In 2006, the Chinese women’s team won the world title for the first time. The youngest member of that team was He Ning. According to her FIG records, she was born on November 13, 1990.
Yet at the time, Chinese online sources suggested she might have been even younger. For example, a biography published on the CCTV website listed her birthdate as December 18, 1991, which would have made her just 14 during the World Championships, turning 15 two months afterward. If true, He Ning would have been underage in Aarhus, Denmark.
Below are biographical materials for He Ning from the 2006 World Championships, as well as a profile published on her province’s official news portal following her all-around victory at the 2006 Asian Games.
The CCTV Profile
He Ning’s CCTV profile, dated October 14, 2006, lists her birthdate as December 18, 1991. CCTV (China Central Television), the country’s primary state-run broadcaster, operates under the Chinese government and serves as a central voice for official news and programming both domestically and internationally. In other words, this biography carried real weight—it was not simply a date on a fan blog.
CCTV.com was not the only website that listed her birthdate as December 18, 1991. The Huashang Daily did, as well.
An Article from Her Province’s Online Portal
In addition to the explicit biographical details found on Chinese websites, some newspaper articles likewise assumed a December 18, 1991, birthdate. For example, an article published on December 5, 2006—just thirteen days before her fifteenth birthday—appeared on Zhejiang Online, the official news portal of her home province.
A Swallow from He’s Nest Soars to the Clouds — Zhejiang’s Young He Ning Wins Women’s All-Around
December 5, 2006, Zhejiang Online
Our correspondent reports: In the early hours of Beijing time today, another triumphant report reached us from Doha courtesy of our province’s athletes. He Ning, a young girl from Ningbo who will not turn 15 for another 13 days, claimed the women’s artistic gymnastics individual all-around title with a score of 59.450, winning China’s 36th gold medal of the Games — and marking our province’s first individual all-around gymnastics title at a continental or higher-level competition.
In this women’s all-around competition, the Chinese team gave its opportunity to two young athletes, Zhou Zhuoru and He Ning. The first event was vault: Zhou Zhuoru scored 14.250, while He Ning performed a front handspring with a piked front salto and 180-degree twist, but took a small step on the landing, and the judges awarded only 13.750. After the opening event, Zhou Zhuoru and He Ning stood in second and fourth place respectively.
The second event was uneven bars. Zhou Zhuoru scored 14.500. He Ning’s execution was of higher quality — her layout full-twisting dismount was flawless — and the judges awarded 14.900, lifting He Ning into third place.
The third event was the balance beam, China’s absolute strongest discipline. He Ning — known as “the one who never falls from the apparatus” — went first and delivered a near-perfect routine without so much as a minor wobble, earning the judges’ high mark of 15.600. Zhou Zhuoru was not to be outdone, finishing with 15.450. After three rotations, He Ning had surged into first place, with Zhou Zhuoru in second.
In the final event, floor exercise, Zhou Zhuoru performed second-to-last. Her floor music was the theme from the film The Myth, and her routine was powerful and forceful throughout, earning 14.850 for a running total of 59.050. Even before He Ning had taken the floor, China had in practical terms already secured the gold medal.
He Ning, free of any pressure, took the floor and performed with even greater fluency and ease. She closed her routine with a perfect jump full turn, and the judges posted the high score of 15.200. He Ning thus claimed the title with 59.450, while Zhou Zhuoru’s silver medal further consolidated China’s dominance in the women’s all-around.
— Lin Yue
[Note: He Ning’s floor routine did end with a full-twisting wolf jump. Of all the skills in her routines, it’s a bizarre detail to highlight.]
