Vanessa Ferrari's Paris 2024 dreams end with calf injury
Italian gymnast Vanessa Ferrari's dreams of a fifth Olympic Games at Paris 2024 have come to an end, the champion gymnast announced Thursday (27 June) on her Instagram.
"My journey to #Paris2024 ends here. 💔 Yesterday, in the gym, during the test in preparation for next week's national championships, my calf gave out during a jump take-off," she wrote on a video post showing the tumbling pass where the injury inccurred. "With only a month left until the Olympics, there isn't enough time to recover from a muscle injury.
"Although I've been battling various ailments since December, technically I was doing very well. Unfortunately, my body couldn't hold up," she continued. "I embarked on this journey with the desire to fight to the end but also with the awareness that this type of outcome was possible; it’s part of the "game." However, even though I've had many injuries in my career, you never get used to it and the blow is always hard, especially after three years of training and a month away from the final goal.
"Now I need a moment to process this hard blow, but I want to thank everyone who has supported me and always believed in me because the support I've received has always been fundamental!" she concluded.
Ferrari, 33, jump-started a historic stretch in the sport for Italy, winning the 2006 world all-around title, a first for her nation. She is also the 2007 European all-around winner. Ferrari representd Italy at the Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games.
Her Olympic triumph came in Tokyo, her fourth Games, where she captured the silver medal in the floor exercise final behind American Jade Carey.