Oksana Chusovitina, a 33-year-old German gymnast and mother, won silver last night in the Women’s Vault, proving her presence there wasn’t just a fluke.
I wrote about Chusovitina in a previous post (and Helen and I discussed in our vlog)—she kept competing past the “normal” age in order to raise money for her son’s leukemia treatments. NBC has a good interview with her in which she talks about her son’s illness, his status today, and what it was like switching citizenship from Uzbekistan to Germany in order to get medical care for him.
I also have to say it’s refreshing to see a female gymnast free of the eyeshadow and glitter that seems endemic in the sport. Let’s judge them by their skills and not by their makeup.
Congratulations to Chusovitina, and best wishes for her son’s continued good health.