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Olympic Champion Liu to Miss National Championships
Chinese Olympic gymnastics champion Liu Xuan is to miss the national championships opening in Wuhan on Wednesday, said Chinese national coach Lu Shanzhen Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Liu, who won the gold medal in the beam event at the Sydney Olympics, was included in the entry list of the championships but will only attend as observers.
"Liu did not have systematic training recently and she will surely miss the national championships," Lu, head coach of the Chinese women's national team, told Xinhua Tuesday afternoon.
The national championships, which runs through Saturday, also serve as the qualifying tournament for the Ninth Chinese National Games to be held in November.
Liu was supposed to compete for Hunan province, where she was born, and it will still be possible for her to attend the gymnastics finals at the national games if Hunan qualify for the team final.
"In theory, she has a chance to appear in the finals. However, it would be quite difficult for her due to lack of training," Lu added.
Liu was invited to various social activities after the Sydney Games and had not had systematic training ever since.
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