Name: Cheng Fei
Sport: Gymnastics
Date of Birth: May 29, 1988
Home: Hubei Province
Height: 1.41 meters
Weight: 32 kg
Experience
1995: student in Hubei Huangshi Amateur Sport School
1997: student in Affiliated School of Competitive Sports of Wuhan Institute of P.E.
1999: member of Hubei Gymnastics Team
2001: member of National Gymnastics Team
Major achievements
2003 Japan Junior Gymnastics Competition: horse-vaulting champion
2003 Asian Gymnastics Championship: team title, horse-vaulting and free exercise champion
2004 National Gymnastics Championship: balance beam and free exercise champion
2005 World Gymnastics Championship: horse-vaulting champion
2006 World Gymnastics Championship: team title, horse-vaulting and free exercise champion
Cheng Fei is the first gymnast to ever land a laid out Khorkina: a round-off, half turn onto the vault, then a 540-degree twist in the laid out position.
She completed the move in the 38th World Gymnastics Championship in Melbourne. The International Gymnastics Federation named it "the Cheng."
In 2005, Cheng won her first gold medal in horse-vaulting for the national team.
In 2006 in Copenhagen, Cheng successfully defended her horse-vaulting championship. She also won the free exercise event and helped the Chinese team win the gold medal.
It is not easy to get inside the complicated mind of Cheng Fei. Even Liu Qunlin, her coach, said that she has known Cheng Fei for many years but "cannot fully understand what the girl thinks."
Instead of taking an interest in things other women her age enjoy, such as fashion, she spends most of her spare time reading classic books.
(China.org.cn June 16, 2008)