Gymternet Weekly: #1yearout, abuse allegations go international, and more (July 20-26, 2020)
Editor’s note: Welcome back to Gymternet Weekly! Gymnastics Now has been on a brief hiatus the past few weeks to celebrate our owners getting married. Thank you to our dedicated readers for understanding our absence!
It’s never a dull week around the gymternet! Here’s our weekly roundup of news, videos, and more from your favorite gymnasts!
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P.S. Have a news item or video you think should be considered for “Gymternet Weekly”? Email a link to [email protected]!
One year out to Tokyo 2O2One
The sports world celebrated the official start of the countdown to Tokyo 2020–again! To celebrate the one year out mark, athletes across the world spent the day sharing motivational posts and discussing all things Tokyo to commemorate 365 days until the games!
Dominique Dawes celebrates the opening of her gymnastics and ninja academy
That’s right, four-time Olympic medalist Dominique Dawes has officially opened her own gym. Dominique Dawes Gymnastics Academy, opened in early July with two large spaces in Clarksburg, Maryland, offering gymnastics ninja-warrior style classes.
“To open my doors really has been a dream come true,” Dawes said.
Read more here about how the mom of four hopes to create a “healthy” culture within her gym and potentially expand to additional locations in the future!
USOPTC reopens to athletes
The U.S. men who train at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center seemed to return to training this past week, with both Eddie Penev and Sam Mikulak sharing snapshots into their return to the gym.
“All cleared for training back at the Olympic Paralympic Training Center!
Can’t wait to get the Olympic journey started again ???? One year to go!” the newly-engaged Mikulak shared in a post to Instagram.
P.S. Penev seems to have completed his “Summer of Summits” in which he summited nine peaks around Colorado. Go Eddie!
International elite outrage reaches a boiling point
In the weeks since the release of “Athlete A” the #gymnastalliance and international athletes from around the world have come forward to share experiences of abuse within the sport, most notably in Great Britain, where Olympic medalist Amy Tinkler recently accused British Gymnastics of leaving her at risk while taking a “lengthy” amount of time to look into her allegations of abuse.
Meanwhile, the Dutch gymnastics federation has halted training for its women’s team while it carries out an investigation into allegations of intimidation and abuse.
Khorkina on gymnasts speaking out against abuse: “They just want fame.”
Per Gymnovosti, Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina was recently asked about the news of gymnasts around the world coming forward with abuse allegations and her response has the gymnastics world up in arms.
“Everyone chooses their own life,” Khorkina said. “If one wants an easy life, without putting in any effort – fine. But then one shouldn’t go into sports. They’re hard, you need to endure [a lot] there. It’s not PE lessons.”
French Olympian and current coach to Simone Biles, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi responded to Khorkina’s interview, tweeting, “When you think she could not reach a new low… Well, she proves us wrong! What a self-centered, egotistical, arrogant, ignorant lady she is… I respect her gymnastics career, but I cannot respect her as a woman.”
Read the full interview here.
Biles says she’ll be in Paris “one way or another”
Although Simone Biles has made clear how taxing the sport is on her mental and physical health, especially after the Tokyo Games were postponed a year, she’s no longer ruling out making a run at Paris.
In a recent Instagram Live Chat with the Olympic Channel’s Scott Bregman, Biles didn’t explicitly rule out competing in Paris 2024.
“You know, Cecile and Laurent joke about that a lot. It’d be really crazy because I don’t get any younger as time goes on,” Biles noted. “I try to pass it on to the younger girls, telling them ‘I’ll probably be there to watch you. But I’ll be there, one way or another. Probably in the stands.”
With the Tokyo Games delayed a year–and potentially cancelled altogether if the pandemic isn’t under control by then–it wouldn’t be surprising to see Biles push for Paris.
Whether she takes the “shortened” three-year quad as an opportunity to pursue a third Olympics or has to push through to finally make it to another games (if Tokyo were cancelled), Biles would almost certainly be a shoo-in for the team in 2024, and yes, we say that four years out.
Either way, the woman is unstoppable, and whenever she does choose to step away from the sport, it will be on her own terms.
U.S. sports rally to help sustain athletes by announcing Giving Games
A number of National Governing Bodies (NGBs), the organizations that help train and support athletes in their quest to compete on Team USA in the Olympic & Paralympic Games, recently came together to announce the launch of Giving Games: an effort to support and sustain U.S. sports federations and their athletes on their journey to Tokyo in 2021.
Set to take place over what would have been the original dates of the Tokyo Olympics, July 24 – August 9, the Giving Games will actively raise funds for athletes and their sports organizations.
Read more about the Giving Games here.
On the mend: Lilly Lippeatt undergoes hand surgery
U.S. National Team member Lilly Lippeatt recently underwent hand surgery and is now on the road to recovery. Lippeatt shared two snaps in the past week since her surgery, including two from the hospital and three from four days later where she can be seen wearing an arm brace/cast.
The first-year senior most recently helped the U.S. women to a first-place finish at the 2020 Gymnix International in Canada. She also placed eighth on balance beam at the meet.
Training clips: McCusker’s tribute to Nastia, the return of Chiles’ Amanar, Leyva works the beam, and more
As more and more gymnasts return to training across the world, we’re seeing an uptick in training videos, and we couldn’t be more excited! With the Olympics postponed and no meets for at least a couple of more months, the gymternet will take any peeks into the gym that athlete’s are willing to share. This week, we saw some U.S. athletes working some exciting upgrades.
This week, our training clips section is highlighted by Riley McCusker (USA), Jade Carey (USA), Claudia Fragapane (GBR), Paul Juda (USA), Danell Leyva (USA), and more.
Meme of the week
That feeling when it hurts to move.
