Summer Olympics Postponed… From a gymnastics perspective
April 10, 2020
Editor’s note: Callie Miller is a 10th grade Titan who is also a gymnast. She trains throughout the year perfecting her craft and competes in local and regional competitions. She decided to take a look at the impact of the postponement of the Summer Olympics on the gymnastics community for her weekly contribution to the Titan Times.
The 2020 summer Olympic Games have been postponed until 2021. The Olympic Games have never been postponed for anything besides war, but the games haven’t seen anything quite like the novel coronavirus. For athletes, this pandemic is an abrupt stop to their training and frankly, heartbreaking. These Olympic hopefuls have been training their whole lives for their one moment. The moment that could last a lifetime.
Elite gymnasts plan their training around being at their best at certain times. Age is a big factor in being successful in the sport of gymnastics. For gymnasts, retirement comes early. A year can make a big difference in a gymnastics career. With the postponing of the Olympics, it could result in many missed opportunities for gymnasts who were hoping to be Olympians in 2020. Many will have missed their prime by the time the year of 2021 rolls around.
Carly Patterson, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, spoke to the Olympic Games being postponed in a recent Instagram post. She spoke about how it would have impacted her gymnastics career when she was just 16 years old. “For me, 2004 was my one and only shot…how crazy is it that even your birthday can be such a determining factor in your shot at the Olympics,” Patterson said. She goes on to talk about the devastation she would have felt if the opportunity of the 2004 Olympic Games had been taken away. Patterson’s dreams came true, however, former gymnasts of all levels know the ramifications of the games being postponed. With all of the disappointment that comes along with the games being postponed, it has become apparent that the Olympic hopefuls support the decision; putting the world before themselves.
Simone Biles, who is the face of women’s gymnastics today, said, “…it was ultimately the right decision” to postpone the 2020 games in a recent Today Show interview. In the gymnastics world, Biles is unstoppable, so it will be interesting to see how she handles the pause in her training. In the interview, she went on to say how important mental training will be for her during her break from the gym. The coronavirus pandemic has clearly shaken the gymnastics community, however, the love we all have for the sport only grows with time off. Stay safe out there.
Stump, Scott. “Simone Biles on postponed Olympics: ‘I cried, but ultimately it
was the right decision.'” Today.com, 1 Apr. 2020, today.com/news/
simone-biles-says-postponing-olympics-was-right-decision-t177230. Accessed
