About Last Night: The Podium of Hard Knocks
It was always going to be a heck of a bars final. This is, without a doubt, the deepest event final field in the woman’s events, meaning it could have gone any way among the top handful of women. But this was not the only reason why last night’s bars final was to be spectacular for gymnastics fans. It was also the way that so many gymnast’s stories would be rounded out by this particular final. Like the vault final was seen as Oksana Chusovitina’s swansong, the bars final had the capacity to be a hugely significant point in some of these gymnasts careers. It was the culmination of some incredible journeys in gymnastics. And this was particularly the case for the three magnificent gymnasts who graced the podium at the end of the bars final. If experience really is the teacher of all things, then every young gymnast working her way up the ranks can stand to learn a thing or two or three from these three women.
I said in my wrap of the all around that I am yet another Johnny-come-lately Mustafina fan. I have never warmed quickly to the gymnast who busts out of the junior ranks and immediately takes all. Ironically, in a sport notorious for its incredible difficulty, I seem to be lukewarm about things coming too easily. So, despite the fact that it was plainly evident that this young woman who captured the World crown in 2010 was one of the most interesting things to come to international gymnastics, I did not warm up straight away. Despite this tepid reaction, the thing that intrigued me back then, however, was the way in which she competed. Fierce, aloof and with disquieting calm she moved through her all around competition with the air of someone who could not lose. It was mesmerizing to watch. Where outrageous talent won’t get you, self-belief certainly will.
It was the memory of this that probably made her Europeans campaign earlier this year so brutal to watch. After a horrendous injury and what felt like an interminable recovery period, the gymnast who had been in such tranquil possession of her outstanding difficulty has disappeared and been replaced by someone older and wiser- wiser to the fact she was both fallible and breakable. It was hard to watch. These Olympics, however, have shown us, and perhaps her coaches, who seemed rather reticent in being hopeful about her coming Olympic performance, that this was a blip on the radar of a true competitive spirit. London has seen the return of that dangerous calm we saw in 2010. Few can muster it on call like Mustafina.
But we can be grateful for her injury, too, in some ways. Because it brought us new edges, new dimensions to Mustafina’s gymnastics. For one, her bars, which were already outstanding became even better for that forced time off her feet. One gets the feeling she could breeze through those complex transitions in her sleep. But the other, oft-commented upon new element of Mustafina in these Olympics is her obvious joy in her results. She does not seem to feel entitled to the win, in the way a young athlete who does not know losing tends to. Instead, there is a palpable sense of joy in her successes, both small and large. Her bronze in the all-around was greeted with the same air of delight as her gold last night.
The new career longevity we are seeing in gymnastics, partly thanks to great improvements in sports technology and medicine, practices that allow an athlete like Mustafina to return to the sport after such an injury and still be competitive, means that we get to watch these athletes mature into the sport, always bringing new shades to both their gymnastics and their personality. It is lovely to watch.
Ah, He Kexin. It was not so long ago that fans were debating whether it was worth the bother and the risk to bring He Kexin to London with the Chinese team. In fact, if the Chinese national program had been a little deeper than it is currently, one would have to wonder if we would have had the privilege of getting to see the young Chinese star defend her title on the podium last night. After 2009, when she repeated her Olympic performance to clinch the World Championships title, the career of He Kexin has been rocky to say the least. We have seen injury, falls, loss of form and the inevitable change in body shape all take their toll on the her career at times. In fact, unlike Tweddle, it feels as though the routine she won her silver with last night has changed less than everything else. But four years after that first triumph, He Kexin did the untold. She returned to her form of 2008 in the sense that she hit her routine at the precise times she has needed to on three different occasions. In the big picture of the last four years for He Kexin, this is immense. She should be so proud of this silver medal.
