43-year-old gymnast wins medal at Asian Games
By admin - 2019-02-25 02:39:24

Oksana Chusovitina, a 43-year-old seven-time Olympic gymnast from  Uzbekistan, won a silver medal in the vault Thursday in the Asian Games, according to NBC Sports.

Chusovitina, who missed out on the gold medal by one-tenth of a point, has reportedly already voiced her intentions to compete in what will be her eighth Olympics in Tokyo in 2020 at the age of 45. Just two years ago, the Uzbek broke the gymnastics record with her seventh Olympic appearance in Rio, and she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame one year later.

Already the oldest female Olympic gymnast, if Chusovitina makes the games in 2020, she would be the oldest Olympic gymnast in 100 years. Chusovitina debutedi at the world championships in 1991, winning gold with the Soviet Union, the Olympics in 1992 with the Unified Team and the Asian Games in 1994 with Uzbekistan. She also reportedly represented Germany from 2006 through 2012, after moving there to seek treatment for her son’s leukemia.

The vault, where she won 10 Olympic or world medals, has long been Chusovitina’s primary discipline. She finished fifth in the vault at the 2017 World Championships, equaling her best Olympic or worlds result since a silver medal in 2011.

Chusovitina reportedly stood on the podium at the Asian Games with gold medalist Yeo Seojeong of South Korea and bronze medalist Pyon Rye Yong of North Korea, who are both younger than her son.