何家乳燕栖云霄 浙江小将何宁女子全能夺冠
本报讯 北京时间今天凌晨，我省健儿又从多哈传来捷报，再过13天才满15周岁的宁波小姑娘何宁以59.450分的成绩获得体操女子个人全能冠军，为中国队夺得第36枚金牌，这也是我省首个洲际以上赛事的体操个人全能冠军。
这次体操女子全能比赛，中国队将机会给了两名小将周卓茹和何宁。第一个项目是跳马，周卓茹得了14.250分，何宁完成了前手翻屈体接前空翻转体180度，下法时跳了一小步
，裁判仅给出了13.750分。头项比完后，周卓茹和何宁分列第二和第四位。
第二项是高低杠赛事，周卓茹得了14.500分。何宁的动作质量更佳，直体360度的下法完美，裁判给出了14.900分，何宁上升到了第三位。
第三项是
中国队的绝对强项——平衡木，被誉为“永不掉杠”的何宁首先出场，一套动作接近完美，连小晃都没有，裁判给出了15.600分的高分。而周卓茹也不示弱，最后得分为15.450分。三轮过后，何宁一跃成为第一，周卓茹第二。
在最后一项自由体操比赛中，周卓茹倒数第二个出场，她自由体操的音乐采取了电影《神话》的主题曲，整套动作做得刚猛有力，最后得到了14.850分，周的总分为59.050分。尽管何宁尚未出场，中国队实际上也已经拿到了这枚金牌。
没有任何压力的何宁出场了，一套动作做得更是舒展自如，最后她以转体360度完美收场，裁判打出了15.200的高分，这样何宁就以59.450的成绩获得了冠军，而周卓茹也以银牌巩固了中国在女子全能上的优势地位。 林月
Archived
To Be Sure…
Many articles reported her age as it appeared in competition records. Take, for example, this piece from China Sports Daily.
He Ning Wins Gymnastics All-Around Title; Coach Says She Has the Composure of a Champion
Wang Xiangna
December 5, 2006
Everyone knows that gymnastics is a tightrope act, and none more so than the balance beam in women’s gymnastics — easy to train on, hard to compete on. In countless major competitions, so many Chinese girls have lost gold medals to heartbreaking falls from the beam. But the Chinese women’s gymnastics team now has a girl their coaches call “someone who will never fall off the beam” — He Ning, who sealed the all-around title at the Doha Asian Games with extraordinary consistency.
A year ago, 16-year-old He Ning was barely noticeable — she hadn’t even made the national team. But her composed performance at the National Games caught the attention of Lu Shenzhen, head coach of the Chinese women’s gymnastics team: “What kind of athlete is He Ning? In the preliminaries you’d barely notice her — she’s completely unremarkable. Whether in difficulty or execution, she doesn’t stand out. But come the individual apparatus finals, you’ll find that the quietly unassuming He Ning always manages to make the final lineup in two or three events. This kid is a competition-type athlete — her performance under pressure is remarkably steady!”
After the National Games, the perceptive Lu Shenzhen selected He Ning for the national team, taking her under his wing. He Ning progressed rapidly after joining the team. In early 2006, she was among the first to compete at the 2006 Asian Gymnastics Championships in Mumbai, India, and made an immediate impression, winning gold on floor exercise, uneven bars, and balance beam, while also serving as a key member of the gold-medal team.
The girl from Zhejiang’s eye-catching performances put the coaches at ease. Ahead of the World Championships in Denmark, the coaching staff selected He Ning for the final team roster based on her record of international and domestic competitions throughout the year. In the preliminaries, she led off on three of four events, steadying the team’s nerves with a perfect success rate. In the team final, He Ning competed on two events and succeeded on both, making a decisive contribution to the team’s victory.
After returning from the World Championships, He Ning remarked that her contribution had only been on the team side, and that she didn’t have any particularly strong individual events — something she would work to address going forward. In the face of such great honors, the young girl kept a cool head, and it’s no wonder the coaching staff placed such trust in her. Liu Qunlin once joked that He Ning had the composure of a seasoned general: “Watching He Ning compete puts you completely at ease. Her routines have no problem elements, she never makes mistakes, and even on the most difficult apparatus — the beam — He Ning will never fall off.”
Two months after winning the World Championships team title, He Ning added an Asian Games all-around gold medal. Her difficulty level may not yet be high enough for the world stage, but with 2008 approaching, young He Ning still has two years to develop. We look forward to seeing her champion’s composure shine on the competition floor again — bringing glory to the nation!