For Beth Tweddle this was the make it or break it moment. Tweddle has been a force in the World Championship realm, earning medals and titles on her pet events many times over the last decade. But the Olympic medal has eluded her. It was a galling loss in 2008 that saw Tweddle land in fourth place despite her thrilling bars routine and spectacular skill set. But it was this loss and the fact that her next Olympic outing would be on home turf that kept the fire in her belly, despite the relentless run of injury, the ever-growing international depth on her most likely medal apparatus and the fact that the British gymnastics national program itself is rapidly improving. But if Beth was well enough to be on that team, even for one event, then Beth Tweddle would be on that Olympic team- such was the debt she was owed. Before the term British gymnastics could be tied to a string of names like Smith, Keatings, Whelan, Tunney and more, Beth Tweddle basically was British gymnastics. Beth started the trend and became the tradition that followed her of good, strong gymnastics from a country that seemed to know its gymnastics better than it could actually do it. And the gratitude for this is played out in so many ways- in the money donated to keep an ice machine by her bed, in the misty-eyed, choke-throated commentary of the usually brisk and business like BBC team, in the words of admiration so quick to come to her team mates lips when asked about ‘our Beth’.
There is not a doubt in my mind that Beth Tweddle is less than satisfied with that bronze medal she won last night. Sure, on one hand she is probably totally rapt to finally win that Olympic medal- and in front of a British crowd no less. But the competitive fire that resides in a gymnast who willingly submits to the hard hours of training well into adulthood, the lack of social life, the operations, the constant media attention, the aforesaid ice machine by the bed for the sake of just one more Olympics, bronze and silver are not gold. But it is that very hunger that has made her so special in this sport and it is that drive and desire to always improve that has made her gymnastics so incredible. While some older gymnasts do not take the risk on the embattled body, settling for a maintenance of skills to vie for team spots and medals. Not so for Tweddle, who has continued to innovate and upgrade as if she were a fourteen-year-old hopeful. For every new young wunderkind that marches up the ranks with a special penchant or talent for bars or floor, there is another half twist, another connection Beth can add to her routine. And so she does. A fighter like that has only one thing on her mind- the win. But like Izbasa, Tweddle is not just the story of last night, she is the story of a dozen cumulated years of success and failure, of stagnancy and innovation, of limelight and loss. And like Chusovitina, the win is the very career itself. Last night’s medal was more for the British than Beth in some ways. But all those other medals, all those other moments are for her and for the fans who saw every moment along the way.
The three girls who lined up on the podium after the bars final know all about the gymnastics school of hard knocks. Between them every kind of adversity that can touch the life of a young gymnast has hit, and at times hit hard. This is what made this podium so, so special last night. Every medal was hard-fought in a battle that spanned not just the thirty seconds they swung for their life last night, but in the days, months and years that preceded this Olympic moment. Viva experience!
Article: Brigid McCarthy
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22 Comments
Jack
Wow, what a show these eight gifted gymnasts gave us! No major errors, just beautiful routines all around.
Gabby Douglas finished last merely because of one blip. Komova — who can’t seem to catch a break this Olympics — could have been in the running had she not hit the lower bar with her feet. Tweddle might have won gold if she had stuck her landing. So, so very close.
Yao Jinnan was a joy to watch — so lithe! I actually liked her routine better than He’s. I had never seen Elisabeth Seitz perform before, but her performance was an eye-opener, to me at least. Very impressive.
All in all, a very good night for women’s gymnastics.
07 Aug 2012 04:08 am (@Twitter)
zanne
The last paragraph of your write-up summarised exactly how I felt last night watching the event finals. Seeing Mustafina, He Kexin and Beth Tweddle standing atop the podium, all three gymnasts who have gone through the ups and downs of gymnastics, left me overwhelmed with emotions. I was really happy for them.
07 Aug 2012 05:08 am (@Twitter)
Name
I think Tweddle may be in the same boat as Maroney. I think both are disappointed in their performances, that they made uncharacteristic mistakes. I’m not so sure it’s about the medal color.
