48-year-old, eight-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina not giving up on ninth Games, says she’s aiming for LA 2028
Olympic gymnastics fans may not have seen the last of the legendary Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan.
The 48-year-old recently was forced out of the final Olympic qualifier – the Asian Championships – due to injury, ending dream of a ninth Olympic Games after having competed at the last eight in-a-row.
"My dear friends, fans and everyone who loves Gymnastics! Unfortunately, I have some sad news for you," Chusovitina wrote on Instagram on 23 May. "Yesterday, while training on the podium of the Asian Championships, which is taking place in Tashkent and is a qualifying event for the Olympic Games in Paris, I was injured during the floor exercise. 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.”
On Thursday (6 June), the 1992 Olympic gold medal winner replied to several Instagram Q&As, including two about her future in the sport.
First, saying “Yes!!!” in reply to a question regarding if she would try for the 2028 Games. Later, she was asked if there was any chance she would go to the Olympics.
“There are chances!! But if not, you'll see me in 2028!!!” Chusovitina replied.
The three-time World champion will be 53 years old when the LA 2028 Games get underway.
Italy’s Vanessa Ferrari focused on team effort ahead of possible Paris Olympic berth
Four-time Olympian Vanessa Ferrari outlined her approach to a possible fifth Olympic team this week during an Instagram Q&A.
“One must be competitive and make a true contribution to the team, in addition to any individual final objective,” she wrote. “For this reason, I am mainly training what has been requested of me, precisely with a team perspective. If this is of excellent quality and there useful, good. Otherwise, if there is someone more useful or more ready, it is right that she be chosen.”
Ferrari burst onto the senior international scene in 2006 when she became the first Italian woman to win the world all-around crown.
At Tokyo 2020, she won her first Olympic medal – a silver on the floor exercise.
With Paris 2024 less than 50 days away, Ferrari is likely focused on her two strongest events, vault and floor exercise, where she is best positioned to add to Team Italy’s score, especially in the wake Asia D’Amato’s injury.
“At the moment, everyone is obviously giving their best,” Ferrari said. “But since Italy is more ambitious than ever, it is right that the choice be objective and therefore thought out for the best result.
“Names or feelings do not matter, but the points that each one could contribute,” she continued. “In a month there will be the Nationals, and they will be an important test.”
Ferrari said she expects the team to be finalised by mid-July.
From the vault…
This week, we take a look back at the United States team on the uneven bars from the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996. The squad, nicknamed the ‘Magnificent Seven,’ won the nation’s first Olympic title. On the bars, Dominique Dawes led the rotation with a 9.850 score.