Clijsters’s name is already synonymous with comebacks she first retired from the sport in 2007 and then gave birth to her first child, Jada, before returning in 2009 and winning the US Open in her third tournament back. When my heart asks, I have to do it.”ĭuring the same week that Chusovitina announced that she would not be calling time, tennis witnessed a return as Kim Clijsters, the 38-year-old four-times grand slam champion and former world No 1, resumed her comeback attempt with her first match in more than a year. “It will not be the Olympic Games, but the Asian ones, but I really want it. Chusovitina explained that she left Tokyo unsatisfied by her result and determined to finish her career on a high: “I really want to end my career with a medal for Uzbekistan, ” she said to Sputnik. Last Thursday, within eight weeks of the Olympics ending, Chusovitina announced that she would continue to train with her eyes set on the 2022 Asian Games next September. When she posted a video of herself working through an uneven bars routine with no grips, the jokes about her “unretirement” began. Each time Chusovitina has considered retirement, her sheer passion for the sport and tireless motivation has won out. Three years later, she set London 2012 as the end point of her career. She had indicated that she would retire after the 2009 World Championships, aged 34. Across the competition floor, all the other gymnasts gave Chusovitina a standing ovation, a gesture that moved her to tears.Įven as she convincingly explained her intention to move on from the sport and to devote more time to her son, Alisher, she has always been terrible at retiring. In lieu of an audience at the empty Ariake Gymnastics Centre to send her off, her fellow competitors unexpectedly took charge. Chusovitina, who won her first world championship golds in 1991 and took an Olympic team gold in 1992, had previously announced that Tokyo would mark the end of her illustrious career.Ĭhusovitina finished 14th in the vault competition that day, missing out on the final after two fine but flawed vaults. During the qualifying round of the women’s gymnastics, 46-year-old Oksana Chusovitina took to the podium in her eighth Olympics as she attempted to qualify for the vault finals one last time. One of the most touching moments of the Tokyo Games this summer was entirely spontaneous.

London 2012 summer olympics