07 Aug 2012 05:08 am (@Twitter)
Christian
I lovelovelove Tweddle, but she's made a lot of mistakes in her career - falling in qualifications, falling in finals: she could have a lot more hardware than she does without those mistakes. I think part of her will be incredibly relieved not to have a repeat of Athens, or Beijing, or 2009 worlds, or 2011 worlds ... Maroney probably can't believe what just happened - I imagine Beth would have been very upset not to qualify for the final, or to make a big mistake, but she's experienced enough to take anything in her stride at this point.
07 Aug 2012 08:08 am (@Twitter)
Cee
“But the other, oft-commented upon new element of Mustafina in these Olympics is her obvious joy in her results. She does not seem to feel entitled to the win, in the way a young athlete who does not know losing tends to. Instead, there is a palpable sense of joy in her successes, both small and large. Her bronze in the all-around was greeted with the same air of delight as her gold last night.”
Yes!!! Her…attitude (in a good way), for lack of a better word, on the AA podium was intriguing–she seemed to be taking stock of the whole thing, like “did I really win an AA medal? After that horrific injury?” And her manifest pride in this gold was lovely. Congrats Musty! What an array of talent tonight! So thrilled for Beth, and Seitz and Koko rocked their routines! Any one of them should be thrilled they were included in this lineup of incredibly talented athletes.
07 Aug 2012 06:08 am (@Twitter)
may
I’m devastated for He Kevin. She hit her routine with tremendous amount of difficulty and great excecution, she deserved to defend her title. Mustafina didnt do anything special. Thats the way it is in the OG that not always the best one wins the judges tend to be subjective at times.
07 Aug 2012 07:08 am (@Twitter)
Lara
He Kexin had some "dead hangs"... Also, her swings are not as fluent as the Russians. Amazing release combination though.
07 Aug 2012 10:08 am (@Twitter)
Catherine
He Kexin's routine was great. They penalised her for being low in her releases and for her dead hangs. It was a spectacular routine, but that was a fair score. Mustafina was just sharper on the day, stuck landing, no dead hangs, no lack of height on releases and no other major errors. He looked thrilled with her silver- she knew competition was even more stiff this time around.
07 Aug 2012 01:08 pm (@Twitter)
Alexander
I love how He Kexin won her silver basically because of consistency. Tweddle and Komova both could have beaten her, but He made no major error and came off with a silver. I have been rooting for her for what feels like forever now, and was so thrilled about this (although additionally I never really believed she was that inconsistent, internationally she’s only ever missed like 2-3 bars routines, which would make her more consistent than Nastia Liukin and Beth Tweddle).
07 Aug 2012 08:08 am (@Twitter)
Emily
I thought beth tweedle was absolutely fantastic and had the gold right up until the landing, but very impressive field, although with such a tight race it almost felt like musfina won it by default by not making even a slight error, not because her routine was the best-although several stunning routinies
07 Aug 2012 10:08 am (@Twitter)
Laura Marcella
That was one of the best event finals ever. Everyone was so beautiful and strong and no one counted a fall!! The medalists are well-deserved. I’m thrilled Russia has made it on the podium every single time so far, and now a gold! So much improved since four years ago.
I couldn’t believe it when Zanetti won gold over Chen. It’s wonderful for Brazil…but that was not right. Chen was as perfect as you can be, and Zanetti had two subtle but obvious mistakes. It reminded me of the 2008 high bar final when Zou won over Horton. Sometimes I wonder what the heck routines the judges are watching. They must get bored at the end and don’t really paying attention.
07 Aug 2012 10:08 am (@Twitter)
Tamara
I agree about Zanetti.
07 Aug 2012 10:08 pm (@Twitter)
Name
I have GOT to watch this event final without commercials with BBC commentary (I’m in the US) later on. That’s the only way to do it justice, and on my favorite event!
I completely forgot that Beth never won a medal at an Olympic Games! It seems incredible with her difficulty and originality.
But I gotta say, Mustafina definitely deserve the gold here, if nowhere else. I still remember her bar routine at the 2010 American Cup–that Pak-Stalder-half combination took my breath away. She has always been the picture of good form, and has difficulty to boot.
