When was Wang Tiantian born? The answer depends on when you looked.
In 2003, China Sports Daily published a profile of the lesser-known gymnasts who would represent China at the World Championships that year. One of them was Wang Tiantian, a Tianjin gymnast described as a “quiet hard worker” returning from a knee injury. Her birth year, given in the profile, was 1988, which would have made her fifteen years old in Anaheim.
Her official biography gives a different answer: born in 1986. Under that date, she was fifteen at the 2001 National Games, where she won silver on floor, and seventeen at the 2003 Worlds. By the time of the Athens Olympics, Chinese journalists had started using 1986 as her birth year, reporting her as eighteen in their articles.
Below, you can find two newspaper articles: one from 2003 and another from 2004. Together, they show how Wang Tiantian aged three years in less than a year.
Competition Birth Years vs. Birth Years in the China Sports Daily (Below)
| Gymnast | Competition Birth Year | Article Birth Year |
| Li Ya | 1988 | 1988 |
| Fan Ye | 1986 | 1988 |
| Zhang Yufei | 1988 | 1988 |
| Lin Li | 1986 | 1986 |
| Gu Zheng | 1987 | |
| Wang Tiantian | 1986 | 1988 |
Zhang Yufei’s birthdate appears as 1989-7-25 (July 25, 1989) in the 2005 National Gymnastics Athletes Registration Submission Form.
Gu Zheng does not appear in the FIG’s biographies. That’s why her official birth year for competition is not listed.
2003
“Young but Sharp” Li Ya, “Light as a Swallow” Lin Li
Portraits of China’s Young Gymnasts
* * *
The 2003 World Gymnastics Championships are to be held in mid-August in the United States. A group of largely unknown young girls from the Chinese women’s gymnastics team will step onto the stage of a major world competition for the first time.
In recent days, the training gym has been buzzing with activity. Journalists and photographers have descended to observe the athletes’ preparations ahead of the World Championships. Surprisingly, the spotlight has fallen not on the star-studded defending-champion men’s team, but on this cohort of “young girls” from the women’s squad.
After the Busan Asian Games last year, the Chinese women’s team underwent a sweeping overhaul. Many familiar faces are gone. In this year’s Worlds roster, aside from Zhang Nan and Kang Xin, every member is a new and largely unknown face.
* * *
“Young but Sharp” Li Ya
Every journalist who has visited the training hall comes away impressed by Li Ya — not just because of her bright, expressive eyes, nor only because of her graceful lines on uneven bars and balance beam, but because of her unnervingly shrewd, know-it-all quality that makes her at once exasperating and endearing.
Whenever her teammates perform tumbling elements, Li Ya often appoints herself a “guest coach” from the sidelines:
“Watch the rhythm!”
“Good!”
“Don’t rush!”
Such a small figure, such a soft voice — and an expression of complete seriousness wildly at odds with her age.
“I get along well with everyone — that’s why I’m like this,” Li Ya says with a sweet smile.
In training, Li Ya is also known for being argumentative. After routines, coaches typically point out errors. Most athletes nod in agreement, but Li Ya might mutter, “I wasn’t ready,” or produce some other excuse — then flash a grin at the coach and return to working on her skills.
She began gymnastics at age three at a municipal sports school, entered the Shanghai Sports Institute in 1995, joined the Anhui provincial team in 1999, and the national training squad in 2002. Now fifteen, her path has not been smooth. Coaches agree she has strong comprehension, excellent physical condition, and good flexibility — but also a long list of technical faults.
Li Ya herself admits it:
“My early training wasn’t systematic. I had too many coaches, and each one taught differently.”
Since joining the national team, she has trained more seriously and improved quickly, correcting many of her errors. Her greatest asset is her mental toughness, demonstrated across several successful internal trials.
All four events have improved, especially balance beam. Her uneven bars and beam both carry a 10.0 start value. She will also compete on vault during the team competition, even though, due to a foot injury, her vault is currently out of a 9.6. After Worlds, she plans to add a new vault out of a 10.0.
