Zhou Yaqin, an artistic gymnast from China, won the silver medal in the recent balance beam event in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which showed the height of dedication at such a young age.
The 18-year-old from the Hunan Province performed extraordinarily in the women’s gymnastic balance beam final on August 5, garnering massive attention from netizens who wondered about the gymnast’s height.
China’s Zhou Yaqin won the silver medal in the women’s #balancebeam event at the #ParisOlympics. This is China’s 17th silver medal in the Games. pic.twitter.com/PNmDc8S2CP
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) August 5, 2024
Female artistic gymnasts usually stand from about 4’9” (145 cm) to 5’4” (163 cm), with several landing somewhere between the range.
Further, Yaqin looked quite small, standing next to her Italian teammates, who were an average height of 5’2”(158cm).
Looking at her podium pictures, age, and build, Yaqin might be around 4 feet 10 inches (147 cm) tall. However, her exact height details haven’t been released to the public.
Zhou Yaqin began gymnastics when she was three, later joining the provincial team!
During her early teen years, Yaqin finished 14th in the all-around National Youth Games, which helped her debut in the 2019 Olympic Hopes Cup in the Czech Republic, where the Chinese team won the gold medal.
Moreover, in 2021, Yaqin became age-eligible for senior international competition, winning gold on the balance beam with a score of 14.660.
After her experience at several Chinese and World Championships, she qualified individually for the balance beam and floor exercise finals, winning a silver medal behind Simone Biles.
Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin reaction to the Italian gymnast podium celebrations pic.twitter.com/GAtHFdt1hs
— NO CONTEXT OLYMPICS (@OlympicsContext) August 7, 2024
Yaqin began the 2024 season at the Cottbus World Cup, winning gold medals on both the balance beam and floor exercise, which helped her get selected to represent China at the Paris Olympics.
However, her journey to the stage wasn’t easy. Her Chinese team finished sixth, and Yaqin received a 0.50 deduction in individual performance.
Regardless, the gymnast went viral for her actions during the podium. She reacted with shock when the gold and bronze winners bit down on their medals. Unfamiliar with the tradition, Yaqin tried to mimic their gesture, which led to several comments on social media.
Luckily, all the responses are positive, as one X user wrote, “Zhou Yaqin has to be the cutest Olympic medallist so far.”
Additional Information
- Zhou Yaqin trained under Jiang Suchun and Wang Liming for her international championship after becoming age-eligible.
- At the Chinese Individual Championships, Yaqin won the gold medal on the balance beam with a score of 15.066.
- The gymnast was at the 2023 World Championship in Antwerp, featuring a remarkable senior international debut.
