Ma Yanhong (simplified Chinese: 马燕红; traditional Chinese: 馬燕紅; pinyin: Mǎ Yànhóng; born March 21, 1964, in Beijing, China) (also reported in some media as July 5, 1963)[1] is a retired Chinese Olympic athlete. She was the first Chinese gymnast, male or female, to win a gold medal at the World Gymnastics Championships and the Olympic Games.[2]

Ma Yanhong
Full nameMa Yanhong
Country represented China
BornMarch 21, 1964 or July 5, 1963 (disputed)
Beijing, People’s Republic of China
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International
Years on national team1978–84 (CHN)
GymShichahai Sports School for Amateurs
Eponymous skillsMa I dismount (uneven bars) Ma II dismount (uneven bars)
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 1
World Championships 1 2 0
Asian Games 2 0 0
Total 4 2 1
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
All-Around (OG/WC) 0 1 1
Uneven Bars(OG/WC) 2 0 1
Balance Beam (OG/WC) 0 0 0
Vault (OG/WC) 0 0 0
Floor Exercise (OG/WC) 0 0 0
Women's artistic gymnastics
Representing  China
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Uneven bars
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Los Angeles Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1979 Ft. Worth Uneven Bars
Silver medal – second place 1981 Moscow Team
Silver medal – second place 1981 Moscow Uneven Bars
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1978 Bangkok Team
Gold medal – first place 1978 Bangkok Uneven Bars

Biography edit

Ma began gymnastics at the Shichahai Sports School for Amateurs in her hometown of Beijing.[1] The age at which she started training has been variously reported as six, eight and nine.[1][3][4]

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 the uneven 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 1984 Los Angeles Olympics uneven bars final, Ma was suffered from Appendicitis, though in great pain she insisted on finishing the competition. Finally Ma tied with American Julianne McNamara to win the gold medal on bars in that competition [4] and both of them scored a perfect 10.0 in the final. This is the first Olympic gold medal ever for China in women's gymnastics.

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, is valued as an "F," the second highest difficulty rating possible, in the current Code of Points.[3] 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 the floor exercise and balance beam in international meets.[4]

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 in Tianjin.[3] She is inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2008, and became the first Chinese women inductee of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. [5]

Eponymous skill edit

Ma has one eponymous skill listed in the Code of Points.[6]

Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[a]
Uneven bars Ma Hip circle backward on low bar or high bar - hecht with 1/1 turn (360°) to salto backward F
  1. ^ Valid for the 2022-2024 Code of Points

Competitive history edit

Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
1978
Bangkok Asian Games    
Shanghai International    
1979
Fort Worth World Championships 4  
1980 USGF International Invitational (Alternate Olympics) 6  
1981 TBS Cup      
USA-CHN Dual Meet  
Moscow World Championships   4   5
1982 Chinese National Championships      
USGF International Invitational 6   4  
Zagreb World Cup Final 4 7 4 4 4
1983 Chinese National Championships 6
TBS Cup    
Budapest World Championships 5
1984 Beijing International    
Catania Cup 7
USA-CHN Dual Meet      
Los Angeles Olympic Games   6   5 6

[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Biography at Beijing 2008 Olympics site Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Gymnastics Team Sets Goal for Games" Zhan Haitao, Li Xiao (trans), China Daily, May 31, 2004
  3. ^ a b c "Legends: Ma Yanhong" International Gymnast
  4. ^ a b c List of competitive results at Gymn-Forum
  5. ^ "MA YANHONG". International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
  6. ^ "2022-2024 Code of Points Women's Artistic Gymnastics" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. pp. 105, 208. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Ma Yanhong (CHN)". Gymn Forum. 16 December 2000. Retrieved 1 August 2022.

External links edit