since 8/17/2012
fun facts about russia’s biggest bitch that you probably aren’t aware of: she was the only one in the olympic village to send her competitors plush toys and gifts and wish them luck before events; she has never uttered a single negative phrase about anyone even when urged by the press; she’s carried the entire russian gymnastics team on her back since she rose to (and ultimately fell from) power in 2010, and most importantly — a mere 18 months before the olympics, she had a (usually) career-ending injury which gave her only half of the competition time everyone else did and while unable to compete, she still went to training with her team everyday to chalk the bars, say encouraging words and offer support; oh, and, she was STILL the single most decorated gymnast of the entire quad, while only being active for half of it;her first attempts at full routines after her injury were ON THE OLYMPIC FLOOR. where she won four medals. the most, out of any gymnast, male or female. when no one even thought she’d be recovered enough to claim any individual awards, whatsoever. yes, nbc, she truly is the diva monstrosity you make her out to be.
I want to thank Epke Zonderland for having the coolest name ever, for this amazing routine, for having sexy hair, for his cute face, for his hot body, and for his orange footy pajamas.
Marcel Nguyen: Silver, Men’s Parallel Bars
Greatest Olympic Moments: Kerri Strug, Atlanta, 1996.
The American women’s gymnastics team of that year’s Olympic Games was known as the “Magnificent Seven”; together in Atlanta, this diverse group defeated Russia and Romania to capture the country’s first ever gold medal for the team competition. One member of the seven - Kerri Strug - injured her ankle during her first vault attempt, but she returned (limping) to the runway for a second attempt and stuck the landing briefly, before her injury caught up to her. Thanks in part to her resilience, her team clinched the gold, denying the Russians the medal for the first time since 1948; Strug, meanwhile, had to be carried to the podium.
Clips from here.
Aly Raisman, Olympic champion and gold medalist on floor exercise.
“I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it. Because the only way to escape fear is to trample in beneath your feet.”
— Nadia Comaneci
Gabby Douglas, 2012 Olympic women’s gymnastics all-around champion. She is the first black gymnast in Olympic history to medal in the individual all-around, and the first woman of color to win the gold.
