Student

English, Mandarin

2015

She took up rhythmic gymnastics at age seven under coach Natalia Klimouk at the North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics club in Deerfield, IL, United States of America.

As a child she swam and took classes in ballet and Chinese folk dance until a friend from her dance class introduced her to rhythmic gymnastics. "I was drawn to the performance aspect, as I was a dancer and I loved performing for the audience. And the musicality and being able to express myself while also being able to do equipment handling also really appealed to me."

Her 11th-place finish in the individual all-around event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is the joint-highest individual finish by a US rhythmic gymnast at the Games. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 19 Dec 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 29 Aug 2018)

She became the first US rhythmic gymnast to win a medal at a World Cup event after she claimed bronze medals in the hoop and ribbon at the 2016 event in Minsk, Belarus. (teamusa.org, 22 May 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 29 Aug 2018)

Russian rhythmic gymnast Yana Kudryavtseva. (nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016)

Before competing she likes to eat dark chocolate and rub her two lucky charms, a souvenir given to her by her father and a hand-made key chain. (teamusa.org, 08 Jul 2018)

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." (dailyherald.com, 11 Sep 2015)

In 2017 she was named USA Gymnastics Athlete of the Year for rhythmic gymnastics. (usagym.org, 01 Jul 2017)

RETIREMENT
She announced her retirement from the sport in January 2022. "It's time to close a chapter. And at the end of the day, what I feel mostly is gratitude. I am thankful for the unique life I've lived doing this sport, and all the things I learned about myself along the way. I earned my opportunities, and I took responsibility for my struggles. A life of dedication narrows your focus but also limits your understanding of success. It demands as much, if not more, than it often affords. I am so excited to now freely explore the future outside of any boundary or definition. I don't consider myself done; rather, I am open to change, and ready to move forward." (Instagram profile, 23 Jan 2022)

SANCTION
She was banned for six months between October 2018 and April 2019 after testing positive for the banned substance acetazolamide. The United States Anti-Doping Agency [USADA] issued a six-month ban after she provided evidence that she had ingested the substance as part of altitude sickness medication prescribed to her by her parents. (usada.org, 19 Dec 2018; france24.com, 19 Dec 2018; olympics.nbcsports.com, 19 Dec 2018)

DANCE BACKGROUND
She has been involved in ballet since childhood. In 2013 and 2014 she earned scholarships to do intensive sessions with professional ballet companies including Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, WA, United States of America. She also credits part of her rhythmic gymnastics style to her Chinese folk dancing background. "Chinese dancing is definitely a huge part of my career and a strong basis for my style and foundation. It's something that I feel that's in me. Ballet is a great foundation for rhythmic and helps me improve my technique." (nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016; dailyherald.com, 09 Nov 2015; teamusa.org, 24 Jun 2015; dailyherald.com, 11 Sep 2015; chicagotribune.com, 05 Dec 2015)

FAMILY
She was born in the United States of America to Chinese parents, who moved to the country in the 1990s. She met her extended Chinese family while competing at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, People's Republic of China. "I am the first of my family to be born in America. My parents came here about 20 years ago. When I was six, I went back to China and met my relatives, but it had been a long time so it was very cool when they came and watched me [in Nanjing]." (nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016; dailyherald.com, 09 Nov 2015; dailyherald.com, 11 Sep 2015)