Pang plans to soar again at Shanghai World Cup

One of China's brightest Olympic medal prospects, Pang Panpan, aims to repeat her past near-perfect performances at a World Cup Gymnastics meet on home soil this weekend.

Nicknamed "Oriental Beauty" by a completely besotted western media, Hebei Province's favorite daughter has been the shining star of Chinese artistic gymnastics in the past two years.

In 2005, during her international debut at the Dutch Open, she won the balance beam and finished all-round runner up, while seducing foreign media and fans with rarely seen elegance and style.

Early last year at the Foshan National Championships, the promising newcomer blossomed into a bone fide star by winning the all-round and floor exercise titles to secure a place in the national squad for the July World Championships.

During that event (in Shanghai), the 16-year-old drew gasps of awe with poise and precision beyond her tender years as she scooped gold along the balance beam and silver on the floor.

Those displays were a far cry from a year prior when a podium finish eluded her during her Shanghai debut at the National Championships.

Several months after her World Cup triumph, Pang, together with Zhang Nan, Li Ya, Cheng Fei, Zhou Zhuoru, He Ning and alternate Huang Lu became the first Chinese women to win the team event at the 39th World Championships in Denmark, where they upset the more fancied United States team.

Defying intense pressure at her maiden World titles, the pride of Shijiazhuang city was faultless - except in the vault - as she wooed the Danish crowd and played an instrumental role in making history.

Head coach of the national women's gymnastic team Lu Shanzhen once tipped that Pang's precocious skills and amazing strength would see her succeed Zhang Nan as the matriarch of Chinese gymnastics.

But unfortunately, after her meteoric rise in 2006, the gifted gymnast was struck down by a foot injury and confined to plaster for four months, which put paid to winter training.

At last month's National Championships, the tenacious teen was still struggling to reclaim peak performance, uncharacteristically slipping during bread-and-butter events such as the balance beam, all-around floor exercise and uneven bars.

Adored by coaches, teammates and the media alike, Pang stands out among the women's gymnastics team regardless of the occasion.

Her ebullience in floor exercises, which visibly moves audiences, and her grace on the balance beam borders on the poetic.

In real life, however, the breathtaking artist is quiet and introspective.

As an athlete known for precision and an indefatigable work ethic, she is invariably attentive to every instruction imparted by her coaches and executes each routine accordingly.

Many people worry that Pang's recent setbacks will make her even more demure.

But her coaches have worked tirelessly to help their finest prospect return to former glory.

At the recent National Championships, the mentors were anxious about her lack of conditioning and turned in many additional hours to coordinate extra training sessions.

Pang's major priority for 2007, they say, is to restore body and mind and gradually improve her all-round performance ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games in August next year.

A few days ahead of the 2007 World Cup at the Shanghai International Gymnastic Center (July 27 to 29), China's most enigmatic gymnast is counting on vocal home support to rekindle her artistry and propel her to another world title.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/24/2007 page18)