China have announced a provisional squad for the Olympic gymnastics competition following its national championships that concluded in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province over the weekend.
The Tokyo-bound squad is now composed of 12 men and 14 women. To ensure that the most competitive athletes are picked, another two trials will be held in June and July for both men's and women's teams, according to the Chinese gymnastics administration center.
"As long as you are competitive enough and willing to compete, the door of the national team will always be open to you," said center chief Miao Zhongyi.
Women's uneven bars winner Li Shijia at 2021 China National Gymnastics Championship in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, May 9, 2021. /CFP
Lu Yufei added a gold in the floor exercise and a silver on the beam to her individual all-round title, making her the biggest winner at the week-long championships, which have drawn some 300 athletes from 21 teams across the country.
"I missed the last Olympic Games because of injury, so I want to seize the opportunity this time around," said the 21-year-old veteran after Sunday's event.
The gold medal in the women's uneven bars was taken by Li Shijia, whose 15.033 points was enough to see her win her first national title in individual events. Tang Xijing took bronze with 14.466 points.
Wang Peng competes in horizontal bar at 2021 China National Gymnastics Championship in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, May 9, 2021. /CFP
In the men's parallel bars, Zou Jingyuan took gold with a routine with a difficulty of 6.900 points, exceeding that for the men's parallel bars gold medalist at the 2019 World Gymnastics Championships. You Hao and Lin Chaopan won silver and bronze respectively.
Defending champion Huang Mingqi won gold in the men's vault. Despite a poor landing, he still had the highest score of 14.550 points thanks to his routine's high degree of difficulty.
Xiang Xudong and Liu Yang finished second and third respectively.
In the men's horizontal bar final, defending champion Ji Lianshen tied with Lin Chaopan on 14.333 points, but Ji took first place because of his higher execution scoring. Su Wei rounded out the top three.
L-R: Team China gymnasts Liu Yang, Deng Shudi, Zou Jingyuan, Lin Chaopan, Sun Yi, and Xiao Ruoteng, May 10, 2021. /CFP
China gymnastics squad list:
Men (12): Xiao Ruoteng (Beijing), Sun Wei (Jiangsu), Lin Chaopan (Fujian), Deng Shudi (Guizhou), Zhang Boheng (Hunan), Zou Jingyuan (Sichuan), Liu Yang (Liaoning), You Hao (Jiangsu), Weng Hao (Jiangsu), Huang Mingqi (Guangxi), Lan Xingyu (Guangxi) and Yin Dexing (Jiangsu).
Women (14): Liu Tingting (Guangdong), Fan Yilin (Shanghai), Tang Xijing (Beijing), Li Shijia (Sichuan), Chen Yile (Guangdong), Qi Qi (Beijing), Zhang Jin (Shanghai), Lu Yufei (Henan), Ou Yushan (Guangdong), Luo Rei (Guangdong), Guan Chenchen (Zhejiang), Wei Xiaoyuan (Guangxi), He Licheng (Anhui) and Sun Xinyi (Guangdong).