal in men's team competition and also won the gold medal in men's all-around, becoming the first Chinese gymnast to win three World Championship all-around gold medals. Additionally, he earned a silver medal on the pommel horse. In May 2009, Yang Wei officially announced his retirement, ending his professional gymnastics career.

After retiring, Yang Wei ventured into entertainment and social activities. He appeared in the film “Where Are We Going, Dad 2” and participated in various variety shows and public welfare activities. Moreover, he took on roles in sports management, serving as vice director of the Gymnastics Center at the Hubei Provincial Sports Bureau and head of the Provincial Gymnastics Sports Management Center, and obtained an international judging license. In his personal life, Yang Wei married Chinese gymnast Yang Yun in 2007, and they have children including a son, Yang Wenchang, and a pair of twin daughters. In 2023, Yang Wei disclosed that he must wear a ventilator for the rest of his life due to respiratory health issues.