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China's top male gymnasts are a week into a month-long "closed door" training session in Tianjin, as the 11th National Games and the 2009 World Championships draw near.  2008 Olympic still rings champion Chen Yibing (China) A year after its men captured seven of eight possible golds at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Chinese team is back at work preparing for the big events of 2009. The top contenders for the 2009 World Championships, to be held Oct. 13-18 in London, are training in Ji County in northern Tianjin. The coaches elected to move the gymnasts from the national training center in Beijing in order to focus better as the competitions approach, said Zhang Peiwen, team manager and doctor. "The National Games and the world championships are this year's most important competitions, particularly the National Games," Zhang said. "Because the Ji County facility is far away from the bustling streets, it's easier for the gymnasts to focus their energy and not be distracted by external interference. So we decided before the National Games start to go to Ji County again for a month-long training camp." World and Olympic all-around champion Yang Wei has retired, but Olympic teammates Chen Yibing, Huang Xu and Zou Kai are training in Tianjin with other top contenders. The group in Tianjin includes 80 gymnasts, coaches, officials and trainers, Zhang said. Gymnasts will depart Sept. 10 for the gymnastics portion of the 11th National Games, Sept. 14-21 in Jinan, Shandong. Held every four years, the National Games are close to the Olympic Games in prestige for Chinese athletes, representing their home provinces. The 2009 edition takes place Oct. 11-23, but the gymnastics events were moved up because of the world championships occurring at the same time. (China's top gymnasts skipped the 2001 World Gymnastics Championships because of the scheduling conflict with the National Games.) Following the training camp in Tianjin, 11 gymnasts will be shortlisted for the world championships squad. Each nation can enter up to six male and four female gymnasts in London, where no team competition will be held. "I really hope that we can make good use of this one short month of training and work hard at these two important competitions in the best condition," said Chen, who won the gold medal on still rings in Beijing. Chen marked the one-year anniversary of the opening of the Olympics by attending the Italian Super Cup soccer match Aug. 8 at Beijing's BIrd's Nest stadium. "The time has flown by," Chen said. "I hadn't been to the Bird's Nest for a long time — I only occasionally passed by. I remembered last year at this time and I still feel the inspiration." External Link: Chinese Gymnastics Association Will the Chinese men be as dominant in 2012 as they were in 2008? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below! Comments (0)
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