Record-breaking gymnast Oksana Chusovitina's bid for ninth Olympics ends with injury at 48
Record-breaking 48-year-old gymnast Oksana Chusovitina says an injury has ended her attempt to qualify for what would have been her ninth Olympics
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) — Record-breaking 48-year-old gymnast Oksana Chusovitina says an injury has ended her attempt to qualify for what would have been her ninth Olympics.
Chusovitina said in a statement on Instagram that she had been injured while practicing her floor exercise ahead of the Asian championships in her home country of Uzbekistan. That was Chusovitina's last opportunity to qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
“I will not be able to take part and I am very upset as I have been preparing for this competition for a long time,” Chusovitina said in the statement Thursday. The competition was starting Friday, and Chusovitina said she would be there to support the rest of the Uzbekistan team.
Chusovitina's long career is all the more striking in gymnastics, a sport where medalists are often in their teens and elite-level careers rarely last long. She has previously competed alongside gymnasts a third of her age.
