Gymnasts that really move you

Once in a while a gymnast comes along that really catches your attention and imagination. This gymnast might not always come out on top in every competition but of course sometimes does. The first one to catch mine and my teammates attention was the Chinese legend Li Ning. One of the teammates had access to a VCR and we would watch his genius over and over again. Sure other gymnasts did similar tricks scored better but Li Ning was the gymnast we wanted to be, We would copy his moves and memorize his routines and argue why the Chinese were so superior to the Soviets.
Of course Li lost the 1983 world crown and the showdown that would have been never took place in LA because of politics.
Li then blew his chance at the gold on one of his easier moves but still we didn´t abandon him. In our minds he was the greatest the best gymnast we had ever seen. Light on his feet, made everything look easy and even the fact that he blew his competition did not break his spirit.

Li never really got the hardware or titles he could have with his immense talent but his legacy lives with us who grew up in the early 1980´s. Now people might argue that Mr Kohei is the greatest gymnasts ever but maybe because I was young when Li was at his best or the fact that he made me want to be a great gymnast (which I didn´t become) in my mind Li Ning is one of the greatest gymnast ever to grace the podiums of gymnastics competitions.