Gymnastics coach Li Guiping at the training field of Shijiazhuang Sports Bureau. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

Every morning, she comes to the gymnastic training center early to instruct children in the practice of basic skills. She carefully points out and corrects each error they make in course of the training. This is Li Guiping's daily work, plain but full. As an ordinary grassroots coach, she hasn't been attracting much attention from the public. She is one of those selfless coaches who led young Chinese gymnasts to the pinnacle of their careers.

45-year-old Li Guiping used to be a gymnast in the Hebei Provincial Gymnastic Team. She began her career as a coach at Shijiazhuang Sports School since 1982.

During the past 26 years, Li has trained 17 personnel for provincial and national gymnastic teams. Up till now, her trainees had altogether won five gold medals at international-level and four golds at Asia-level competitions.

Pang Panpan, the first world champion from Shijiazhuang city, is one of Li's favorite students. From the start of her training to her induction into the national team, each step of her progress was a result of Li's help and guidance.

Nicknamed "Oriental Beauty", Pang is widely known for her exceptional elegance and style. Li said judging from her skill level, she would become a key gymnast in the national team if she hadn't been affected by injuries.

Pang was selected for and started gymnastic training in 1997. When she was seven years old, she entered the Shijiazhuang Sports School where she met her first coach Li Guiping.

In 2001, she was selected by Li to be a part of the Hebei team. As gymnastic training requires starting from a very young age, Pang's relatively late start made her lag behind her peers. Li Guiping tried every means to inspire her and help her regain self-confidence. As she gradually improved, she became a great asset to the team. In four months of joining the team, she took part in the Li Ning's Cup, a national children's gymnastics competition, and grabbled four titles in individual's events. Li said the competition was a turning point in her career.

"Every progress and success is a new starting point for the athlete. This competition has transformed her from being timid to self-confident. And also, she had realized that she had new higher goals from then on."

Due to her excellent results, Pang was selected for the National Gymnastic Team in the beginning of 2003 when Li was on loan to the national team. But excessive drills got the better of her, and she suffered injuries. Li worked with her colleagues to help her recover and enhance the intensity of training gradually. Meanwhile, she paid a lot of attention to maintaining a positive attitude.

As Pang recovered and continued training, she began to show glimpses of her world-class skills at multiple world cup tournaments starting from 2004.

But her best overall performance was not displayed until the year of 2006. At Foshan Chinese National Championships, she won the all-around and floor exercise titles. This victory would earn her a spot to compete at the World Championships later that year.

Years of hard training finally paid off. At the 2006 World Championships in July, Pang did exceptionally well on the balance beam, floor exercise and uneven bars in team finals. She and her teammates made history as they became the first Chinese women's team to win a gold medal in the team event. After watching her nearly perfect performance, Li was moved to tears.

But since then, Pang was ridden with injuries and sent for treatment. This year, she failed to qualify for the Olympic squad. Li said she felt sorry for her, but hoped Pang would recover and scale a new peak after returning to the training field.

Li Guiping's devotion to her profession won her high praise. In May this year, she was chosen as a torchbearer in Shijiazhuang city. She said she felt honored and more stressed at the same time.

"I hope the 2008 Olympics can promote the whole nation's enthusiasm in sports and spark further development of sports in Shijiazhuang City. I hope I can train more talented gymnasts in the future."