Li Xiaoping

Li Xiaoping, born in 1957, is a national-level athlete who specialized in gymnastics, best known internationally for his pommel horse technique. His athletic career began in 1972 when he entered the Changning District Amateur Sports School in Shanghai to study gymnastics. In 1973 he was selected for the Shanghai gymnastics team, and in 1979 he was promoted to the national team.

While on the national team, Li achieved notable results in many domestic and international competitions. In 1980 he was awarded the title of Outstanding Athlete. At national competitions he won the pommel horse title three times and the parallel bars title once. In 1981 Li Xiaoping tied with Li Ning for the pommel horse gold at the 11th Summer Universiade. In November of the same year he shared the pommel horse gold at the 21st World Artistic Gymnastics Championships with German gymnast Nikola. That year he was also named one of the country’s top ten athletes. In 1982 Li won the men’s pommel horse at the 9th Asian Games and was a core member of the Chinese men’s team that took the team championship.

In 1983 he earned the pommel horse silver at the 22nd World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and, together with Tong Fei, Li Ning, Lou Yun, Li Yuejiu, and Xu Zhiqiang, helped China win the men’s team title. In 1984 he represented China at the 23rd Olympic Games in Los Angeles and, with his teammates, won the men’s team silver medal. In addition to his competitive results, Li Xiaoping received the National Sports Honor Medal twice, in 1981 and 1983.

After retiring, Li went to the United States in 1986 for further study. After years of effort, he and his wife Wen Jia opened their own gymnastics club in the U.S. During the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim he and his family continued to support the Chinese gymnastics team. In the spring of 2006 he returned to Beijing with his family for a vacation, and at the invitation of Gymnastics Center director Gao Jian, decided to return to China to serve as the facility manager of the National Gymnasium as the Beijing Olympics approached.

Family: Li is married to former gymnast Wen Jia and they have a daughter, Li Anqi, and a son, Li Anling. His elder daughter Li Anqi is married to gymnastics world champion Li Xiaopeng; they have a daughter, Olivia (Chinese name Li Xinqi), and a son, nicknamed Oreo. Li Xiaoping’s technique was noted for its high difficulty and execution quality—especially on the pommel horse, where he performed rare, high-difficulty elements such as a longitudinal rightward shift and a 360° in-circle turn—and he was nicknamed “Shenma Hand” (literally “Divine Horse Hand”) within the gymnastics community.