Sam’s done a lot of reflecting during COVID-19 shutdown.
He’s engaged to be married, too.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Category: Olympics
new Rebeca Andrade interview
In this exclusive interview with ge , via video call, directly from Sangalhos, in Portugal, where she resumed training with the Brazilian team last week, Rebeca talks about the most relevant issues in this round: quarantine alone, the importance of the mother, the recovery from another surgery, daily racism, harassment in gymnastics, the Olympic classification and the desire to win a medal in Tokyo. …
I’ve come here before, for competitions, and the people are really nice, so it’s cool. This contact with the Portuguese is very limited, mainly because of the virus. Better for us athletes. Here I have a room to myself. And the area that we can all be together is just the open area. Nothing closed. The girls cannot come to my room, and I cannot go to their room. But we have already done tests and everyone is fine, everyone is negative, everyone is in good health, thank God. Everything is going well. …
Yes, I watched “Athlete A”. I also watched the documentary that talks only about Larry Nassar (“No Coração do Ouro”). That’s it, impactful, heavy. I thank God that I did not go through this. That my coaches since I was little and now with Chico (Francisco Porath Neto) have always respected me. He always respected my mother (Rosa Santos), my family. So, something like that, so tense and difficult and abusive, didn’t happen to me. …
globoesporte (Portuguese)
New Aliya interview
Russia’s seven-time Olympic medallist in artistic gymnastics, Aliyá Mustáfina calls herself “unbreakable”.
Why? “Because I absolutely don’t care who thinks what about me,” she told Olympic Channel in an exclusive interview.
Since her country’s COVID-19 quarantine was lifted, Mustáfina is back to full-time training during the week and spending her weekends with her three-year-old daughter Alisa. …
The 25-year-old is the subject of an Olympic Channel film entitled ‘Life in the Day of Aliyá Mustáfina’ where she talks about how she always enjoyed competing against Aly Raisman and now Simone Biles. …
EXCLUSIVE! ALIYÁ MUSTÁFINA: “I’M PROBABLY THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO MYSELF.”
YOG Dakar delayed to 2026
The IOC and Senegal understand that this news will be disappointing for many young athletes. …
what’s a “false grip” on Rings?
One reason Eleftherios Petrounias deservedly won the Rings gold medal in Rio is that he does not “cheat” his strength holds with false grip.
Opening the hand makes it even clearer to the judges that no false grip is used.
the Konnor McClain story
With the Olympics postponed a year, Konnor is now age eligible.
Her main goal remains Olympics 2024.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/1279812163557867520
University of Calgary drops competitive Gymnastics
Bad news.
The last Canadian University with an elite competitive program is no more.
Head Coach Tony Smith:
On June 30, 2020 the University of Calgary ended its relationship with the Competitive Gymnastics program.
With severe budget cuts from the Provincial government and the subsequent Covid 19 crisis, it became impossible to financially continue operating the program.
The U of C have developed competitive gymnasts since 1967, and produced CWUAA, CIAU, Canadian, Pan Am, FISU Games, Pacific Rim, Commonwealth, and World medalists. In 2008, half of the men’s Olympic team came from the U of C.
Many of the parents and coaches of the existing program are looking into a new facility, and hope to continue the tradition with a new club. It will never be the University of Calgary, but what we all learned from our time there can certainly be taught to future generations.
(I’ll stick around to help this one get started)
I feel like the luckiest Dino of all time, I spent 37 years at the U of C gym, and was privileged to train with, work with, and coach some incredible people.
There were so many individuals that influenced, inspired, and supported me to live my dream, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them.
Die for the Dino,
Tony Smith
U of C coach
1989-2020
Kohei to focus on Horizontal Bar
NHK has learned that two-time Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Uchimura Kohei is aiming to qualify for the Tokyo Games in just one event — the horizontal bar. …
… the 31-year-old ace has struggled with ankle and shoulder injuries since the Rio Games. …
Athlete A – now on Netflix
June 24th.
Netflix now has the documentary on the USA Gymnastics criminal doctor.
Athlete A is Maggie Nichols.
First, we all need thank Maggie, Sarah Jantzi and Maggie’s parents.
And we all need thank Rachael Denhollander and Jamie Dantzscher.
Now that the criminal doctor is in prison for up to 175 years, it’s easy to forget how difficult were those early accusations.
It’s easy to forget how many very smart people were fooled by the conman. Jamie — at the time — felt he was the only nice adult associated with USA Gymnastics.
The documentary is well done. Recommend it to your non-Gymnastics friends. We can reduce medical malpractice and abuse in future. Protect athletes.
Revisit, too, the selection process for the Rio Olympic team. Certainly Maggie should have been one of the alternates.
An August 2016 article in the Indianapolis Star about USA Gymnastics protecting coaches accused of abuse leads to the explosive revelation that the USAG women’s team doctor, Larry Nassar, had been abusing athletes for over two decades.
This film follows the IndyStar reporters as they reveal the extensive cover-up that allowed abuse to thrive within elite-level gymnastics for more than two decades, the attorney who is fighting the institutions that failed these athletes, and most importantly, the brave whistle-blowers who refuse to be silenced.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
In addition to watching the documentary, be sure to listen to an excellent interview with Jennifer Sey on Gymnastic.
Sey is the producer.
Jennifer’s 2008 book Chalked Up is available in digital format with a new forward.
#OlympicDay workout Tuesday, June 22
Exercise from anywhere alongside Olympic gymnasts. Sounds like #StayStrong fitness live streams will be happening all day around the world. Check social media.
Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 