Oksana Chusovitina no longer has a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games for the ninth time. The 48-year-old gymnast had her last chance tomorrow Friday at the Asian Championship, which will be held in her home country, Uzbekistan.
“My dear friends, fans and everyone who loves gymnastics! Unfortunately, I have some sad news for you,” Chusovitina wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday, while doing the podium training for the Asian Championship, which takes place in Tashkent and is a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics, I was injured during the floor series. I will not be able to participate and I am very sad, since I have been preparing for this competition for a long time,” he added in the publication that also has a video message.
At the start of the season, Chusovitina sought to qualify as a specialist in foal jumping through the world cup circuit. Failing to be among the two best – it was fifth in the ranking – of his favorite device, he only had a chance at the continental level. The detail is that in the Asian tournament I had a greater demand: I had to do all four tests, that is, jump, parallel, beam and floor.
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In Tokyo 2020, he seemed to say goodbye. Although there was no audience at the Ariake Gymnastics Center, the few authorized to attend the competition cheered her on qualifying day. She wanted to advance to the final jump, but her performance hadn’t been the strongest and, deep down, she knew it wouldn’t be enough for her to be among the eight Olympic finalists. Excited as she was rarely seen, she greeted with both hands up and received recognition from her rivals. He finished in 14th place, the Olympic final slipped away by half a point. It seemed like goodbye.
In May 2022, Chusovitina confessed that she would try to have one more Olympic cycle. I wanted to qualify for the Paris Games: “I can’t get enough. I like the process. I like everything related to sports, gymnastics. I like the atmosphere of the competitions. I even like the training process. It’s my air to breathe. My philosophy of life is to do the things that bring me joy and happiness”, were some of Chusovitina’s words when she entered the International Gymnastics Federation Hall of Fame.
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After eight consecutive Games, the artistic gymnastics competition, which will begin for women on July 28 in Paris Bercy, will not have Oksana Chusovitina on its starting list. Winner of two Olympic medals, the Uzbek woman has already exhausted her chances of qualifying. He did not give details about his future, although this time the end may be near.
