Laura Yihan Zeng (born October 14, 1999) is an American individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2015 Pan American Games All-around champion and the 2014 Youth Olympic all-around bronze medalist. At the national level, she is the-two time (2016, 2015) U.S. national champion and two-time (2014, 2013) U.S. junior national champion.[4]
Personal life
Laura Zeng was born in Hartford, Connecticut and raised in Libertyville, Illinois where she attends Libertyville High School.[5] After first studying Chinese dancing, Zeng started rhythmic gymnastics at age 7 after a friend told her about it. Her older sister, Yecca Zeng (曾曄昕) is a fashion designer.[6] Her favorite motto is: "Work hard and work smart". Her favorite rhythmic gymnast is three-times World All-around champion Yana Kudryavtseva.[7]
Career
Junior
Zeng appeared in international competitions in 2012, she won the all-around silver at the 2012 Junior Pacific Rim Championships behind Canada's Patricia Bezzoubenko and won bronze in all-around at the 2012 Junior World Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria. In 2013, Zeng competed at the Gymnastik Schmiden International winning gold in all-around, hoop, clubs, ribbon and bronze in ball. She also won bronze medal as one-person team at junior World Cup at Lisbon. She won her first junior title at the 2013 US Junior National championships.
In 2014, Zeng started her season competing at the 2014 Rhythmic Challenge winning the all-around and the event finals. She competed at the World Cup series in Lisboa, Pesaro and Minsk, she won numerous bronze and silver medals in the all-around,event finals and team competitions. At the 2014 Junior Pan American Championships, Zeng placed 1st (all-around, hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon); Zeng defended her junior title at the 2014 US Junior National championships placing 1st (all-around, hoop, ball), 2nd (clubs), 3rd (ribbon). Zeng was selected as the representative of United States at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, she placed second in the qualification[8] and went on to take the all-around bronze in the finals with a total score of 56.750, just two hundredths behind Belarus’ Mariya Trubach who took the silver medal.[9] Zeng’s medal marks the first rhythmic gymnastics medal for the U.S. at an Olympic or Youth Olympic Games.
Senior
In February 2015, Zeng made her senior and international debut competing at the 2015 Moscow Grand Prix finishing 21st in the all-around. In March, Laura won 2015 Challenge Championship participated only by USA national team members. In March 27–29, Zeng competed at the 2015 Lisboa World Cup finishing 14th in the all-around. In April 10–12, she placed 11th in all-around among 56 competitors with a score of 68.40 at 2015 Pesaro World Cup in Italy. She also made Ribbon finals. In May 8–10, she competed at the Corbeil-Essonnes International Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament and finished 3rd in all-around behind Russians Arina Averina and Dina Averina, she qualified to 3 event finals and won silver in clubs, bronze in ball and placed 4th in ribbon.
In June 25–27, Zeng won the All-around as first year senior in USA Nationals 2015 ahead of Jasmine Kerber. In apparatus finals, she won in Hoop, Clubs, and Ribbon titles. At the 2015 Pan American Games, Zeng swept the gold in the all-around with a total score of 64.575 points and all the apparatus finals, becoming the second American to win the all-around and all the apparatus finals at the Pan American Games since Mary Sanders in 2003.[10][11] In August 14–16, Zeng finished 15th in the all-around at the 2015 Sofia World Cup behind Spanish veteran gymnast Carolina Rodriguez with a score of 68.750. At the 2015 World Cup Final in Kazan, Zeng finished 10th in the all-around and qualified in ball finals finishing in 8th place. In September 9–13, Zeng competed in her first World Championships in Stuttgart and ranked 11th in qualifications. Zeng qualified to 1 apparatus final finishing 7th in Clubs ahead of Korean Son Yeon-Jae. In the All-around finals; Zeng finished 8th with a total of 70.416 points, the highest finish for an American rhythmic gymnast, bettering the 10th place from Mary Sanders in the 2003 World Championships.[12]
In 2016 Olympic season, Zeng was prepared with three new routines. On March 17–20, she first competed at the 2016 Lisboa World Cup where she finished 7th in the all-around with a total of 70.150 points and qualified to 3 event finals placing 8th in clubs, hoop and 5th in ball. On April 1–3, Zeng competed at the 2016 Pesaro World Cup where she finished 19th in the all-around and qualified to clubs final finishing in 7th place.[13] On May 20–22, Zeng competed at the 2016 Minsk World Cup finishing 7th in the all-around with a total of 70.850 points, she qualified to 3 apparatus finals where she became the first American in history to win a medal in a World Cup series taking 2 bronze medals (hoop: 18.050, ribbon: 18.050) and placed 4th in ball.[14] Zeng also won her second consecutive National all-around title. On July 8–10, Zeng then finished 11th in the all-around at the 2016 Kazan World Cup with a total of 70.900 points, she qualified to 3 apparatus finals in hoop(6th), clubs(5th) and ribbon(5th - after Kudryavtseva withdrew from ribbon). On July 22–24, culminating the World Cup of the season in 2016 Baku World Cup, Zeng finished 11th in the all-around with a total of 70.350 points behind Azerbeijian's Marina Durunda, Zeng qualified to 3 apparatus finals placing 5th in hoop, clubs and 6th in ribbon. On August 19–20, Zeng competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She finished 11th in the qualifications behind France's Kseniya Moustafaeva, narrowly missing the Top 10 in the rhythmic gymnastics individual all-around final. Zeng’s finish is the best for U.S. rhythmic gymnast since Valerie Zimring tied for 11th at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.[15]
United States
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