Move over little girls: 33-year-old German wins vault and 5-5 Romanian wins floor
By Michelle Kaufman | The Miami Herald
BEIJING — Just when it seemed the Olympic gymnastics arena was becoming a playground reserved for prepubescent pixies, along come Oksana Chusovitina and Sandra Izbasa.
Chusovitina, who won the vault silver medal on Sunday, is a 33-year-old mother competing in her fifth Olympics. She dedicated the medal to her 9-year-old son, Alisher, who has leukemia. Izbasa, a 5-foot-5 Romanian, was the gold medalist in floor exercise, edging U.S. gymnasts Shawn Johnson (silver) and Nastia Liukin (bronze).
"I don't feel 33, I feel 18,'' Chusovitina said in German, her adopted language. The Uzbekistan native moved to Germany six years ago with her husband, a former Olympic wrestler, because their son needed medical treatment. Unable to pay his medical bills, she raised money by performing in gymnastics exhibitions all over Europe. The German gymnastics federation embraced her and pitched in, as well. She is the first gymnast to compete in five Olympics, and the oldest gymnastics medalist in recent memory.
Chusovitina's career has spanned three nationalities. Before 1993, she competed for the Soviet Union. From 1994-2006 she competed for Uzbekistan, and now she represents Germany.
She is practically old enough to be the mother of some of the kids she competes against. Her sensible short haircut is a clue she doesn't quite fit in with the ponytailed teens, but her body blends right in. Chusovitina is a compact bundle of muscle. Watching her race down the vault runway and launch herself into the air, nobody in the National Indoor Stadium would have guessed this same woman won a team Olympic gold with Soviet's Unified Team at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Well, nobody but Valeri Liukin, father and coach of Nastia Liukin. He was a 1988 Olympic champion for Russia, and he remembers Chusovitina well. "We used to compete together in the same meets,'' he said. "It is unbelievable that she is still out there, and winning a medal. I can't even describe how amazing that is. It is very, very difficult to do the stuff she's doing. I guess that's why she's the only 33-year-old out there.''
Added Johnson: "She is definitely an inspiration to all of us. I don't know how her body holds up. I'm already hurting and I'm only 16.''
On the same day that 41-year-old mother Dara Torres won two silver medals in the swimming pool, Chusovitina proved there is room in gymnastics for older athletes.
"When I'm talking to my teammates, I feel like a young girl, and when I talk to the coaches, I feel like a woman,'' she said. "As long as I love gymnastics and have fun every day, I will continue to compete.''
She did not rule out training through the 2012 Olympics in London. "By then I'll be 37, and if I have the chance, I can do a sixth Olympics.''
Izbasa isn't your stereotypical Olympic gymnast, either. She towered over 4-foot-9 Johnson and many of the Chinese sprites. But her size didn't keep her from executing a high-risk floor routine that was a tad more difficult than Johnson's. She wasn't as balletic as Liukin, nor as powerful as Johnson, but judges awarded her a higher mark for difficulty.
She scored 15.65, while Johnson got 15.5 and Liukin had 15.425.
"She stuck all her landings and had amazing execution,'' Johnson said of Izbasa. "My landings could have been better, but I have no regrets. I'm having the time of my life.''
So is Liukin, the all-around gold medalist. She revealed that she had a dream she won the all-around title the night before it happened. "I had the pink leotard on. I remember coming off the floor routine and hugging my dad. And he had on a white shirt, which is what he ended up wearing. Then I woke up and see Shawn (Johnson) sleeping, and I'm like, 'Darnit! Why can't that be true?' I have never had such a visual dream. It felt so real, and then it turned out to be true.''
Not quite as chipper was Alicia Sacramone, the U.S. team captain. She was eager to redeem herself after falling on the beam and the floor exercise during the team competition, mistakes that hurt the U.S.'s chances for gold. The team settled for silver, and no matter how many times her teammates told her it wasn't her fault, she felt responsible.
She ended up in fourth place on vault Sunday, one spot from a medal.
"It was really hard to go back into the gym after what happened, but I kept training,'' she said, her voice cracking. "I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was. Maybe it will make me a better person going what I went through. Someday I'll fully appreciate my experience here.''
In men's event finals, Xiao Qin of China won gold in the pommel horse. Filip Ude of Croatia took silver and Louis Smith of Great Britain won bronze. Chinese gymnast Kai Zou won the men's floor final, followed by Spain's Gervasio Deferr and Russia's Anton Golotsutskov.
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