Cheng Fei facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cheng Fei
Full name	Cheng Fei
Nickname(s)	Fei Fei (菲菲)
Country represented	China
Born	(1988-05-29) May 29, 1988 (age 37) Huangshi, Hubei, China
Height	152 cm (5 ft 0 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2004–12 (CHN)
Head coach(es)	Lu Shenzhen
Assistant coach(es)	Liu Qun Lin
Former coach(es)	Yao Juying
Music	Don Quixote (2004), Dona Francisquita (2005–2007), Yellow River Concerto (2008)
Eponymous skills	Vault: Yurchenko ½ on into 1½ twists off (5.6)
Retired	June 14, 2012
Medal record Representing  China Women's artistic gymnastics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 2 World Championships 5 1 0 World Cup Final 3 0 1 Asian Games 3 0 0 East Asian Games 2 1 0 Summer Universiade 1 1 0 Total 15 3 3 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Team Bronze 2008 Beijing Vault Bronze 2008 Beijing Balance Beam World Championships Gold 2005 Melbourne Vault Gold 2006 Aarhus Team Gold 2006 Aarhus Vault Gold 2006 Aarhus Floor Exercise Gold 2007 Stuttgart Vault Silver 2007 Stuttgart Team World Cup Final Gold 2006 São Paulo Vault Gold 2008 Madrid Floor Exercise Gold 2008 Madrid Vault Bronze 2004 Birmingham Floor Exercise Asian Games Gold 2006 Doha Team Gold 2006 Doha Vault Gold 2006 Doha Floor Exercise East Asian Games Gold 2005 Macau Team Gold 2005 Macau Floor Exercise Silver 2005 Macau Vault Summer Universiade Gold 2009 Belgrade Team Silver 2009 Belgrade Vault

Cheng Fei (Chinese: 程菲; pinyin: Chéng Fēi; born May 29, 1988) is a Chinese retired artistic gymnast. She is famous for her powerful performances. Cheng Fei won three World Champion titles on the vault from 2005 to 2007. She was also the 2006 World Champion in floor exercise.

Cheng Fei was a key member of the Chinese gymnastics team. She helped her team win gold medals at the 2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Denmark. She also led them to a historic gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. In 2007, her team won a silver medal at the World Championships in Germany.

About Cheng Fei

Cheng Fei grew up in Hubei Province, China. Her family was not wealthy. Her father worked as a shipping clerk, and her mother worked in a tire factory. Her parents hoped that gymnastics could help her have a better life.

Cheng Fei started training in gymnastics when she was just three years old. Her father would practice exercises with her every morning. By age five, she won her first medal in a local competition. When she was seven, she joined the national sports program in Wuhan. Her first coach, Yao Juying, said Cheng was very hard-working and focused. At ten, she joined the Hubei provincial team. In late 2001, at 13, she joined the Chinese National Team. Her coaches were Lu Shanzhen and Liu Qun Lin.

Cheng Fei was known for her strong tumbling skills. She also had very expressive routines on the floor. Other gymnasts, like Sandra Izbașa, described her as a perfectionist and a good friend. Cheng Fei retired from gymnastics in June 2012. This was because she injured her Achilles tendon during a floor routine.

Cheng Fei's Gymnastics Career

Cheng Fei was especially good at vault and floor exercise. In China, she won the national floor exercise championship twice (2004–2005). She also won medals on vault and was the national balance beam champion in 2004.

She also had great success in international competitions. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, she performed very well. She scored high on vault and floor. She even reached the floor exercise final, finishing in 4th place. She also won a bronze medal at the 2004 World Cup Final for floor exercise.

The "Cheng" Vault

On November 23, 2005, Cheng Fei made history at the 2005 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Australia. She was the first female gymnast to successfully perform a very difficult vault. This vault is now officially called "The Cheng" in the FIG Code of Points. It involves a round-off onto the springboard, a half-turn onto the vault, and then a 1½ somersault with a 540-degree turn. It is one of the hardest vaults in gymnastics.

World and Olympic Success

At the 2006 World Championships in Denmark, Cheng Fei helped China win the team championship. She also won individual gold medals for vault and floor exercise. She continued her winning streak by taking gold on vault at the 2006 World Cup Final in Brazil.

In 2007, Cheng Fei won several World Cup events. She was undefeated on vault and floor exercise for most of the year. At the 2007 World Championships in Germany, she won her third World title on vault. She was seen as a leader for the Chinese women's team.

Cheng Fei achieved her dream of competing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. She was the captain of the Chinese team. In the team final, she helped China win its first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's gymnastics. Individually, she won a bronze medal on vault. She also won another bronze medal on balance beam. She finished 7th in the floor exercise final. After the Olympics, she felt sad about not winning more gold medals. However, she received a lot of support from fans and other gymnasts. She was recognized as an amazing gymnast.

After the Olympics, she continued to compete. She won three gold medals at the DTG World Cup in Germany. She also won two gold medals at the 14th Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Spain. In 2009, she won a team gold medal and a silver medal on vault at the Universiade in Belgrade.

After a break due to a leg injury, Cheng Fei returned to compete in 2011. She won a gold medal on vault at the Zibo World Cup in China in April 2012.

Retirement

In June 2012, Cheng Fei injured her Achilles tendon. This injury prevented her from competing in the 2012 Chinese Olympic Team trials. She then announced her retirement from elite gymnastics. She decided to become a gymnastics coach.

Cheng Fei's Gymnastics Skills

Cheng Fei had a special skill named after her in the gymnastics rulebook.

Eponymous Skill

Competitive Routines (2008)

Here are some of the skills Cheng Fei performed in her routines around 2008:

Floor Music

Cheng Fei used different music for her floor routines over the years:

• 2003: Lord of the Dance from Riverdance
• 2004: Variations from Don Quixote
• 2005–2007: Mas Zarzuela
• 2008: Yellow River Concerto