“I’ve trained for a long time, so I feel confident,” she says. “I hope to win a title, but since it’s my first World Championships, that’s a tall order — let’s aim for the top three.”
Birth year: 1988
Province: Anhui
Strengths: Uneven bars, balance beam
Most grateful to: Coaches He Hua and Liu Qunlin
Major result: 2002 National Championships — beam champion
* * *
“The Pretty One” Fan Ye
Among the many new faces, the one everyone unanimously agrees is the beauty is Fan Ye. Journalists arriving to put names to faces can often be heard murmuring: “Oh — the pretty one, that’s Fan Ye.” She responds with a slight smile, while cameras eagerly capture her youthful face.
With her long limbs, elegant figure, fair skin, and delicate features, Fan Ye looks almost like a porcelain doll.
When a French coach came to work with the team on dance, he noticed her immediately. Her movements were so naturally beautiful that he decided on the spot to choreograph a floor routine for her — free of charge.
Fan Ye’s movements are extended and rhythmic. Her foundation was initially thin, but her strengths — clean execution and elegance — were apparent from the start. After a period of intensive training, the raw gem has begun to show its lustre.
In 2001, injuries kept her out of competition entirely. She began to emerge at the following year’s National Championships. Since winter training, she has made significant strides.
Her weakness is a lack of competition experience and psychological maturity. At a World Cup series event earlier this year, inexperience led to several mistakes; she finished sixth on uneven bars and seventh on beam.
With each outing, she is gradually maturing, and recent internal trials have shown promising results.
Birth year: 1988
Province: Hebei
Strengths: Uneven bars, floor exercise
Coaches: Liu Guicheng, He Hua
Major results: 2002 Nationals — floor 7th, bars 4th
* * *
“Proved Them Wrong” Zhang Yufei
Now an indispensable all-arounder alongside Zhang Nan and Kang Xin, Zhang Yufei was once a nobody with a three-month provisional label stitched to her file.
While her teammates Zhang Nan and Kang Xin were winning medals at the National Games, the Guangdong team’s Zhang Yufei was still flipping scoreboard cards on the sideline.
Her build — long torso, soft limbs — was not considered ideal. Standing still, few coaches would have chosen her. At the 2002 National Championships, she competed twice and made mistakes both times, leaning on her teammates to salvage a team title.
In February 2002, during Olympic preparations, she came to Beijing, and not a single coach selected her. Only after repeated appeals from the Guangdong sports authority was she allowed to stay on a three-month trial basis under coach Wang Qunce.
By chance, Wang noticed her excellent handstand position. Though her tumbling was weak, the strength in her legs suggested potential on bars and beam.
Her defining trait, according to Wang, is speed — she learns quickly, but forgets quickly:
“After one explanation, others still can’t do it, but she already looks the part. Two days later, others can do it — but she’s forgotten how.”
Now, she has secured her place with balanced development across all four events. Bars and beam start from 10.0; vault and floor from 9.8. Her composed mentality has made her a reliable competition performer, though her Worlds performance remains to be seen.
Birth year: 1988
Province: Guangdong
Strengths: All-around
Coach: Wang Qunce
Major result: 2002 National Championships — team champion
* * *
“Light as a Swallow” Lin Li
Compared to the others, Lin Li — the same age as Kang Xin and Zhang Nan — joined the national team in 2001 and is something of a veteran by comparison.
Her specialty is uneven bars. She is light, swings effortlessly, and shows great amplitude, with a 10.0 start value. In a recent inter-squad match between the men’s and women’s teams, her bars routine was unmatched, and a stuck dismount helped the women’s squad barely tie the men’s. Among the wealth of bars specialists on the Chinese women’s team, Lin Li’s performances stand out.
She began gymnastics at age six and entered the provincial team in 1995. She first joined the national squad in 1999 as part of preparations for the Sydney Olympics, then returned for a second stint in 2001.
