Former champion Chinese gymnast back on the streets doing handstands and singing for money

After an injury ended his career, Zhang Shangwu made headlines a decade ago when he was spotted begging in Beijing

It led to a job, but he has since served jail time for theft and was recently seen performing in a Baoding car park

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Retired champion athlete Zhang Shangwu sings in a Baoding car park in March, using an app and smartphones on a tripod to live-stream his performance. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:05pm, 14 Apr 2021Updated: 4:10pm, 21 Jun 2021

A decade ago the plight of former champion gymnast Zhang Shangwu shocked China and made world headlines when he was discovered begging in Beijing, prompting one of the country’s richest men to give him a job.

That should have heralded a turnaround for the troubled Zhang, who had been imprisoned for theft after injury ended his gymnastics career.

But after another stint in jail, Zhang is again making a living on the streets, doing handstands and singing for a live online audience in a car park in his home city of Baoding, Hebei province.

It marks a second fall for the former Olympic hopeful, whose predicament cast a spotlight on the fate of Chinese athletes when he was spotted begging and street-performing in Beijing in 2011.

Zhang Shangwu performs on the rings at the World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Ghent in 2001. A tendon injury brought his promising career to an end the following year. Photo: Reuters

Athletes in China, a leading Olympic power, are often reared in special schools from a young age and can struggle to adjust to normal life once their careers are over.