Injury takes down 48-year-old Oksana Chusovitina's Olympic ambitions and historic run.
On Thursday, Chusovitina shared on Instagram that she had sustained an injury while practicing for the Asian Gymnastic Championships happening in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
According to Olympics.com, she had to compete and get the highest eligibility score in the overall standings to become eligible for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and make history with a ninth consecutive appearance at the Olympics.
"Dear friends, fans, and everyone who adores Gymnastics! I have some bad news for you all. Yesterday, while practicing on the floor exercise podium at the Asian Championships in Tashkent (a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics), I experienced an injury. I won't be able to compete, and I'm extremely disheartened since I had spent a lot of time preparing for this tournament. My initial plan was to perform in our home country, in front of our fans. But, unfortunately, you won't see me among the participants tomorrow," she wrote.
Chusovitina first competed in the Olympics in 1992 during the Barcelona games as a member of the former Soviet republics, known as the "Unified Team." She obtained gold in the team all-around event that year and has participated in every Summer Games since.
Her only other medal came in the vault event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming a German athlete on that occasion and again in 2012, after acquiring citizenship. She switched back to representing Uzbekistan for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
Chusovitina secured the Uzbekistan all-around title in April, ahead of Lobar Amrillaeva, who was born in 2006, giving her a better chance at qualifying for Paris. However, her record may not last long as Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze, who has taken part in every Summer Games since her debut in Seoul in 1988, attained an Olympic spot last year, and is now gearing up to attend her tenth consecutive Olympics, a historic achievement.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
