When California takes the floor at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas this week, there will be one notable absence in the lineup: Toni-Ann Williams.
Instead, the four-time Regular-Season All-American and two-time regional Gymnast of the Year will be more than 5,000 miles south in Rio de Janeiro, preparing for a competition equally as exciting and important to her gymnastics career. …
“When I talked to Cal’s coaching staff, they said they supported me whether I wanted to continue my international competition or not. That was a huge factor for me to choose Cal,” Williams said. “I couldn’t ask for better coaches, and since I started the university has been very supportive with my class schedule and training schedule.”
“The only question that we had for Toni was whether or not she wanted to defer or whether or not she wanted to compete with her team,” Crandall-Howell said. “There wasn’t a question in her mind that she wanted to compete with her team as long as she possibly could. That is unique to her as an individual. To me, it’s incredibly selfless and all about what a team should be.”
Williams eventually went with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. …
related – BBS: “… she has a better chance of making the Olympics than Cal has of making Super Six.”
Gymnastics Coaching.com 