Due to foot injuries, she has suspended vault training — a discipline she stopped practicing in the first half of 2001 — and rarely performs floor, which has prevented her from becoming an all-arounder.
“Training has been going really well lately, and I’m very confident! But Worlds isn’t my main goal — what I’m aiming for is a strong result on uneven bars at the Olympics.”
Birth year: 1986
Province: Guizhou
Strength: Uneven bars
Coaches: Lu Shanzhen, Wang Junshou
Major result: 2002 Li Ning Cup — floor 5th
[Note: With a 1986 birth year, she would have been ineligible for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, despite having joined the national team in preparation for the Games.]
* * *
“Striking a Strong Note” Gu Zheng
Despite her classical name, Gu Zheng is not delicate. Thin and dark-complexioned, her small arms and legs are strung with hard, wiry muscle. Coach Wang Qunce often teases her:
“Gu Zheng — did you take too much calcium as a kid? You’ve got too many bones!”
She has strong power and explosiveness, though slightly lacking flexibility. Her strengths — vault and floor — help fill a traditional gap for the Chinese women’s team.
She started gymnastics at five, joined the Yunnan provincial team at six and a half, briefly entered the national squad in 2001, left due to injury, and returned in February 2002, this time with significant improvement.
She is not a natural talent, but she trains with ferocious determination. She can get nervous in competition, but there is a hard edge to her — decisive and reliable under pressure when it counts.
Her biggest obstacle at present is injuries: both elbows are troubled, and she has a fractured heel. Whether she can compete at Worlds depends on her recovery.
Gu Zheng thinks a little differently from everyone else. When someone tells a joke or makes a wisecrack, her reaction is never quite what anyone expects, and her reply is often funnier than the joke itself. Ask her, “Why don’t you smile much?” and while everyone else would laugh it off and move on, Gu Zheng will think about it seriously and then explain, at some length, the actual reasons she doesn’t smile more.
Birth year: 1987
Province: Yunnan
Strengths: Vault, floor
Coach: Wang Qunce
Major result: 2000 National Championships — floor champion
* * *
“Quiet Hard Worker” Wang Tiantian
Recovering from knee injuries, Wang Tiantian has been rebuilding strength and skills. She can now perform vault and floor again and trains relentlessly to make up for lost time.
She began gymnastics at six, joined the Tianjin team at nine, and entered the national squad in February 2002. Her strengths are explosiveness, her all-round ability, and balanced development across all four events.
Her physical gifts are not exceptional, but she compensates with effort and tenacity. Her current coach, Liu Guicheng, told this reporter:
“This girl from Tianjin has a fierce streak — she works hard in training, she really puts herself through it.”
Liu added:
“Tiantian is a fighter. Her execution doesn’t fall apart in competition, she has good mental strength, a feel for competing — she’s the type who can deliver on the day.”
She first attracted notice at thirteen at the National Games [in 2001], and has since produced solid results at the Li Ning Cup and National Championships. Injuries may limit how close she gets to her best level at Worlds, but whatever happens, her quiet, relentless work in the gym will pay off.
Birth year: 1988
Province: Tianjin
Strengths: All-around
Coaches: Liu Guicheng, He Hua
Major results: National youth championships — vault 2nd; 2001 National Games — floor silver; 2002 National Championships — floor champion, vault champion
By Wang Xiangna, China Sports Daily, Republished on the Sina Sports Portal, Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20150614043624/https://sports.sina.com.cn/s/2003-09-09/015246506s.shtml
2004
Tiantian’s Dream — A Sweet Dream: Athens Today, Wings for Beijing 2008
Wang Tiantian, who is eighteen years old this year, has traveled a gymnastics road full of hardship.
A lively child from the start, she was sent by her parents at age five to the Hexi District Cultural Palace to study dance. Then, by chance, she told her parents what she really wanted:
“I like doing flips — Mom, I want to do gymnastics.”
