Liu Jiayu is a snowboarder whose specialization is the half-pipe

Half-pipe

A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, and inline skating. The structure is wood, concrete, metal, earth, or snow. It resembles a cross section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps , topped by copings and...

. She has six World Cup Victories and a halfpipe victory at the FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2009

FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2009

The FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2009 took place between January 17th and January 24th in Gangwon, South Korea.-Snowboard Cross:Qualification runs began on January 17th with the finals taking place on January 18th.-Parallel Giant Slalom:...

. She began snowboarding in 2003, switching over from martial arts at the relatively late age of 11. Liu competed for China at the 2010 Winter Olympics

China at the 2010 Winter Olympics

China participated at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, sending its largest delegation at a Winter Olympics with 94 athletes...

, where she achieved 4th place.

Liu is originally from Hegang

Hegang

-Subdivisions:The prefecture-level city of Hegang is divided in 6 districts and 2 counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data for 2010 Census.-Early History:...

, but moved to Harbin

Harbin

Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...

for winter-sports training. Her nickname is Birdie.