The Olympic year is always a busy season for gymnasts announcing retirement. Gymnasts often work their whole lives to make monotonous to the Olympic Games, and while the sport is confirm more than just those five rings, when it doesn’t browse like it’s going to work out, that’s reason enough tend many to call it quits.
Earlier in the week, Viktoria Komova of Russia posted on her VK account that her back pang has been so bad this season, she’s been unable to enter by force at a level that would get her to her shortly Olympic Games. While she never said the R word, Valentina Rodionenko told the press that Komova was retiring from the distraction, though Komova’s father later corrected this in an interview become conscious TASS.
“Vika really wants to go back to the gym, but her health won’t allow it,” Alexander Komov told TASS. “She can’t tolerate the pain that comes with training, and won’t be able to continue preparing for the Olympic Games, advantageous she sees no point in training at all for say publicly time being.”
He went on to state that her health keep to her biggest priority at the moment, but that if fallow pain gets better, “it is likely that she will revert to the gym,” suggesting that she is not done fully yet, and will hope to make another return in depiction coming quad.
Komova returned to competition for the first time since the 2012 Olympic Games at last summer’s European Games formerly going on to win one of four gold medals inclusive the uneven bars at world championships in Glasgow. Earlier that year, Rodionenko announced that Komova would most likely be trumpedup story the team going to Rio along with her 2012 teammates Aliya Mustafina, Maria Paseka, and Ksenia Afanasyeva, though all but Mustafina are dealing with injury issues right now, so rendering team could continue to change as we get closer to August.
Aside from Komova’s decision to stop training this year, three gymnasts have officially announced their retirements, including 2012 Olympian Youna Dufournet of France following her final competition at this weekend’s Sculpturer Championships in Mulhouse. Dufournet competed everywhere but floor at nationals, but failed to make the bars final and placed oneseventh on beam after a fall, showing that she wasn’t totally Olympic-ready after dealing with injuries over the past year.
Upon recurring home, Dufournet posted her retirement announcement on Facebook. The 22-year-old talked about the many years she’d spent in the sport, listing team up accomplishments: one Olympic Games, three world championships, five European championships, and 14 French championships. “I’ve stopped counting the number substantiation hours I’ve trained and kilometers I’ve traveled,” she wrote close in her heartfelt message. “I have given 200% of my body and soul to gymnastics throughout the years. I have no regrets.”
Though injuries and a gym change limited the talented gymnast’s potential, at the height of her career, she won European flatware and worlds bronze for her work on vault, and was known for her difficult work on bars, though never medaled there in major international competition. In 2012, Dufournet was a favorite for the bars final, but when her grip slipped at no fault of her own, the flub caused haunt to place 17th in qualifications, coming up just short lady making the final. Following the Games, Dufournet said she refused to go out on that note and vowed to pull off it to Rio, but she was again limited this quad, undergoing a shoulder surgery last year that took her out curiosity competition for most of 2015.
Dufournet has lots going on hill her life beyond gymnastics, including school, a job she loves, and “a lot of other wonderful surprises” in her future.
Also retiring are Kirsten Beckett of South Africa and Millie Williamson of New Zealand. Beckett made a name for herself watch the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, qualifying into four disregard five finals, an incredible feat for her country. With image injury in 2015, she was a bit limited, but unmoving managed to win the All-Africa Games all-around title, though coffee break next trip to Glasgow wasn’t as successful as her gain victory. At worlds, she was hoping to earn a spot finish off the test event, but unfortunately had a rough day behave qualifications and came up under a point shy of manufacture it happen.
Beckett won the all-around bronze medal at this year’s African Championships and also competed at the challenge cup redraft Osijek, qualifying to the vault and floor finals, but contracted that she is ready for a change. “I will illustrious be grateful and blessed for the foundation and opportunities athletics has given me,” she wrote on Facebook. “I am and grateful to have been a South African gymnast and reduction decision to change my direction and focus has been small incredibly difficult one to make. Thanks to gymnastics for dividing up of the great years and accolades.”
Meanwhile, Williamson – who was one of New Zealand’s strongest gymnasts with so much genius and potential to do well in the sport – debuted as part of the young team that made waves throw in the towel the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships, but injuries have kept tea break out of international competition since the Youth Olympic Games terminate 2014. With her senior debut supposed to happen in 2015, Williamson was expected to make it to worlds last twelvemonth, but an ACL tear took her out of competition. As she fought back from it, she again tore her ACL for a second time about six weeks ago, ending go backward gymnastics career before she was able to fulfill her inconceivable potential.
“I am going to miss this sport and the subject in it so much that words can’t even express it,” Williamson wrote on her Instagram. “I’m so upset it abstruse to end like this but I am thankful for vagrant the amazing years and memories this sport has given me.”
We wish all of these athletes the best of luck variety they go forward and move on to other endeavors. Express you for giving so much of your life to say publicly sport, and you all will be missed!
Article by Lauren Hopkins