Source: China Sports Daily
何宁获体操全能冠军 教练称其颇具大将风度
王向娜
2006年12月05日
谁都知道，体操是一项走钢丝的运动，尤其是女子体操里的平衡木，好练不好比！在历届大赛中，有多少中国女孩儿就是因为在平衡木上的失败痛失金牌，令人扼腕。但现在的中国体操女队，却出了个被教练称为”永远不会掉下平衡木”的女孩儿——何宁，在多哈亚运全能赛场，她以超强的稳定性完美封后。
16岁的何宁在一年前还很不起眼，甚至连国家队都没有入选，不过在十运会赛场的稳定表现，也让中国体操女队教练组组长陆善真对其刮目相看，”何宁是个什么样的队员？你在预赛中根本不会注意到她，太不起眼了！不管是难度或是规格，她都不很出众。不过到单项决赛场上，你就会发现，不声不响的何宁总能进入两到三个单项的决赛名单中。这孩子是个比赛型的选手，发挥太稳定了！”
十运会后，慧眼识珠的陆善真将何宁选拔到了国家队，收入自己门下。而进入国家队后的何宁进步飞速，2006年初，她率先出战印度孟买的2006年亚洲体操锦标赛上，并一鸣惊人，在女子自由体操、高低杠、平衡木3个项目上获得金牌，同时也是团体项目冠军的主力成员。
浙江小丫的抢眼表现让教练们甚为放心，在丹麦世锦赛前，教练组根据一年来的国际国内大赛，将何宁选拔进入最终的阵容，预赛中，何宁四项中有三项打头阵，以百分之百的成功率稳定军心。女团决赛中，何宁再上两项，全部成功，为女团致胜立下大功。
世锦赛回来后，何宁曾表示，自己的作用只是体现在团体贡献上，并没有特别过硬的单项，这也是她今后的努力方向。巨大的荣誉面前，小姑娘依然保持了一颗冷静的心，难怪教练组对她信任有加，刘群琳曾戏称何宁颇具大将风度，”看何宁比赛很放心，她的动作没有难点，永远不会出现失误，就算是在最难比的平衡木上，何宁也永远不会掉下来。”
收获世锦赛女团冠军两个月后，何宁便收获了自己的亚运会全能金牌，虽然她的难度不高，拿到世界赛场还欠火候，但面对2008年，小何宁还有两年的时间来提升自己。我们期待她的大将风度再次闪耀赛场，为国争光！
来源：《中国体育报》
Today, the Chinese internet routinely uses 1990 as her birthday. But in late 2006, several publications appeared unaware of the alternate, competition-registered birthdate, using instead December 18, 1991.
So, which birthdate is true—November 13, 1990, or December 18, 1991?
Maybe one of them. Maybe none of them.
As Liu Hongbo observed in Southern Metropolis Daily in 2010, after the FIG determined that Dong Fangxiao‘s birthday was falsified, “Even the specific days and months of Chinese athletes’ birthdays are impossible to determine. There are too many versions and revisions: student status records, athlete registrations, identification cards, and work permits often conflict with one another. Even the athletes themselves waver when asked about their own birthdays—and that, in itself, is a problem.”
What can be said with certainty is that her age is disputed.
Appendix: An Interview with He Ning
Many 2006 articles avoided specifying He Ning’s age altogether, referring to her simply as “young.” This interview from Sina Sports is one example, and, as it shows, China’s leadership was already planning a broader overhaul of the women’s gymnastics team ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Chinese Women Sweep Gold and Silver Despite Notable Weaknesses — He Ning: “There Are Still Many Strong Athletes at Home”
Sina Sports, Doha, December 4Sina Sports special report from Doha (by Hua Yu) — Thanks to strong performances from two young gymnasts, the Chinese team once again secured gold and silver in the women’s all-around final. He Ning won the title with a score of 59.450, while her teammate Zhou Zhuoru took silver with 59.050. After the competition, both athletes attended the press conference:
Q: Could the gold medalist evaluate today’s performance?
He Ning: I think I performed quite well today, and I’m very happy to have won the gold medal.Q: And could the silver medalist also share her thoughts?
Zhou Zhuoru: I performed fairly well today, but I still feel a bit regretful about winning silver. That said, since I did perform reasonably well, I’m not too upset—it’s not as though I gave the gold away myself. I see this silver as a starting point.Q: He Ning, before your final rotation, did Coach Lu Shanzhen give you any specific guidance?
