Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan competes during the women's vault final of artistic gymnastics at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept. 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
Seemingly ageless gymnastics legend Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan missed the podium in the Hangzhou Asiad vault final, but will continue to pursue a berth at the Paris Olympics.
HANGZHOU, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Seemingly ageless gymnastics legend Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan narrowly missed a medal in the vault final in Hangzhou Asian Games here on Thursday, but she said she will continue to train and compete for a berth at the Olympics in Paris.
"Now I have made it clear that I still need to improve in order to qualify for the Olympics, but I feel I have more energy than before," the 48-year-old told Xinhua after the match.
Chusovitina finished on 13.383 points, only 0.15 points behind China's Yu Linmin, who claimed a bronze medal.
"For me, the Asian Games is over. I already walked out of the competing atmosphere," she said.
Oksana Chusovitina competes during the final. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
Chusovitina impressed the audience as she tried a routine with a difficulty of 5.0 and she landed well to score 13.533, but the difficulty in her second routine dropped to only 4.4.
"I am not feeling regret for missing a medal in Asian Games, life is not over and I will continue to train," she said.
Chusovitina has a storied history at the Asian Games, having won eight medals, including two golds in 2002.
When Chusovitina's son was diagnosed with leukemia in 2002, she adopted German citizenship to compete at global events for a higher income and better medical treatment. After her son's recovery, Chusovitina continued her gymnastics journey out of sheer love for the sport. Though she announced her retirement after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she decided to return shortly after.
"I would like to give my thanks to all the people in China who care me and my son. My son is a university student and he wants to be a teacher in the future," Chusovitina said. ■
