With a string of titles and record-breaking scores, He is sending warnings to one of her team's main rivals, American gymnast Nastia Liukin, who has won four World Championships titles, including three on the balance beam and one on the uneven bars.

"My target is to beat her at the Olympics," He said. "She is definitely the most dangerous gymnast in the world, but I am confident I can keep her away from the gold medal as long as I can perform at my highest level."

Despite being among the most favored Chinese athletes in Athens, the women's team finished in a humiliating seventh place there four years ago. It was the team's worst performance since 1988, as it won only one gold and two bronze gymnastics medals.

The team did bounce back in 2006 when it took the top prize in the team event at the World Championships in Denmark.

Roster favorite

The five-member Olympic roster won't be released until July, but He is one of the favorites to make it, said women's coach Lu Shanzhen.

But one thing is for sure - Cheng Fei, who won titles in the vault, floor exercise and balance beam in Tianjin, will be the leader of the team.

Cheng became China's most successful female gymnast at the World Championships in Denmark, defending her vault crown and helping China take the team title out of the hands of the defending champion United States.

Cheng is confident China will be able to reverse its underachiever image in Beijing.

"I am sure Chinese gymnasts will come back and win back our glories," she said. "The wins at the World Championships and recent World Cups have given us more experience and determination."

The Tianjin World Cup also gave some momentum to the men's team, which saw the successful comeback of former Olympic gold medalist Li Xiaopeng.

After being sidelined for the last two years with injuries, the 27-year-old Li won gold on the parallel bars and silver on the horizontal bar.

But Chinese coach Huang warned it was not yet time for celebration.

"There is nothing to cheer about," Huang said. "Some of the world's best athletes did not come while most of them in Tianjin were not competitive enough.

"We should not be too optimistic ahead of the Olympics."

(China Daily May 23, 2008)