They called him the prince of gymnasts because, when he retired at the age of 26, he had won 106 gold medals in major competitions across the world.

Li Ning did so well as an athlete that he won six out of seven gold medals at the 1982 World Championship, and three at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (as well as two silver and a bronze)．

When sports journalists met in 1999 to make a list of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the twentieth century, Li Ning's name was on it, together with footballer Pele and boxer Muhammad Ali.

But even though he had won everything it was possible to win in his sport, Li Ning retired with the feeling that he had failed.

He was disappointed because he had not performed well in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Because he had experienced the sense of failure in the 1988 Seoul Olympics Li Ning became determined to succeed in his new life．

After he retired a year after, Li Ning began a new career--as a businessman．

He longed to work for sports because he didn't forget his sporting background.

Li Ning decided to launch a new brand of sportswear in order that he could compete with global giants like Nike and Adidas.

People thought that he made the unusual choice, because he had chosen his own name as the brand mark.

As the bright red logo is made up of the first two pinyin letters of Li Ning's name, L and N, Li Ning's sports clothes sold very well soon after they came onto the market.

As the number of young people with money to spend was on the increase young people became the most important buyers of Li Ning's sports clothes.

Because Li Ning's designs were attractive, they had a major advantage over their better-known rivals.

Because a pair of Nike trainers, for example, could cost up to five times as much as a similar Li Ning product, success for Li Ning was guaranteed.

Today as a Li Ning product is purchased every ten seconds, Li Ning has won more than fifty per cent of the national market.

If you go into a school or university anywhere，the chances are you will see students in Li Ning tracksuits with the familiar logo.

The company has grown so internationally that the Spanish and French gymnastics teams wear Li Ning clothes.

Whenever Chinese athletes step out onto the track during the 2008 Olympics, they will be wearing Li Ning tracksuits.

But Li Ning's goal when he retired was not to make money.

If your dream is to open a school for gymnasts you have to go for your post-graduate studies first.

Ever since he became a businessman Li Ning has managed to help young people to achieve their sporting ambitions.

Li Ning has discovered that the work of a great sportsman does not finish when he retires from the sport.

And if you are a great sportsperson, anything is possible, as Li Ning's advertising slogan