Li Shijia


Li Shijia is a Chinese artistic gymnast. She is the 2019 World bronze medalist on balance beam and the 2019 Zhaoqing World Cup champion on uneven bars and balance beam.

Career

Junior

2018

Li competed at the 2018 WOGA Classic in Frisco, Texas, placing eleventh in the all-around and winning silver on balance beam behind Japan's Ayumi Niiyama. She finished fifth with the Chinese team at the 2018 City of Jesolo Trophy. At the 2018 Chinese National Championships, Li finished seventh with the Sichuan team. She also placed thirteenth in the all-around and fifth on balance beam.

Senior

2019

Li placed fifth with the Sichuan team and in the all-around at the 2019 Chinese National Championships, as well as eighth on uneven bars. At this competition, she debuted a new double-twisting Yurckenko vault. She won gold at the 2019 Zhaoqing World Cup on uneven bars and balance beam.
After upgrading her difficulty value on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise during the summer, Li was named to the Chinese team for the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany alongside Chen Yile, Liu Tingting, Qi Qi, Tang Xijing, and Zhang Jin. She helped China qualify to the team final in second place behind the United States. Individually, Li recorded the seventh highest all-around score of all competitors, but qualified into the top group of six along with teammate Liu after American Grace McCallum's exclusion due to the two-per-country rule. She also qualified in second place into the balance beam final behind two-time world champion Simone Biles of the United States and ahead of the reigning world champion, Liu. During the team final, Li competed on vault and beam only. Her score of 14.266 on balance beam was the second highest of the day, behind only Biles. Overall, China finished fourth after counting three falls behind the United States, Russia, and Italy. Li was the youngest competitor in the all-around final and finished ninth after a slight mishap on the uneven bars. She won her first World medal, a bronze, in the balance beam final behind Biles and Liu.

Competitive history

Junior

Senior