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Post by Admin on Jul 10, 2016 1:50:01 GMT
 An 18-year-old gymnast who grew up in Hamlet and trains in Huntersville has a decent chance to make the U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team this weekend. Ashton Locklear will compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials for women's gymnastics in San Jose, Calif., starting Friday. You can watch the competition live on NBC (9-11 p.m.) The second and final day of the competition will be live Sunday on NBC (8:30-11 p.m.), with the five-woman team being named at approximately 10:45 p.m. Sunday after the competition concludes. Locklear's specialty is the uneven bars -- she will be a threat to win an Olympic medal in Rio in that event if she can make the American team.  Locklear is thought to be on the bubble to earn a spot on the U.S. team, with four of the spots more or less set barring injury and Locklear attempting to win the fifth and final spot in a battle with 1-2 other gymnasts.  |
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Post by Admin on Jul 20, 2016 1:31:24 GMT
 _ashtonlocklear2016 Olympic Team🇺🇸🇧🇷 #rio The feeling of walking on the floor, confetti falling, tears of joy, and the crowd chanting USA, USA, USA is a feeling like no other. Locklear, 18, is from Hamlet and trains five days a week in Huntersville. A member of the Lumbee Tribe, she has serious enough back issues that she was the only young woman among the 14 in the competition not to compete in all four events. Locklear instead competed in only the uneven bars and balance beam, as usual. Locklear had a stellar night Sunday on both those rotations after she fell off the beam on Friday. Locklear’s uneven bars routine earned the second-highest score – Kocian had the best uneven bars score and likely was the one Locklear had to unseat if she were to make it – Sunday night.  But it wasn’t quite enough, as the coaches decided to go with five women’s gymnasts who have the capability to do all four events to give the U.S. team more versatility in case of injury or illness. Locklear was named as one of the three “replacement” athletes to the Summer Games, but will be a non-competing alternate unless one of the five athletes is hurt between now and the start of the Games in early August. Replacement athletes usually travel to the site of the Games with the team, however, and do continue training as if they are going to be on the team. |
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Post by Admin on Jul 30, 2016 2:09:16 GMT
With three weeks to go until the 2016 Summer Olympics, North Carolina gymnast Ashton Locklear finds herself in a state of red, white and blue limbo. On Sunday night in California, at the conclusion of the women’s gymnastics trials for the U.S. team, Locklear was told she didn’t make the five-woman squad. And then, as tears streamed down her face and her coach comforted her, she was told she did make the three-woman replacement team. That means Locklear will go to Rio with the rest of the U.S. squad, but she won’t compete unless somebody else gets hurt. “So first I was crying because I was sad,” Locklear said, “and then I was crying because I was happy.” Now comes the uncertainty. Locklear could be a sudden star in Brazil – coming off the bench to pinch-hit for an injured teammate – or she could stay in the shadows forever. If she doesn’t compete, she will not receive a medal (the U.S. is heavily favored to win the team gold) because the alternates don’t get one. She will fly to Rio with the other U.S. gymnasts in early August, but she doesn’t get to stay or practice in the Olympic Village with her teammates. She and the other two alternates will be housed and continue their training just outside the Olympic Village, waiting for a call-up that may never come.  Then again, it might. Already, one of the three replacement gymnasts on the U.S. men’s team has been pressed into service in Brazil. John Orozco made the five-man team originally but got hurt during training camp this week and had to withdraw with a torn ACL. He was replaced Friday by alternate Danell Leyva. Said Locklear: “I’m definitely not wishing anyone any harm ... But I came back and I’m training just like I’m one of the five. you still have to be in perfect shape so that if one of them does get hurt, you’re ready.” |
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