Q: First of all a question about your name, Jinjing. JIN stands for Tianjin, JING for Beijing. Why did your parents give you a name like that?

A: To reflect their own backgrounds. My father is from Tianjin, my mother from Beijing. They wanted me to have a bit of both.

Q: Surely a name that incorporates the character for Tianjin, site of the 1999 Worlds, must be auspicious.

Q: What are your expectations for Tianjin?

A: I expect to win the all-around gold.

Q: Wow, that sounds self-confident.

A: I am very self-confident.

Q: Tell us something else about yourself.

A: I am a serious person. I'm a bit introverted, but I'm not shy. I like playing computer games, reading and listening to music, mostly Chinese music.

Q: Do you ever sing, like Li Xiaoshuang?

A: Not really. I'm not as exuberant as Xiaoshuang.

Q: Do you ever participate in the karaoke contests that the Chinese Ministry of Sport sometimes organizes for its athletes?

A: Rarely. I have no time for such things. The only time I have time is after major championships, and then there are no such contests.

Q: Let's return to gymnastics. Your greatest rivals are the Russians. How do you rate the Russian team? What are their strengths, what are their shortcomings?

A: Their strong point is that they have Nemov and Bondarenko, and that they can vault. The Russians are great vaulters. Their weak points are rings and pommel horse. We are good on parallel bars and high bar, and these days we're very good on vault too. (Li) Xiaopeng and I can challenge the Russians on vault. So, all in all, we're a better team really.

Q: Does the fact that the next World Championships are held in China affect you?

A: Everybody in China thinks we are the best, and everybody expects us to win. We, too, think we are the best. People think that the fact that the Worlds are held in China will be advantageous to us, but in gymnastics, one can never be sure of the outcome. Accidents happen. However, we know that if we hit well, we will be the best.

Q: How do you feel about competing in front of a home audience? Will the Chinese fans be a support, or will they merely add to the pressure?

A: I think the fact that these Worlds are held in China will be of great help. The audience won't be a pressure factor. Audiences do not put pressure on gymnasts; we do that ourselves. I don't think the Tianjin audience can negatively affect us. Any pressure we may feel is due to ourselves, not to the audience. And putting pressure on yourself is not necessarily bad.

Q: You don't sound as if you're prone to nerves.

A: When I'm nervous, I immediately loosen up, because I know that no matter how nervous I am, others are likely to be just as nervous. When I realize that, I'm at ease again. Everyone has their own way of preparing for a competition. When I look at my rivals, I tell myself, 'I'm nervous, but you are certainly nervous as well.' That usually works. I never let my nerves get the better of me because I know I train harder than others and I'm steadier.

Q: What are Chinese audiences like? I once read a newspaper report on an international competition held in China in the late seventies where the spectators burst out laughing whenever someone fell from the apparatus.

A: That was just after the Cultural Revolution, when our minds were warped and no one knew a great deal about gymnastics. Everybody liked to watch gymnastics, but no one knew what it was really about, what these moves were. The spectators didn't understand what they saw. Now they do, and they don't laugh anymore. They know that gymnastics is dangerous and that falls can be grave. They've all heard about Sang Lan, and they're all concerned about her. So they are very supportive these days. They know when you're doing something difficult and they cheer if you make it. They don't cheer when something goes wrong. No, there won't be any laughing in Tianjin.

Q: What do you regard as your best competition so far? Lausanne, I guess, or Sabae?

A: I look back on the Atlanta Olympics with fond memories. I may not have won a gold medal there, but it was a great experience - a great success. It wasn't just the gymnastics competition; the whole thing was wonderful. And the atmosphere was so warm. The people were shouting, yelling and cheering all the time. It was great.

Q: What about Sabae? You won two gold medals there.

A: So so. I had a foot injury at the time and my preparation wasn't too good, so I don't feel very positive about that meet. It's not the competition I cherish most.

Q: How's your foot now?

A: Fine. I have no more health problems.

Q: What's your worst competition so far?

A: I haven't had any really bad ones yet.

Q: Which do you prefer, all-around competitions or event finals?

A: I like both. Competing in an event final is a challenge because you take on specialists on an event, and it makes you feel really good if you beat them. But if you can beat everybody else in a format that encompasses all events, that's even better.

Q: What about galas, where the challenge of outscoring other competitors is wholly absent?

A: I like galas too. There may not be any pressure in the form of scores, but there are many spectators and you have to entertain each and every one of them. That's a challenge too. Audiences can be hard to please.

Q: Do you think you've reached the top of your potential yet?

A: No, I think I can go further. I need more competitive experience. Once I get more experience, I'll be a complete gymnast.

Q: How do you rate yourself?

A: On a scale from one to one hundred, I'm in the eighties, nineties.

Q: You were born and bred in Beijing, and you still live there today because the national training center is there. How do you feel about Beijing?

A: Beijing is great. Beijing has the best facilities in all of China; it can vie with western cities. Other places in China are not so well off. I also have the impression that the people in Beijing are warmer than those in other Chinese cities. And you can eat everywhere; there's is great food everywhere. I miss Beijing when I'm not there, except when I'm in Shanghai.

Q: Do you miss China when you're abroad? Many Chinese gymnasts complain they can't find anything to eat when they're abroad.

A: I have no problems with western food. I eat everything. I don't miss Chinese food when I'm abroad. I can eat Chinese food when I'm in China. When I'm abroad, I like to eat something else.

Q: Of all the countries you've been to so far, which did you like most?

A: France, the USA, Canada and Australia. Especially Australia. It's so clean and organized.

Q: What do you like most about going to foreign countries?

A: The fact that you can buy many gadgets which you can't buy in China, such as computer games which don't hit the Chinese market until a year afterwards, or the latest in mobile phones. I just bought a really small mobile phone. (Gets up and shows a lighter-sized phone.) Isn't it wonderful? You can't get these in China yet.

Q: Have you been to Thailand?

A: I've been to Thai city, which was very crowded, very hectic and very sweaty. Incredibly sweaty.

Q: Are you going to Thailand in December to participate in the Asian Games?

A: Yes, I am.

Q: Any predictions?

A: My team will win the team competition and I'll win the all-around.

Q: Good luck.

A: Thanks.