Seeing the innocence and determination in her daughter’s eyes, Tian Chunhua decided to raise it with her husband. Thinking back to that moment thirteen years ago, she recalled: “We originally chose dance so she would have an artistic skill. When we talked it over, we knew gymnastics would be very hard on her. But after careful thought, we decided to let her try. We wanted her to grow stronger through the experience.”
And so, at age six, Wang Tiantian arrived at the Tianjin Sports School accompanied by her parents and officially began her demanding gymnastics journey. Starting at six is considered relatively late, but the young Tiantian relied on sheer tenacity and a refusal to give up to earn the approval of her first coaches. Her father had to get her on his bicycle at six in the morning so she could begin warm-up preparations at 6:30, and he would return to collect her again at five in the afternoon. Tian Chunhua remembered those early days: “I recall she was looked after at first by an elderly couple surnamed Zheng. Watching how hard she had to work, we even thought about pulling her out. But this child seemed born for gymnastics. No matter how hard or exhausting it was, she never once complained. She just threw herself into training.”
After more than three years of foundational work, Wang Tiantian began to show her potential and was selected for the Tianjin gymnastics team to begin formal training.
“Wang Tiantian is a quiet child who doesn’t say much, but she has a real toughness to her and thinks things through carefully,” Tian Chunhua says, and the pride in her voice is unmistakable.
Once in the professional setup, her technical level improved rapidly. In 2001, at the National Games — her first senior national competition — she won silver on floor exercise. The following year, she entered the national team officially. With strong leg power, she built particular depth on vault and floor, winning both events at the 2002 