Post by Admin on Jul 25, 2021 22:54:53 GMT
Oksana Chusovitina, the 46-year-old gymnastics legend, fought back tears after her career came to a close Sunday at the Olympics.
With an eight emblazoned on her leotard to signify her record for most Olympic appearances, Chusovitina narrowly fell short of the Olympics gymnastics final with a 14.166 score.
Following the competition, Chusovitina, who competed in her first Olympics in 1992 and was representing Uzbekistan, climbed atop the vault runway and received cheers from a small crowd of gymnasts and coaches.
“It was really nice,” she said. “I cried tears of happiness because so many people have supported me for a long time.”
Chusovitina’s illustrious Olympic career began in 1992, five years before Simone Biles was born, when she competed with the Unified team made up of athletes from the former Soviet Union who won gold that year. In her following appearances, she has represented Uzbekistan and Germany.
After saying she would retire following the 2012 Olympics, Chusovitina — who was inducted into the Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2017 — said that this time was final.
“I’m 46 years old,” Chusovitina said. “Nothing is going to change my mind. My son is 22 years old and I want to spend time with him.
“I want to be a mom and wife.”