Eight-medal winner Michael Phelps is reportedly having a go at Hollywood, while in China, former Olympic champion, gymnast Liu Xuan, was thrust into the limelight when she retired in 2001. But now, after several years in showbiz, Liu is making a comeback.

"I've come full circle," Liu says, referring to her Olympic career. "I have been trying new things for seven years and now am moving back to what I did in the past."

The 29-year-old has gone from China's first Olympic balance beam champion at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, to actress, singer and TV show host, and now to TV sports commentator and journalist with Hong Kong's Television Broadcast (TVB), reporting on the Beijing Olympic Games.

Liu sees her career as well-balanced - just as she is on the 4-inch-wide balance beam - but "it is not a straight ladder," she says. "There are many twists and turns; it is difficult to know today what my career moves will be 10 years from now." But she is certain of one thing - continuous improvement.

Born in Hunan province, Liu's gymnastic story began when she was 5. The 1.54-m girl joined the Hunan provincial team in 1987 and became a member of the national team five years later.

Her original wish was to become a policeman. "I am not a born athlete. My physique was not as good as that of my peers," Liu recalls.

Indeed, Liu's gymnastic career bloomed late. She didn't win her first world championship until 1998, after 14 years of professional training, and a setback during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta almost forced her to retire.

But her coach persuaded her to continue. After another four years of hard training, she returned to the Olympic stage.

In 2000, Liu won China's first-ever Olympic gold medal for the balance beam and was China's first All Around medallist, with a bronze. In the year after the Sydney Olympics, Liu retired from the national team.

"I had devoted everything to gymnastics. I knew almost nothing besides gymnastics, but I needed to know more than just sports for the future."

Given her good looks and sunny smile, Liu was invited by ad agencies and the film industry. Nicknamed Xuan Mei Ren (Xuan Beauty) by the Chinese mainland media, Liu's entry into showbiz was a natural next step.

While confident and graceful on the balance beam, she found the showbiz stage to be an altogether different matter. Despite endless media exposure, Liu still does not feel as confident in the public eye as she did on the Olympic stage.

"It is really difficult for me to face the media as a TV star. I feel nervous," she says. "The way you talk, behave and promote yourself is totally different from being an athlete," she adds.

But the small girl has big dreams and sticks to it. "I realized that gymnastics is still my biggest love and so I decided to go back to it."

Liu enrolled at the Media College at Peking University where she graduated with a degree in journalism and communication, and in 2006, was certified as an international gymnastics judge. She is ready to rejoin the sport in a new role.

She also ran as a torchbearer for Beijing Olympic Games this August, her smile reminding people of her victory on the balance beam. She has released two singles with an Olympic theme. Her first single - a pop-rock number titled Chu Fa - delves into what goes on in an athlete's mind ahead of the Olympics.

"I have come to realize that results are not as important as one might think, nor what others think of me. What's most important is that I've tried my best and enjoy what I'm doing," she says.