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Sports star and showbiz celebrity
By Chen Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-09 15:24 Pick up any fashion magazine nowadays and you are bound to wonder: Is this a sports star or a showbiz celebrity? The line between sports and entertainment is becoming increasingly blurred.
Eight-medal winner Michael Phelps is reportedly having a go at Hollywood, while in China, former Olympic champion, gymnast Liu Xuan, was thrust into the limelight when she retired in 2001. But now, after several years in showbiz, Liu is making a comeback. "I've come full circle," Liu says, referring to her Olympic career. "I have been trying new things for seven years and now am moving back to what I did in the past." The 29-year-old has gone from China's first Olympic balance beam champion at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, to actress, singer and TV show host, and now to TV sports commentator and journalist with Hong Kong's Television Broadcast (TVB), reporting on the Beijing Olympic Games. Liu sees her career as well-balanced - just as she is on the 4-inch-wide balance beam - but "it is not a straight ladder," she says. "There are many twists and turns; it is difficult to know today what my career moves will be 10 years from now." But she is certain of one thing - continuous improvement. Born in Hunan province, Liu's gymnastic story began when she was 5. The 1.54-m girl joined the Hunan provincial team in 1987 and became a member of the national team five years later. Her original wish was to become a policeman. "I am not a born athlete. My physique was not as good as that of my peers," Liu recalls. |