National Championships. Under the high-level training of the national program, her talent was fully developed, and her other events improved steadily. In 2003, she won vault gold at the Asian Championships and took the all-around silver at the National Championships. In 2004, now a complete gymnast, she claimed the all-around title at the National Championships and added silvers on floor, vault, and uneven bars.
Watching her daughter’s achievements accumulate, Tian Chunhua reflected: “Everything she has accomplished has come step by step, through her own hard work.”
Source: North Net (北方网), August 22, 2004. Editor: Liu Chi. Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20050312001750/http://sports.enorth.com.cn/system/2004/08/22/000848785.shtml
Note
A 2006 journal article suggests that Wang Tiantian, like Fan Ye, could be even younger:
However, at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, a group of fifteen-year-old girls—represented by Fan Ye, Li Ya, Zhang Yufei, Wang Tiantian, and others—left a deep impression on spectators not because of outstanding technique, but because they fell from the apparatus one after another “like dumplings.” The oldest among them was team captain Zhang Nan, who was only sixteen at the time. The younger team members were around thirteen years old.
More on Age
The Original Chinese Texts
2003
人小鬼大李娅 轻盈飞燕林莉–体操小丫众生相
中体在线-中国体育报
王向娜
2003年世界体操锦标赛，将于8月中旬在美国举行。中国女子体操队的一群名不见经传的小姑娘将登上世界大赛的舞台
这些天，体操训练馆里人声鼎沸，许多文字记者、摄影记者前来观看队员们训练，为世锦赛做前期准备。令人惊讶的是，云集明星的卫冕冠军男子体操队的风头却比不上女子体操队的一群“小丫”。
去年釜山亚运会后，中国女子体操队经历了一场“大换血”，许多面熟的队员都难觅身影，今年世锦赛大名单中，除张楠、康欣外，全是一群名不见经传的新面孔。
“人小鬼大”李娅
每个去过训练场的记者都会对李娅印象颇深，不仅仅是因为她那双忽闪的大眼睛，也不仅仅是她在高低杠、平衡木上优美的身姿，倒是她一副“小人精”的模样惹人怜爱。
每当队友在高低杠、平衡木上做翻腾动作的时候，小李娅总在旁边客串“教练”：“注意节奏！”“好！”“别急！”小小的模样，轻柔的语调，脸上的严肃认真与年龄极不相称。
“我和大家关系都很好啊，所以会这样。”李娅甜甜地笑着。
训练场上的李娅是个爱争辩的小队员。每个队员做完动作后，主管教练通常会提出缺点，别的队员听后只会点头，可是小李娅就会嘟囔一句“没准备好”或是什么别的借口，然后冲教练一笑，继续琢磨动作去了。
3岁进市体校开始练习体操，1995年进入上海体院，1999年进入安徽省队，2002年进国家集训队。今年刚刚15岁的小李娅，体操生涯走得并非一帆风顺，虽然她的接受能力强、身体素质好、柔韧性好，这是所有带过她的教练的共识，但她的缺点：动作毛病多。
