Gymnast Cheng eyes 3rd Olympic appearance

SHANGHAI - Chinese veteran gymnast Cheng Fei will be bidding for her third Olympic appearance when the national championships, which serves as domestic trials for the London Olympics, gets underway here on Tuesday.

Cheng, 24, is the oldest active female gymnast in China and has pocketed one gold and two bronzes from two Olympic Games - 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing.

According to Chinese national team leader Ye Zhennan, Cheng needs to prove she is still competent on the vault and floor, both her specialties, to earn a place in the Olympic squad.

After the National Games in 2009, Cheng decided to take a break due to her knee injuries. Just about one month ago, the five-time world champion claimed the women's vault title in her comeback debut on FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup.