Morgan Hurd falls short of Olympic Trials
2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd has been declined her petition to participate in the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials for Gymnastics, set for later this month in St. Louis.
The initial news broke from Hurd’s close friend and Australian gymnast Health Thorpe via Twitter. Following day 2 of women’s competition at the 2021 U.S. Championships, Thorpe announced that Hurd’s petition had been declined. The tweet has since been deleted.
Hurd made the news official herself on Monday night, June 7, when she made a statement on Instagram thanking her supporters and wishing the other gymnasts good luck.
“Never know what the future holds,” Hurd’s post reads. “Just want to say thank you to everyone especially Slava, Brooke, my friends, and family for constantly supporting me. Would have never gotten to be where I am today or accomplish what I have without all of you. Congratulations to all the girls who made it to Olympic Trials, I know you will all kill it and I’ll be cheering you all on!”
The official roster for Olympic Trials can be found here. It includes the entire 2021 national team that was named at the conclusion of the 2021 U.S. Championships.
At the end of that meet, national team coach Tom Forster was asked by media about the status of any petitions.
All he could say for certain was that the 18 women announced at nationals would be competing at trials, but the petition process was not over.
“I can’t speak to the petitions because I would speak to the athletes first,” Forster said. “I don’t want to answer that to the media before I talk to the athletes.”
While Forster has opted to stay silent, the gymternet has not. Athletes and supporters have been sharing their thoughts on Hurd’s declined petition via Twitter.
Gymternet reacts to Morgan Hurd being denied berth to 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials
Hurd, 19, is currently committed to the University of Florida and is scheduled to enroll in the fall.
In a Twitter Space stream with Thorpe and other listeners, Hurd laughed about her excitement to get a taste of the world outside gymnastics.
“I’m excited to have friends that aren’t gymnasts,” Hurd said. “Sometimes it’s easier when people don’t know gymnastics.”
Hurd also has the opportunity to postpone her college journey and pursue a spot on the U.S. team for the 2021 World Championships in October. Regardless of her decision, Hurd is sure to remain a strong figure and a supported individual in the gymnastics community.