He Ning: He just reminded me of some technical points—mainly to stay controlled and to pay attention to the dance elements.Q: He Ning, is there anything you’d like to say to your grandfather Qin?
He Ning: I’d say, “Grandpa, I performed really well today—I think you must be very happy.”Q: Zhang Nan did not compete this time, giving younger athletes an opportunity. Did you feel much pressure today?
He Ning: In the team competition, I didn’t feel any pressure—I always went first, just contributing to the team and performing at my level. In today’s all-around final, I had my own expectations. Maybe Xiao Ru [Zhuoru] wasn’t in her best form today, so I was able to win by a small margin.Q: Coach Lu has said there could be major changes to the team by the 2008 Olympics. How do you see that?
He Ning: There are still two years to go before 2008, and there are many, many strong athletes back home. Those who perform well in this winter’s training could also be selected. I think this winter training will be very important.Q: Today, both of you had relatively lower difficulty but strong execution, which allowed you to beat the North Korean gymnast (Hong Su-jong). Have the coaches assigned you goals to increase difficulty? Which events will you focus on?
He Ning: I think my strength is consistency, but my start values aren’t very high on any of the four events. So during this winter’s training, I’ll especially work on vault and uneven bars.Zhou Zhuoru: The coaches haven’t talked to me yet about increasing difficulty—maybe they didn’t want to disrupt my mindset before the competition. Of course, difficulty will improve. I’ll discuss it with my coaches, and we’ll make progress during winter training.
女队包揽冠亚军仍有重大缺陷 何宁:国内好手还很多
2006年12月05日02:06 新浪体育
新浪体育讯 新浪体育多哈前方报道组 化语 多哈12月4日傍晚，凭借着两名小将的出色发挥，中国体操队在今天的女子全能决赛中再获一金一银：何宁以59点450分的成绩获得个人全能冠军，另一名中国选手周卓茹以59点050分获得亚军。赛后，何宁和周卓茹出席了新闻发布会：
问：可以请金牌获得者评价一下今天的比赛吗？
何宁：我觉得今天我发挥得比较好，获得这枚金牌，相当高兴。
问：能不能请银牌获得者也评价一下？
周卓茹：今天我发挥得还可以，但获得了银牌还是感到有些遗憾。但是因为自己发挥得还可以，所以也并没有感到悲伤，因为并不是我自己把金牌让出去的。这枚银牌也算是我的一个起点吧。
问：请问一下何宁，在你最后一项上场之前，陆善真教练有没有指导什么？
何宁：陆导就跟我讲了讲技术要领，说要压住一点，还有就是要注意舞蹈动作。
问：何宁，你有什么要对你的秦爷爷说的吗？
何宁：就是说，爷爷，我今天发挥得很好，我想你也很高兴吧。
问：这次张楠没有参赛，把机会让给新人，我想问问何宁，今天比赛的压力大吗？
何宁：第一场没有压力，反正我都是第一个上场，就算是为团体作贡献吧，也发挥出了自己的水平。今天的全能决赛，我自己也有些想法。今天可能小茹的状态欠一点吧，所以我就赢了她一点。
问：陆指导曾经说，到2008年奥运会的时候，女队可能会有大变化，何宁的感觉如何？
何宁：从现在到2008年还有两年时间呢，在家还有好多好多很棒的选手，今年冬训的时候，她们表现好的也可以被选上来。我觉得今年冬训会很重要吧。
问：今天咱们的这两个选手，难度都不是很高，但发挥很好，所以才赢了第三名的那个朝鲜选手(洪淑真)。教练有没有给你们提高难度的任务，两个人分别要提高什么项目？
何宁：我可能是比较稳吧，但四个项目的起评分都不高，所以今年冬训的时候，特别是跳马和高低杠这两个项目。
周卓茹：教练还没有跟我讲加难度的事情，可能是赛前不想打乱我的思路吧。难度当然会有发展，我也会跟教练说，教练也会跟我说，冬训的时候都会有发展吧。
(化语)
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