Zhou Yaqin

Zhou Yaqin (born 12 November 2005) is a Chinese artistic gymnast. She is the 2023 World balance beam silver medalist.

Career
Zhou began gymnastics in Hengyang when she was three years old.

Junior
Zhou competed with the Hunan provincial team at the 2019 Chinese Championships where they finished sixth. Then at the China National Youth Games, she finished 14th in the all-around. She then finished 13th in the all-around at the 2019 Chinese Individual Championships. She made her international debut at the 2019 Olympic Hopes Cup in Liberec, Czech Republic where the Chinese team won the gold medal. Individually, she finished seventh in the all-around and eighth in the floor exercise final. At the 2020 Chinese Championships, Zhou finished 17th in the all-around. Then at the Chinese Individual Championships, she won the gold medal on the balance beam with a score of 15.066.

Senior
Zhou became age-eligible for senior international competitions in 2021. At the 2021 Chinese Championships, she finished 23rd in the all-around qualification round and sixth with the Hunan provincial team. Then at the 2021 National Games of China, she won the gold medal on the balance beam with a score of 14.660. She finished fourth on the balance beam at the 2022 Chinese Championships.

At the 2023 Chinese Championships, Zhou won the gold medal on the floor exercise She made her senior international debut at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp. The Chinese team consisted of Ou Yushan, Qiu Qiyuan, Zhang Qingying, Huang Zhuofan, and alternate Wu Ran, and they placed fourth in the team final. Individually, she qualified for the balance beam and floor exercise finals. In the balance beam final, she won the silver medal behind Simone Biles. She finished only 0.100 behind Biles, which was the smallest margin of victory for Biles in a World final since 2014. She then finished seventh in the floor exercise final.