On May 12, 2006, Donnellan walked onto a tumbling mat at Tucson’s Gymnastics World and did a single front flip, a move he’d done daily for seven years.
But that day, the 16-year-old Salpointe Catholic High School sophomore over-rotated and, in less time than it takes to give your best friend a high-five, fractured two vertebrae and damaged his spinal cord. …
Today Drew is age-18, a freshman at the University of Arizona.
The Tuscon Citizen posted a major article on Drew’s life after the accident:
Life at college has been an adjustment, but mostly in a good way, he said. He learned how to operate the elevator controls, something he couldn’t do before, and he loves being away from regimented high school schedules.
He doesn’t really have a social life yet, but is considering joining a Methodist campus ministry at UA and possibly the UA Adaptive Athletics quad-rugby team.
“I’ve pushed a quad chair,” he said. “I’m not very fast, but I can push it. I think it might be fun.”
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, questions arose regarding five of the six women on China’s gymnastics team. Evidence surfaced which indicated that the Chinese government many have falsified the athletes’ passports to pass the girls off as sixteen – the minimum age required for Olympic gymnastic competition. While the International Gymnastic Federation continues its investigation into the allegations, additional evidence has come to light which illustrates China’s habitual deceit and manipulation of the truth.
That evidence is presented here, translated for the first time into English, so the world can decide. The setting is the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where Yang Yun, an inexperienced Chinese gymnast won medals & captured hearts by surprisingly competing head-to-head against gymnastics legend, Svetlana Khorkina.
Yang Yun’s passport said she was sixteen.
Yang Yun says she was fourteen.
In this interview produced by state-run Chinese television, the truth finally comes forward behind the curtain of manipulation, misinformation, and deception.
Produced by Stryde Hax & HeatherShow.com
Translations by Cindy
Subtitles by Heather Lawver
Yang Yun is today a TV journalist, charismatic and intelligent.
I hope she admits the truth to investigators.
I hope she marries her Olympic Champion fiance Yang Wei and they live happily ever after.
However, there is almost certainly going to be extreme pressure from the National government on Yang Yun to claim some sort of error was made in that interview.
Us Weekly shares the inspirational stories of Olympic gymnasts Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone and Chellsie Memmel as well as Michael Phelps’ transformation from a bullied schoolkid to record-breaking swimmer.
Of course celebrity mags like this are always looking for an extreme story line:
Liukin, 18, has won four medals at the games – including the silver following a controversial tie-break – but she’s had her moments of doubt.
Just a few months ago, Liukin considered quitting, her best friend and training partner Katie Matusik tells Us …
All parents and gymnasts are welcome to stop by the gym tonight, Tuesday, September 30th at 8:45pm to wish him well.
DeVeau’s
Live.Breath.Love Gymnasticsreports a rumour that Olympic gymnast Samantha Peszek’s coachPeter Zhao is moving back to China.
There’s more detail on a new blog, The C Score:
This leaves Peszek at a gym with no qualified elite coach at Deveau’s in Fishers, Indiana. Rumor has it that she could go to Sharp’s, or even Chow’s.
…
Of the other two gyms, I think Sharp’s seems more likely. It’s in West Indianapolis, which is clearly closer than Iowa, and Peszek is one of those few elite gymnasts who actually goes to a real school, Cathedral High. (On that subject, anyone who does elite gymnastics while attending a regular school is leaps and bounds above everyone else.) Peszek would be training there with Bridget Sloan, fellow 2008 Olympic team member. …
Of course this is all speculation at this point. But that’s what blogs are for.
Coincidentally I was speaking with a Chinese coach by phone today. He told me salaries for coaches are very good in China right now. Fewer will be wanting to leave China for coaching abroad in future.
I’ve heard the same thing about Russia. Salaries have increased dramatically in recent years.
by site editor Rick McCharles
Gymnastics Coaching.com 