Computer science, web design. (fig-gymnastics.com, 09 Sep 2018)

Athlete

English, Mandarin

North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics [Deerfield, IL, USA]

Natalia Klimouk [club], BLR; Angelina Yovcheva [personal], USA (fig-gymnastics.com, 09 Sep 2018)

She has been involved in ballet since childhood, and divides her time between rhythmic gymnastics and ballet. 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. (nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016; chicagotribune.com, 05 Dec 2015)

2015 for United States, Grand Prix in Moscow, Russia (nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016)

She began rhythm gymnastics at age seven under Natalia Klimouk at the North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics club in Deerfield, IL, United States of America. (teamusa.org, 24 Jun 2015; chicagotribune.com, 25 Sep 2015)

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." (nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016; suntimeshighschoolsports.com, 06 Aug 2014; chicagotribune.com, 05 Dec 2015)

To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (fig-gymnastics.com, 09 Sep 2018)

She trains every day after school for five hours. Every two or three months she visits Moscow, Russian Federation, to train with Russian head coach Irina Viner. (puntoritmica.wordpress.com, 08 Apr 2017)

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

Her father. (nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016)

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, before competing. (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)

General
HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENTS
At the 2017 World Championships in Pesaro, Italy, she became the first US rhythmic gymnast to compete in three world event finals at the same championships. She competed in the ball, clubs and ribbon events. She also became the first US rhythmic gymnast to win a medal at a World Cup event, following her bronze medals in the hoop and ribbon at the 2016 event in Minsk, Belarus. 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. She was also the first US rhythmic gymnast to win an individual medal at the Youth Olympic Games, when she won bronze in the all-around competition at the 2014 Games in Nanjing, People's Republic of China. (teamusa.org, 01 Sep 2017; SportsDeskOnline, 29 Aug 2018; patch.com, 24 Aug 2016; northshorerythmics.com, 09 Nov 2015; nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016; news.xinhuanet.com, 21 Jul 2015; chicagotribune.com, 05 Dec 2015)

BALLET, CHINESE DANCING
She credits part of her style to her Chinese folk dancing background, and is also influenced by her involvement in ballet. "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." Her sister, Yecca Zeng, works as a fashion designer for American Eagle Outfitters, and has designed leotards for her to wear at competitions. (nbcolympics.com, 23 Mar 2016; dailyherald.com, 09 Nov 2015; teamusa.org, 24 Jun 2015; dailyherald.com, 11 Sep 2015)

FAMILY
She was born in the United States of America to Chinese parents who came 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)

Last update : 2018-09-13