Zhanjiang gymnast Liu Tingting, who ranked 8th in the preliminaries, withstood the pressure and took gold in the error-filled beam competition at the 48th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Doha, capital of Qatar, on Nov 3.

The 18-year-old watched as nearly half of her rivals, including compatriot Zhang Jin, American veteran Simone Biles, and 2016 Summer Olympics winner Sanne Wevers, struggled on the balance beam with all sorts of blunders.

Liu, the last gymnast to perform, was able to maintain intense focus and perform flawlessly, earning a score of 14.533. Canada's Anne-Marie Padurariu came in second at 14.100, and Biles came in third at 13.600.

"Unbelievable, it feels like a dream," said Liu, who has encountered many difficulties in recent years.

Originally a part of the five-member Chinese Olympic women's artistic gymnastics team, Liu suffered a hand injury while training on uneven bars and was replaced by her colleague Tan Jiaxin. This win at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships is a worthy reward for her painstaking efforts.

Now recharged, Liu will begin preparing for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Liu Tingting competes in the beam competition at the 48th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Doha. [Photo by Ni Ku/Xinhua News Agency]