Oksana Chusovitina: "Why should I leave the sport if it brings me joy?"
The eight-time Olympic gymnast is keeping the secret to her longevity to herself, but says she'll keep at it as long as she enjoys it.
Artistic Gymnastics
Legendary gymnast Oksana Chusovitina, who turned 48 Monday (19 June), is keeping the secret to her longevity close to the chest.
“When I retire from the sport, I will definitely tell you what the secret is,” she said after taking vault silver in the apparatus finals at the Asian Gymnastics Championships in Singapore. “I can’t tell you now. It’s a secret.”
The eight-time Olympian suffered a fall on her first vault during the team and all-around finals in Singapore, causing her to miss out on an all-around berth to September’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, the sport’s biggest Paris 2024 qualifier.
Instead, she is qualified on vault only – the event where she is a 2008 Olympic silver medallist. She’ll have a chance to qualify to her ninth Games in Antwerp where she'll need to be the highest eligible finisher on the event.
If she misses out at the Worlds, there are quota spots available at both the 2024 International Gymnastics Federation Apparatus World Cup series and the 2024 Asian Championships.
Chusovitina had announced that she would retire from the sport following the Tokyo 2020 Games, but after a brief time away from the sport – some 67 days separate her performance in Tokyo and an Instagram post announcing her return – she’s back aiming for a historic ninth Games.
“In Tokyo, yes, I said that [I would retire],” admitted Chusovitina. “But we are women, we are so fickle. Today, we say yes, tomorrow, we say no. I just realised, I felt that I can do this. Why should I leave the sport if it brings me joy?”
And so, while she may keep secret the key to her historic longevity in a sport dominated by teenagers and mid-20 somethings, one ingredient must simply be her love of the sport.
“I really like gymnastics. I love gymnastics,” Chusovitina said. “When you do your job with joy, it brings you great joy. I don’t go to the training hall because it is necessary, I go because I like it.”
If that love remains, the ageless Uzbek is likely to be a fixture on the world gymnastics scene.
“While I am able to do this well, I will continue going,” she said. “I will train, I will compete. I think every person is unique, so everything is different for everyone. As long as I am able to do this, as long as I like it, I will continue doing it.”