Podcast

Gymnast enjoys hair-raising preparation

Updated: 2010-11-11 13:04

For an athlete, hairstyle seems to be one of the last things to worry about before competing.

However, Chen Yibing, China's top male gymnast and the reigning men's rings world and Olympic champion, believes a haircut can make a big difference.

"I get used to having my hair cut before big events. A neat, short hairstyle always makes me spirited on the court and mentally ready for competition," Chen said while sitting in the chair and enjoying a haircut in the hair salon of the Athletes' Village at the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Chen, who won the team and rings titles at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, always prefers to have his hair stand as straight as his trademark hand stand-up on the rings.

"Normally, I deal with my hair on my own. I just use some styling gel and scratch my hair casually with my hands to make it stand tight," Chen said. "It brings me confidence and I would like to learn some skills from the stylist."

While Chen was relaxing, his hairdresser looked a bit nervous while serving a well-known client.

"Yeah, it is different to serve an athlete who won honor for our country. I have to be 100 percent concentrated and make sure to give him what he wants," Liu Yong said.

The hair salon, located in the International Zone of the Athletes' Village and open from 10am to 10pm every day, provides all kinds of free services to athletes and officials, including washing, cutting, styling and even manicures.

The experience of serving during the Beijing Olympics allows the staff to be more familiar with athletes' demands.

"We usually adopt a conservative way of cutting their hair, leave more length than they asked, and if they require us to cut more, we will make further repairs," said salon manager Shao Yijun, who leads a 38-member team from Guangzhou Nancy Hair & Beauty School. Four of his crew served in the barbershop at the Beijing Olympics.

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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

Gymnast enjoys hair-raising preparation

About the broadcaster:

Gymnast enjoys hair-raising preparation

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.