View source for Ma Yanhong

{{short description|Chinese artistic gymnast}}
{{family name hatnote|Ma|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox gymnast
|name= Ma Yanhong
|image          =
|imagesize      = 150px
|caption=
|fullname= Ma Yanhong
|nickname=
|country= {{CHN}}
|formercountry=
|birth_date= {{Birth-date and age|March 21, 1964}} or<br/>{{Birth-date and age|July 5, 1963}} (disputed)
|birth_place= [[Beijing]], [[People’s Republic of China]]
|hometown=
|death_date=
|death_place=
|height=
|discipline= WAG
|natlteam=1978–84 ([[China women's national gymnastics team|CHN]])
|club=
|gym= Shichahai Sports School for Amateurs
|collegeteam=
|headcoach=
|assistcoach=
|formercoach=
|choreographer=
|music=
|eponymousskills= Ma I dismount (uneven bars)
Ma II dismount (uneven bars)
|retired=
|show-medals = yes
|medaltemplates= <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalCount
|total=yes
|[[Gymnastics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]|1|0|1
|[[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]|1|2|0
|[[Asian Games]]|2|0|0
}}
{{MedalCount                                                                 |[[Artistic gymnastics#Women.27s only|All-Around (OG/WC)]]|0|1|1
|[[Uneven bars|Uneven Bars(OG/WC)]]|2|0|1
|[[Balance beam|Balance Beam (OG/WC)]]|0|0|0
|[[Vault (gymnastics)|Vault (OG/WC)]]|0|0|0
|[[Floor (gymnastics)|Floor Exercise (OG/WC)]]|0|0|0
}}
{{MedalSport|Women's [[artistic gymnastics]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{CHN}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Gymnastics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|{{GamesName|SOG|1984|Gymnastics}}|[[Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's uneven bars|Uneven bars]]}}
{{MedalBronze|{{GamesName|SOG|1984|Gymnastics}}|[[Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around|Team]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]}}{{MedalGold|[[1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1979 Ft. Worth]]|Uneven Bars}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1981 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1981 Moscow]]|Team}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1981 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1981 Moscow]]|Uneven Bars}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Gymnastics at the Asian Games|Asian Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[Gymnastics at the 1978 Asian Games|1978 Bangkok]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1978 Asian Games – Women's artistic team|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[Gymnastics at the 1978 Asian Games|1978 Bangkok]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1978 Asian Games – Women's uneven bars|Uneven Bars]]}}
}}
'''Ma Yanhong''' ({{zh|s=马燕红|t=馬燕紅|p=Mǎ Yànhóng}}; born March 21, 1964, in [[Beijing]], [[People's Republic of China|China]]) (also reported in some media as July 5, 1963)<ref name="beijing"/> is a retired Chinese Olympic athlete. She was the first Chinese gymnast, male or female, to win a gold medal at the [[World Gymnastics Championships]] and the [[Olympic Games]].<ref>[http://www.china.org.cn/english/2004/May/96896.htm "Gymnastics Team Sets Goal for Games"] Zhan Haitao, Li Xiao (trans), ''China Daily,'' May 31, 2004</ref>

==Biography==
Ma began gymnastics at the Shichahai Sports School for Amateurs in her hometown of Beijing.<ref name=beijing>[http://en.beijing2008.com/01/94/article211929401.shtml Biography at Beijing 2008 Olympics site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311143734/http://en.beijing2008.com/01/94/article211929401.shtml |date=2007-03-11 }}</ref> The age at which she started training has been variously reported as six, eight and nine.<ref name=beijing /><ref name=ig>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010216224205/http://www.intlgymnast.com/legends/ma.html "Legends: Ma Yanhong"] ''International Gymnast''</ref><ref name=forum>[http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/ma_yanhong.html List of competitive results at Gymn-Forum]</ref>

In 1978, her first year with the Chinese national team, Ma made her international debut at the [[Asian Games]], where she shared in the team gold medal and won the [[uneven bars]] title. She repeated her success at the 1978 Shanghai Cup, again winning team and bars titles. Ma was a member of the 1979, 1981 and 1983 World Championships teams; she was the Chinese National Champion in 1982. At the 1984 Los Angeles [[1984 Summer Olympics|Olympics]] uneven bars final, Ma was suffered from [[Appendicitis]], though in great pain she insisted on finishing the competition. Finally Ma tied with American [[Julianne McNamara]] to win the gold medal on bars in that competition <ref name=forum /> and both of them scored a perfect 10.0 in the final.  This is the first Olympic gold medal ever for China in women's gymnastics.

Ma's best event was unquestionably the [[uneven bars]]; she placed first on this apparatus at the age of fifteen at the [[1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1979 World Championships]]. Her bars routines were noted for their technical difficulty, virtuosity and originality. The dismount she pioneered, a hecht-front salto-full now known as the Ma, is valued as an "F," the second highest difficulty rating possible, in the current ''[[Code of Points (artistic gymnastics)|Code of Points]].''<ref name=ig /> Ma was not only a bars specialist, however: she placed fourth in the all-around at the 1981 World Championships, sixth all-around at the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympics]], and often won silver or bronze medals on the [[floor exercise]] and [[balance beam]] in international meets.<ref name=forum />

After retiring from gymnastics, Ma pursued a University education and spent some time in the UK and the United States, coaching at clubs in [[California]]. She returned to China in 1994 and is now involved in business. She also owns a Japanese restaurant in Beijing and has worked as a commentator for various gymnastics competitions, including the 1999 World Championships in [[Tianjin]].<ref name=ig /> She is inducted into the [[International Gymnastics Hall of Fame]] in 2008, and became the first Chinese women inductee of the [[International Gymnastics Hall of Fame]].
<ref>
{{cite web
 | title = MA YANHONG
 | work = International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
 | url = http://www.ighof.com/honorees/honorees_Ma.html
 | accessdate = August 5, 2008
 }}</ref>

== Eponymous skill ==
Ma has one eponymous skill listed in the [[Code of Points (gymnastics)|Code of Points]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2022-2024 Code of Points Women's Artistic Gymnastics |url=https://www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/rules/files/en_WAG%20CoP%202022-2024.pdf |website=[[International Gymnastics Federation]] |access-date=22 January 2022 |pages=105, 208}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – 2025-2028 Code of Points |url=https://www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/rules/files/en_1.1%20-%20WAG%20COP%202025-2028.pdf |website=[[International Gymnastics Federation]] |date=22 April 2024 |access-date=2 February 2025}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Apparatus
!Name
!Description
![[Code of Points (gymnastics)#Table of elements|Difficulty]]{{efn|name=difficulty|Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points}}
|-
|Uneven bars || Ma || Hip circle backward on low bar or high bar - hecht with 1/1 turn (360°) to salto backward || F (0.6)
|}
{{notelist}}

==Competitive history==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%;"
|-
! align=center|Year
! align=center|Event
! style="width:30px;"|Team
! style="width:30px;"|AA
! style="width:30px;"|[[Gymnastics vault|VT]]
! style="width:30px;"|[[Gymnastics uneven bars|UB]]
! style="width:30px;"|[[Gymnastics balance beam|BB]]
! style="width:30px;"|[[Gymnastics floor|FX]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | '''1978''' 
|-bgcolor=#F0FCCF
| align=left | [[Gymnastics at the 1978 Asian Games|Asian Games]] || {{gold1}}|| || || {{gold1}}|| ||
|- 
| align=left | Shanghai International || ||{{gold1}} || ||{{gold1}} || ||
|- 
| rowspan="2" | '''1979''' 
|-bgcolor=#CCCCFF
| align=left | [[1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]] || 4|| || ||{{gold1}} || ||
|- 
| rowspan="1" | '''1980''' 
| align=left | [[USGF International Invitational 1980|USGF International Invitational]] || ||6 || || || {{gold1}}||
|- 
| rowspan="3" | '''1981''' 
| align=left | TBS Cup || || || {{silver2}}||{{gold1}} || {{gold1}}||
|- 
| align=left | USA-CHN Dual Meet || ||{{bronze3}} || || || ||
|-bgcolor=#CCCCFF
| align=left | [[1981 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]] ||{{silver2}} || 4|| ||{{silver2}} || ||5
|- 
| rowspan="3" | '''1982''' 
| align=left | Chinese Championships || ||{{gold1}} || || {{gold1}}||{{silver2}} ||
|- 
| align=left | USGF International Invitational || ||6 || ||{{gold1}} ||4 ||{{gold1}}
|- 
| align=left | [[1982 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup|World Cup Final]] || ||4 || 7||4 ||4 ||4
|- 
| rowspan="3" | '''1983''' 
| align=left | Chinese Championships || || 6|| || || ||
|- 
| align=left | TBS Cup || || || || {{gold1}}||{{gold1}} ||
|-bgcolor=#CCCCFF
| align=left | [[1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]] ||5 || || || || ||
|- 
| rowspan="4" | '''1984''' 
| align=left | Beijing International || || {{gold1}}|| {{gold1}}|| || ||
|- 
| align=left | Catania Cup || ||7 || || || ||
|- 
| align=left | USA-CHN Dual Meet || ||{{bronze3}} || || {{gold1}}|| {{gold1}}||
|-bgcolor=98FB98
| align=left | '''[[Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]''' ||{{bronze3}} || 6|| || {{gold1}}|| 5||6
|}<ref>{{cite web |title=Ma Yanhong (CHN) |url=https://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/ma_yanhong.html |website=Gymn Forum |access-date=1 August 2022 |date=16 December 2000}}</ref>

==References==
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{FIG|bio=18024|lic=732|name=MA Yanhong}}
* {{IGHOF}}
* [http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/ma_yanhong.html Ma Yanhong] at Gymn Forum
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{Olympics.com|yan-hong-ma|MA Yan-Hong}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions - Artistic Gymnastics - Women's Uneven Bars}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsWomenUnevenBars}}
{{Asian Games Champions Gymnastics Uneven Bars Women}}
{{International Gymnastics Hall of Fame members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Yanhong}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Chinese female artistic gymnasts]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Hui sportspeople]]
[[Category:Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for China]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for China]]
[[Category:Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics]]
[[Category:Gymnasts from Beijing]]
[[Category:World champion gymnasts]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 1978 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Olympic gymnasts for China]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists for China]]
[[Category:Asian Games gymnasts for China]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1978 Asian Games]]