Gymternet Weekly: Artur Dalaloyan’s Olympics in jeopardy, NCAA season goes out with a bang (April 12 – 18, 2021)

Artur Dalaloyan’s Olympics in question after Achilles tendon tear

Artur Dalaloyan faces an uphill battle to make his first Olympic squad after tearing his Achilles tendon last week in training while for the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Basel, Switzerland.

“Unfortunately, Arthur was injured during a control training session with a partial Achilles tendon tear. At the European Championships, Arthur will be replaced by Kirill Prokopyev,” Russian head coach Valentina Rodionenko said, according to TASS.

Rodionenko says doctors expect a full comeback and a three month recovery, but with three months and one week until the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, time is not on his side to make his first Olympic squad, especially on events like floor and vault where Dalaloyan excels but that put tremendous pressure on his legs.

Read the full story from Olympic Channel here.

Michigan, Stanford take home team titles at 2021 NCAA Championships

The 2021 NCAA Gymnastics season came to an exciting end this weekend with Stanford and Michigan winning the men’s and women’s 2021 NCAA Championships, respectively.

Stanford’s men’s team won its second-straight national title after leading the team standings almost the entire meet, except heading into the final rotation when Oklahoma took a narrow lead. As they have all season, Oklahoma gave the defending champs a run for their money, but Stanford put up six complete rotations of 5 up, 5 count routines to win the title with a 414.521.

In true NCAA fashion, Saturday’s battle for the women’s title came down to the very last routine, with Michigan beam anchor Abby Heiskell delivering the title-winning routine. The Wolverine’s women’s team made history with a program-best 198.2500 to clinch its first-ever national title and become just the seventh women’s program to win a NCAA title.

Relive the weekend that was with Gymnastics Now’s coverage, including live blogs, recaps, and more, linked below. Be on the lookout for our championship photo galleries coming this week!

ICYMI: Gymnastics Now’s 2021 NCAA Championships coverage

Men

• Stanford men’s gymnastics overcomes setbacks to defend national title
• 2021 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships – Finals Live Blog
• 2021 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Semifinals recap: Stanford, Wiskus dominate day one
• 2021 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships – Semifinal 2 Live Blog
• 2021 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships – Semifinal 1 Live Blog
• 2021 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships preview: Powerhouses poised to dominate

Women

• Michigan women’s gymnastics wins first national title thanks to clutch performance
• 2021 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships – Finals Live Blog
• 2021 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Semifinals recap: Webb snags three titles, Oklahoma leads pack heading into team final
• 2021 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships – Semifinal 2 Live Blog
• 2021 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships – Semifinal 1 Live Blog
• 2021 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships preview: It’s anyone’s title to win

Olympic movement celebrates 100 days out to Tokyo despite Japanese dissent

To mark 100 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics begin, fans and athletes alike celebrated by sharing their excitement to finally see the games take place in the form of social posts, training videos, and even the organizing committee itself unveiling a giant set of Olympics rings on top of Tokyo’s Mount Takao, as well as statues of the Olympic and Paralympic mascots at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government headquarters.

[WATCH: Celebrate #100daysout with these 10 gym vids from Olympic hopefuls!]

But the celebrations didn’t come without concerns and, for some, outright dissent to the idea of hosting the Olympics during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.

In a commentary published in the British Medical Journal last Wednesday, health experts said Japan’s inability to contain the COVID-19 pandemic means that plans to hold the Olympics in Tokyo should be reconsidered. This as Japan expands quasi-emergency measures to halt a fourth wave of infections after having just began its inoculation push in February, later than most major economies.

Read the full story here.

UCLA Gymnastics athletes star on the latest digital cover of Essence: Girls United

Ahead of the NCAA Gymnastics championships, ESSENCE’s Girl United platform highlighted UCLA gymnasts Chae Campbell, Nia Dennis, Margzetta Frazier and Sekai Wright for its spring digital cover.

Read more about the UCLA Gymnastics cover here.

College Gymnastics Association announces 2021 end-of-year award winners

Prior to the start of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships in Minnesota last week, the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) held a virtual award ceremony to announce and celebrate its 2021 end-of-year award winners. See the list of nominees and winners highlighted below.

Read the full 2021 College Gymnastics Association Awards Program here.

Must watch: Words of wisdom from John Roethlisberger on future of NCAA men’s gym

Aly Raisman talks about Aerie line to benefit child abuse prevention

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman recently joined TODAY to discuss the Tokyo Olympics and collaborating with Aerie for a line that raises money and awareness for child abuse prevention. She also talks about the need for an independent investigation into USA Gymnastics after allegations of sexual abuse.

Watch the full video here or below.

Final dismount: Nia Dennis caps gymnastics career with vault upgrade at nationals

The best-kept secret in the NCAA season this year? We think so! UCLA senior Nia Dennis went out with a bang, upgrading her vault at NCAA Championships to a double-twisting Yurchenko – the hardest vault competed at the meet – ultimately concluding her gymnastics career, as she will not be taking a fifth year.