07 Aug 2012 05:08 pm (@Twitter)
Anya
So happy for all of them, with and without a medal. My dad said Gabby needed to get beaten into last so she wouldn’t see herself as “all that”. But I think Gabby took it better than ANY 16 year old I’ve seen beat off the Olympic podium. She even said herself she was so proud she even qualified into the bars final, and she said even though she came in last, she’d been having so much fun at the Olympics and that was all that mattered to her. Such great sportsmanship if you ask me.
07 Aug 2012 07:08 pm (@Twitter)
Tamara
I could not feel worse for Victoria Komova. Such an amazing and beautiful UB routine, if it hadn’t been for the bar touch would she have won the gold? After the AA let down, she didn’t deserve this.
And on the other hand I could hardly be happier for Mustafina, who has staged a really brilliant post-injury comeback. A bronze for AA was awesome enough, and now she has a gold for UB and …. I won’t spoil it for those who don’t know the rest of the story. I hope she gets a huge boost of motivation from her Olympic experience.
I’m already looking forward to 2013 World’s. I wish there were one in 2012.
07 Aug 2012 10:08 pm (@Twitter)
Lara
After watching the beam final, I think the bars final was indeed the best apparatus final. Everyone made so many mistakes today! I felt bad about how Gabby and Vika performed. It seemed like they kinda lost their momentum after the AA. Not to mention Iordache…maybe 2012 wasn’t meant to be her year.
On the other hand, I’m more than thrilled for Aliya! She has shown some amazing consistency (except for the beam in AA) and now she’s the most decorated gymnast in this Olympics! Plus she’s not retiring yet
07 Aug 2012 10:08 pm (@Twitter)
Joanne
I’m happy for Mustafina. I was pulling for her and she did so well. I really did not expect Gabby to medal in this event, because her DOD wasn’t on the same level as the eventual medal winners. That she made a mistake and it cost her? Well, she’s young she can come back with more difficulty in the future. I wanted Beth to do better than a bronze but sadly not to be. I’ll miss her when she retires. He came through when she needed to. Good on her. This was such a DEEP field and well worth watching.
08 Aug 2012 01:08 am (@Twitter)
Louise Anderson
It was great to see so many athletes perform so well. It’s funny b/c as glad as I am for Mustifina, her bars seemed so yawn compared to He and Beth!
08 Aug 2012 02:08 am (@Twitter)
Meredith
I felt the same way about Mustafina at first – she seemed to be the Golden Child and had everything going her way. But I always liked her style, especially in an era where American gymnasts are eschewing choreography for power moves. Mustafina has power AND elegance, plus she’s exciting to watch because she’s such a tough competitor. She has a great don’t-mess-with-me game face, but she’s not afraid to show her emotions, either. I hope she will keep training; I look forward to seeing her in future competitions.
08 Aug 2012 12:08 pm (@Twitter)
Alex
After seeing the heartbreak and disappointment through several athletes at several Olympics it’s so refreshing to see a gymnast take such joy in a bronze medal (Musti). I agree, she seemed just as pleased with her floor and AA bronze medals as she did with her bars gold.
08 Aug 2012 03:08 pm (@Twitter)
Meredith
Often I think the media – NBC, I’m talking to you! – got it wrong in that it was Komova, not Mustafina, who seemed never to consider that she might lose. At any rate, I think Mustafina was the great surprise of these games. After the injury, her fans (myself included) had no idea what to expect of her in London. She proved herself a competitor and a gracious teammate, and she showed genuine joy at winning any medal (though I’m sure she’d have preferred more golds than silvers or bronzes).
13 Aug 2012 08:08 pm (@Twitter)
Ashley@Soccer News
Such a serious comment, injuries are natural, but, showing that you still have the skills and you are still doing great despite of your injury, it’s such great winning skill.
15 Aug 2012 01:08 am (@Twitter)