李娅自己也承认：“以前练得不系统。教练太多了，训练方法不同，教的方法也不一样。”来到国家队后，李娅训练更认真了，进步很快，许多毛病动作都一一改正。尤为突出的是她心理素质过硬，几次测试的成绩都很不错。
目前，李娅的各个项目都改进不少，尤其是平衡木，规格质量都在提高。强项高低杠和平衡木起评分都是10分，团体比赛中她还会参加跳马比赛。由于脚伤，李娅的跳马起评分是9.6分，世锦赛回来后她会学习新的一套起评分为10分的动作。
对于世锦赛，李娅充满信心：“集训这么长时间了，我挺有信心的。希望自己能拿个冠军回来，但由于是第一次参加世界比赛，挺难的，争取前三名吧。”
出生年份：1988年代表省队：安徽
特长：高低杠、平衡木
最感激的教练：何花刘群琳
主要成绩：2002年全国冠军赛平衡木冠军
“小美女”范晔
众多新面孔中，大家一致公认的小美女就是范晔，经常听见前来认人的记者嘴里念叨：“哦！漂亮的这个是范晔”。听到这话，范晔总是微微一笑，而摄像机、照相机则不会放过她清纯的笑脸。
体形好、身材修长、白净漂亮，这些词组合出了一个粉装玉砌的小范晔。
法国教练来中国队教授舞蹈课程，一眼就发现这个漂亮的小姑娘，她作出的动作怎么看怎么漂亮，于是临时决定，免费为范晔编排一套自由体操动作。
范晔动作舒展，富有韵律美。本来她的底子薄，但优点就是动作漂亮、规范，经过前段时间的刻苦训练，更加显出璞玉的光彩。
前年一年的时间，范晔都受伤病的困扰没能参加任何比赛，去年的全国冠军赛，她终于崭露头角。冬训以来，范晔的进步非常大。
不过，范晔的劣势是以前比赛参加的少，心理不够成熟，在今年年初的世界杯分站赛上，她就由于比赛经验不足，出现了不少失误，最后取得了高低杠的第6名和平衡木的第7名。
经过一步步锻炼，范晔正逐步走向成熟，从前几次的队内测验看，范晔的成绩还不错。
出生年份：1988年
代表省队：河北
强项：高低杠、自由操
现任教练：刘桂成何花
主要成绩：2002在全国体操冠军赛上获得自由操第7，高低杠第4。
“终得正果”张育菲
和张楠、康欣同样成为全能型选手，入选世锦赛大名单，张育菲已经成为女子队员中不可缺少的一位全能型选手。可是有谁能想到，去年进国家集训队的张育菲却是个被注明了“试训三个月”的不被看好的小队员。
当队友张楠、康欣在九运会赛场争金夺银的时候，广东队的张育菲还只是个翻计分牌的小姑娘。
腰长、松软，体形不是很好，单单站在那里，没有一个教练会挑选张育菲。她曾代表广东省参加过2002年的全国锦标赛，出战两场，两场失误，靠其他队友的良好发挥拣了团体冠军，张育菲的条件真的不是很好。
2002年2月，体操队为2004年奥运会集训，张育菲来到了北京，竟然没有一个教练选中她。广东体育局的领导再三要求：把她留下来试试，体操队才勉强收下，并注明了“试训三个月”字样，由王群策教练负责。
偶然间，王导发现张育菲倒立位置很好看，跟头的实力虽然不行，但腿部力量很强，可以在高低杠、平衡木上有些突破。
王群策教练评价说，张育菲最大的特点是“快”：领悟力强，接受新动作快，但忘记得也快：“一个动作讲解完，别人还不会呢，她已经做得有模有样了，两天过去，别人会了，她倒忘记得‘有模有样’了。”
现在，张育菲入选集训大名单，并以四项均衡发展牢牢站稳位置，高低杠、平衡木起评分都是10分，跳马和自由操都是9.8分，良好的心理素质，使她逐步成为一名发挥型选手，但世锦赛发挥如何，还不得而知。
出生年份：1988年
代表省队：广东
强项：高低杠、平衡木、跳马、自由操
现任教练：王群策
主要成绩：2002全国冠军赛团体冠军
“轻盈飞燕”林莉
和其他“小丫”相比，林莉和康欣、张楠同岁，并于2001年进入国家队，应该算是一名“老”队员了。
林莉的强项是高低杠，她人轻，做起动作不费劲，运动幅度也大，起评分10分，在前些天举行的男女体操队对抗赛中，林莉的高低杠动作无人能及，下法也牢牢钉在地上，就是凭借林莉的下法，女队才勉强和男队打了个平手。在高低杠强手如云的中国女队，林莉的表现非常突出。
6岁开始练习体操，1995年进入省队，为备战悉尼奥运会，林莉曾在1999年来过国家队，2001年是她二进国家集训队。
由于脚伤，目前林莉的跟头还没有恢复，从2001年上半年就放弃了练习跳马项目，自由操也很少练习，无法跻身全能选手行列。
对于即将开始的世锦赛，林莉也有自己的目标：“前些日子练得一直挺好的，我很有信心！但是这对我来说不是最主要的，我的目标是在奥运会上夺取高低杠的好成绩。”
出生年份：1986年
代表省队：贵州
强项：高低杠
现任教练：陆善真、王俊寿
