BEIJING, August 14) - Following his dominant performance today in the Men's All-Around, Yang Wei is now shaping up as one of China's greatest male gymnasts.
Yang has won three Olympic gold medals and one silver medal. He still has the opportunity to add three more medals to his collection, in the individual events for the Vault, Rings and Pommel Horse.
Yang's gold medal haul is equal to the three gold medals that Li Ning won at Los Angeles 1984. Li of course, is more famous for walking around the roof of the Bird's Nest than his sporting achievements, but he was a remarkable gymnast.
The fact that Li won all of his gold medals at the one Olympics is an indication of his greatness as a gymnast. In addition, Li won a silver medal and a bronze at Los Angeles 1984.
Yang, on the other hand, has spread his three gold medals across three Olympics. He won a Team gold medal at Sydney 2000 and finished empty-handed at Athens 2004.
Two of his gold medals have been from the Team event, signifying that Yang has been the beneficiary of China's surplus of talented gymnasts.
It cannot be forgotten though that the all-round gymnast is the heart of the Team event. Without Yang, China may have struggled to win its Team gold medals. In 1984, Li won a Team silver medal. The gold medal was won by the United States, the only time that it has won Team gold.
Like Li Ning, China's other great gymnast, Li Xiaoshuang did not win a Team gold medal. He won gold medals in the Floor Exercise at Barcelona 1992 and in the All-Around at Atlanta 1996.
The All-Around gold medal that Yang won today confirms him as China's greatest all-round gymnast. Li won a bronze medal in the All-Around at Los Angeles 1984.
Perhaps what Yang really needs is a gold medal in an individual apparatus event. He finished fourth in both the Floor Exercise and the Rings at Sydney 2000. His best chance for a gold medal will be the Rings, but he will need to overcome his teammate Chen Xibing.
Chen's Rings score of 16.650 in today's All-Around final was the highest of any gymnast, but Yang was not far behind, scoring 16.625. Yang's chances for a gold medal improved further when Chen slightly injured himself in the Horizontal Bar and was forced to pull out of the All-Around final.
Yang currently stands as China's greatest All-Around gymnast of all-time. If he can add an individual apparatus gold medal to his collection, then he will probably be spoken about in the same breath as Li Ning and Li Xiaoshuang.
