Amanda Turner wrote a great article for International Gymnast magazine:
The numbers tell the story of Aljaz Pegan’s incredible career.
The venerable Slovenian has competed in 14 world championships — every one since his first appearance in 1989.
Six times he has competed in the high bar final at worlds — winning four medals, including the gold in 2005.
He is ranked No. 1 on high bar in the FIG World Cup points system; with more than 750 points, he has nearly 300 points more than the next highest gymnast.
photo – gymnasticsonline.co.ukBut for Pegan, the only unimpressive number in his career is 0. That’s the number of Olympics he has been in. Four Olympics have passed since his first world championships appearance, three have passed by since his first world championships final and one has passed since his first world medal.
At the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, he barely missed qualifying to the Olympics. It was the first time that the qualifying system, which traditionally grants berths to the strongest teams and all-arounders, allowed individuals to earn berths to the Olympics by winning an apparatus gold medal. But Pegan won the silver on high bar in Stuttgart, and although it was another world championship medal, it wasn’t enough to earn him a trip to Beijing.
At age 33, Pegan points out that trying one more time to qualify to the Olympic Games in 2012 may be unrealistic.
So for the next five months, the most important number for Aljaz Pegan is: one. There is one single remaining berth to the 2008 Olympic Games, a wild card spot to be decided in April by a Tripartite Committee made up of one member each from the FIG, the IOC and the 2008 Olympic organizing committee. It is the number one that keeps Pegan’s Olympic dreams alive today.
In this IG Online interview, Pegan talks about his numbers, his Olympic hopes and the efforts he and his country are making to convince the Tripartite Commission that he is deserving of its selection. …
As I’ve said before, Aljaz Pegan should get that wild card. More details.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 