Much press goes to Olympic coach Liang Chow. Always smiling, always upbeat, always positive. A wonderful role model.
But ask the gymnasts what really goes on at the gym.
Shawn Johnson’s other coach – Liwen Zhuang, the unheralded wife of Liang Chow – is said to scorn the spotlight and lead such intense conditioning drills that Chow would plead with her not to kill the gymnasts while he was gone.
“I’m the fun dad,” Chow says. “And she is the real strict mom.”
Liwen Zhuang, above, runs Chow’s Gymnastics with husband Liang Chow. She has coached Olympic athlete Shawn Johnson on the beam and choreographed her floor exercise. Zhuang’s superior knowledge of conditioning is key to Johnson’s success and has helped her avoid serious injury. Zhuang and Chow were both on China’s national team in the 1980s.
Read an excellent article on the “strict mom” – Coach Li sees all – Des Moines Register
Immediately I was reminded of how much stricter Marta Karolyi was than Bela, back in their heyday day.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 