主要成绩：2002年“李宁杯”精英赛自由操第5
“弹奏强音”古筝
名字很古典的古筝却不是个古典柔弱的小女孩，黑黑瘦瘦的她，小胳膊小腿上绷着硬硬的小骨头。教练王群策经常和她开玩笑说：“古筝啊！你小时候是不是补钙补多了，骨头长得太多了。”
骨头硬，体质不错，力量爆发性都好，但柔韧性就稍欠了点，古筝的强项是跳马和自由操，补上了中国女队的弱项。
5岁开始练习体操，6岁半赶上云南队在全国范围内选人，古筝就进了云南队，2001年进入过国家队，但很快就因为伤病原因返回，2002年2月二进国家队后，古筝有了很大进步。
体操天赋不是很好，但训练起来顽强。心理素质不够好，古筝在赛场上容易紧张，但她有一股“狠”劲，做起动作来绝不含糊，关键时刻很“提气”。
两个肘关节一直有伤，脚跟骨折，这是古筝目前面临的最大问题，世锦赛能不能出征，还得看古筝进一步的恢复情况了。
古筝和大家有点不一样，她有点逆向思维，听一个笑话、开一句玩笑，古筝和大家的反映总是不同，往往她说的话，比笑话更加可笑。当别人听到“你为什么不爱笑啊？”这个问题时，都会笑笑就过去了，而古筝则会很认真地思考，然后回答你她不爱笑的原因。
出生年份：1987年
代表省队：云南
强项：跳马、自由操
现任教练：王群策
主要成绩：2000年全国冠军赛自由操冠军
“闷头苦练”王湉湉 膝关节有点伤，王湉湉前段一直在休养，目前正在逐步恢复腿部力量和技术动作，基本可以完成跳马、自由操项目，现在的王湉湉，天天在训练场上顽强拼搏、“闷头苦练”，希望补上前段时期的损失。
6岁开始接触体操，9岁进天津体操队，2002年2月进入国家集训队。王湉湉的特点是爆发力好、能力强，训练作风顽强，四项发展平衡。
和其他体操选手相比，王湉湉的身体条件并不很出色，也许正是因为如此，她更加明白勤能补拙的道理。现任教练刘桂成告诉记者，这个天津小丫有一股狠劲儿，在训练中肯吃苦、能吃苦。
刘指导说，湉湉会拼，比赛时动作不乱，心理素质良好，有比赛感觉，属于能发挥的选手。
13岁在九运会上小荷初露，去年在李宁杯体操挑战赛和全国冠军赛上也都有不俗的战绩，这个其貌不扬的天津小姑娘一直默默地走着自己的体操之路。入选世锦赛大名单后，她苦于受腰伤、腿伤的影响，可能不会恢复到去年那么高的水平，但不论如何，她在训练场上默默地耕耘一定会有收获的。
出生年份：1988年
代表省队：天津
强项：跳马、自由操、高低杠、平衡木
现任教练：刘桂成 何花
主要成绩：全国少儿比赛跳马第二名 2001全运会自由操亚军 2002全国体操冠军赛自由操冠军、跳马冠军
2004
湉湉的梦甜甜的梦 今朝雅典丰羽翼 08北京再捧金
今年18岁的王湉湉的体操之路充满着艰辛。从小好动的王湉湉在5岁的时候，被父母送到河西区文化宫练习舞蹈。在一次偶然的机会向父母表达自己要练体操的愿望：“我喜欢翻跟头，妈妈，我想练体操。”看着女儿天真和坚定的眼神，王湉湉的母亲田春华决定把女儿这个想法告诉丈夫，“最早让她练舞蹈是让女儿有一项文艺特长，与丈夫商量之时，我们也考虑到练体操很苦，但是经过深思熟虑之后，我们决定让女儿练体操，希望女儿能从中得到磨炼。”田春华边回忆13年前的一幕边说。就这样，6岁的王湉湉在父母的陪伴下来到天津市体校，正式开始自己艰辛的体操之路。6岁开始接触体操应该是很晚的年龄段，但是小王湉湉硬是凭借一股韧劲儿和不服输的精神得到了启蒙教练的肯定。“当时，我记得是姓郑的一对老夫妇带她，刚开始看着女儿练得很辛苦，想让女儿别练了，但是这孩子可能天生就是练体操的料，多苦多累她都没有抱怨过，而是一心投入到训练中。”早上6：30就要做训练前的准备活动，6点钟，王湉湉的父亲就要骑车带着女儿赶赴市体校，下午5点钟还要接女儿回家。经过三年多的体操基础训练，小荷才露尖尖角的王湉湉入选天津体操队，开始正规训练。
“王湉湉是一名内向的孩子，平时不爱说话，但是做起事来有一股韧劲，很有心数。”每当谈起自己的女儿，田春华都会从内心中感到无比的骄傲。在专业队的训练，15岁的王湉湉技术水平突飞猛进，自己的体操事业也开始步步攀升。2001年，首次参加全国比赛的王湉湉夺得九运会女子自由体操亚军，转年正式进入国家队。由于腿部力量强，王湉湉在跳马和自由操两项上拥有雄厚的实力。在2002年全国体操冠军赛上一举夺得自由体操和跳马两项冠军。在国家队的高质量训练下，王湉湉的体操天分得到充分挖掘，其他项目的水平也稳步提升。2003年，王湉湉夺得亚锦赛跳马冠军，并在同年的全国锦标赛上获得全能亚军。2004年，技术全面的王湉湉在全国锦标赛上夺得全能冠军，并连得自由操、跳马和高低杠三项亚军。看到女儿有今天的成绩，田春华感叹道：“孩子能有今天的成绩，都是靠自己一步一个脚印走出来的。”