2001 Photo Contest, Sports, 3rd prize
Photographer

Greg Baker

The Associated Press

31 May, 2000

A seven-year-old stretches after spending the afternoon tumbling. The state-sponsored Shichahai sports school in Beijing selects and coaches young athletes to become future Olympians. Training is rigorous. Medical screening and X-rays keep track of the children's physical development, and discipline is taught at an early age. The gymnastics regime is one of the most demanding. Days begin at 7.00 am and end at 9.30 pm, with academic work in the morning and gymnastics in the afternoons.

About the photographer

Greg Baker

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