MCSMaria's Artistic Gymnastics Blog

Today, at the NCAA National Championships two teams, Oklahoma and Florida came out triumphant. One team won for the first time and broke through the door of an exclusive club where many dreamed to go, but only few ventured.

Five years after she won the gold medal in Beijing at 16, and a year after taking the silver in London, He Kexin retired from the sport of gymnastics. The 21-year-old gymnast, who has been the uneven bars pinch hitter for the Chinese women said last year that she would retire after this year's Chinese National Games. 

There's no doubt that He Kexin is one of the strongest bar competitors in the world. This summer in London, she returned to defend her Olympic uneven bar championship title. Former world champions Aliya Mustafina beat her out for the title, but it still didn't stop her from gaining a place on the medal stand with a silver medal. In Beijing, four years earlier, she faced a lot of speculation on whether or not Kexin was even old enough to compete. At the time, she was 16, a lot of critics did not believe it and accused chinese officials of falsely representing her age. In 2012, Kexin came to London looking a little taller and a little more like a young woman and less like a pre-pubscent girls. For this favorite routines installment, I am featuring He Kexin in 2008 and in 2012. The routine hasn't changed that much, but four years makes a huge difference in her age. What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments. He Kexin, Beijing, 2008, uneven bars event finals ...