Zhou Yaqin

Chinese artistic gymnast (born 2005)

  • Jiang Suchun
  • Wang Liming
Medal record
Representing  China
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Balance beam
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Antwerp Balance beam

Zhou Yaqin (Chinese: 周雅琴; pinyin: Zhōu Yǎqín; born 12 November 2005)[2] is a Chinese artistic gymnast. She is the 2024 Olympic and 2023 World balance beam silver medalist.

Career

Zhou began gymnastics in Hengyang when she was three years old.[3]

Junior

Zhou competed with the Hunan provincial team at the 2019 Chinese Championships where they finished sixth.[4] Then at the China National Youth Games, she finished 14th in the all-around.[5] She then finished 13th in the all-around at the 2019 Chinese Individual Championships.[6] She made her international debut at the 2019 Olympic Hopes Cup in Liberec, Czech Republic where the Chinese team won the gold medal. Individually, she finished seventh in the all-around and eighth in the floor exercise final.[7] At the 2020 Chinese Championships, Zhou finished 17th in the all-around.[8] Then at the Chinese Individual Championships, she won the gold medal on the balance beam with a score of 15.066.[9]

Senior

Zhou became age-eligible for senior international competitions in 2021. At the 2021 Chinese Championships, she finished 23rd in the all-around qualification round and sixth with the Hunan provincial team.[10] Then at the 2021 National Games of China, she won the gold medal on the balance beam with a score of 14.660.[11] She finished fourth on the balance beam at the 2022 Chinese Championships.[12]

At the 2023 Chinese Championships, Zhou won the gold medal on the floor exercise.[13] She made her senior international debut at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp. The Chinese team consisted of Ou Yushan, Qiu Qiyuan, Zhang Qingying, Huang Zhuofan, and alternate Wu Ran, and they placed fourth in the team final.[14] Individually, she qualified for the balance beam and floor exercise finals. In the balance beam final, she won the silver medal behind Simone Biles.[15] She finished only 0.100 behind Biles, which was the smallest margin of victory for Biles in a World final since 2014.[16] She then finished seventh in the floor exercise final.[17]

Zhou began the 2024 season at the Cottbus World Cup, winning gold medals on both the balance beam and floor exercise.[18] Then at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge, she won a gold medal with the Chinese team, and she finished fifth in the floor exercise final.[19] She was selected to represent China at the 2024 Summer Olympics alongside Luo Huan, Ou Yushan, Qiu Qiyuan and Zhang Yihan.[20] The team qualified for the final in third place, and Zhou qualified for the balance beam final in first place.[21] She fell off the balance beam twice in the team final, and the Chinese team finished sixth.[22] In the balance beam final, she grabbed the beam on a side jump and incurred a 0.500 deduction, but she still won the silver medal behind Italy's Alice D'Amato.[23][24]

Zhou went viral for her actions during the Olympics podium for the balance beam final. She reacted with shock as gold medal winner D'Amato and bronze medal winner Manila Esposito bit down on their medals, apparently unfamiliar with the tradition. She then mimicked their gestures, bringing her medal to her lips, without actually biting it.[25][26] The interaction spawned several memes, with many Twitter users commenting on her “Golden Retriever behavior” and “little sister” energy.[27]

Competitive history

Zhou competing balance beam at the 2019 Olympic Hopes Cup
Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2019 Chinese Championships 6 33
China National Youth Games 14
Chinese Individual Championships 13
Olympic Hopes Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 8
2020 Chinese Championships 7 17
Chinese Individual Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Senior
2021 Chinese Championships 6 23
National Games of China 7 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2022 Chinese Championships 8 4
2023 Chinese Championships 5 7 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7
2024 Cottbus World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
DTB Pokal Team Challenge 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5
Olympic Games 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s)

References

  1. ^ "衡阳妹子周雅琴平衡木摘银 省队教练：为她高兴，完全展示自己". hunan.voc.cn. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  2. ^ "52nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Antwerp (BEL), 30 September - 8 October 2023 Women Entry List by NOC" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 29 September 2023. p. 171. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Zhou Yaqin - FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  4. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (16 May 2019). "2019 Chinese Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  5. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (7 August 2019). "2019 Chinese National Youth Games Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  6. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (8 September 2019). "2019 Chinese Individual Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  7. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 December 2019). "2019 Olympic Hopes Cup Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  8. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (29 September 2020). "2020 Chinese Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (27 October 2020). "2020 Chinese Senior Individual Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  10. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (15 May 2021). "2021 Chinese Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  11. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (26 September 2021). "2021 Chinese National Games Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  12. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (10 September 2022). "2022 Chinese Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  13. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (29 May 2023). "2023 Chinese Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  14. ^ "52nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Antwerp (BEL), 30 September - 8 October 2023 Women's Team Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  15. ^ Petrequin, Samuel (8 October 2023). "Make it 23 titles: Unstoppable Biles wraps up world championships comeback with 2 more gold medals". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Calm amidst a storm of attention, Biles sails smoothly to two more World golds". International Gymnastics Federation. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  17. ^ "52nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Antwerp (BEL), 30 September - 8 October 2023 Women's Floor Exercise Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 8 October 2023. p. 4. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Champions in Cottbus! All the thrills from a World Cup weekend to remember". International Gymnastics Federation. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  19. ^ Crumlish, John (17 March 2024). "France, U.S. win five golds apiece at DTB Pokal". International Gymnast Magazine. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Gymnastics 101: Who's qualified for the Paris Olympics?". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Women's qualifications conclude at the Paris Olympics; Biles, USA remain on top, field set for finals". International Gymnast Magazine. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  22. ^ Lo, Hoi-ying (31 July 2024). "Olympic hero Li Xiaoshuang blasts China's gymnastics coaches over Paris failure". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  23. ^ Macur, Juliet (5 August 2024). "Simone Biles Falls Off Beam and Fails to Medal". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  24. ^ Liddy, Kaetlyn (5 August 2024). "America fails to medal in beam, Biles and Chiles still have chance on floor". NBC News. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  25. ^ Hebert, Olivia (7 August 2024). "Chinese gymnast reacts to competitors medal biting on Olympic podium". The Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  26. ^ Chen, Meredith (6 August 2024). "Little sister vibes: Chinese gymnast's adorable podium antics melt social media". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  27. ^ Portée, Alex (5 August 2024). "Chinese gymnast's reaction to competitors biting medals becomes meme: 'So relatable'". Today. Retrieved 7 August 2024.