Stories of gymnasts and scandals of American gymnastics
Of course, Russian gymnasts are famous all over the world, but their American counterparts lag behind them. Almost every year at international competitions, American gymnasts traditionally provide serious competition to Russian beauties. The string of victories for American athletes over the past decade has no historical parallel. What was the most important contribution of our gymnasts to the history of sports, how did their lives develop outside of sports, what scandals and graces accompany the girls’ careers?
Contents of the article:
Skeletons in the closet
Unfortunately or fortunately, almost every famous American athlete can boast of both a scandal surrounding her name and world-class achievements. In most cases, of course, the cause is doping. For example, until recently (December 2018) there was a major scandal surrounding Laurazen, one of the most promising and talented US gymnasts today. The 19-year-old American sports hope was accused of using strong diuretics. Her analysis found traces of acetazolamide. The athlete herself claims that her parents blamed the drug entirely for the grueling mountain conditions they provided her with. She thought she was taking ibuprofen, which is not a drug. The mistake was the temporary suspension of the athlete from competition, but without more serious consequences in the form of deprivation of titles and awards for the last competitions. One of the most egregious situations in modern sports occurred with Simone Bales. The four-time Olympic champion and 14-time world champion was convicted of regular use of psychostimulants and psychostimulants, but continued to participate in competitions. Why? The American gymnast proved the need to obtain a doctor”s certificate for treatment purposes.
The doctor confirmed Simone”s diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This arose in early childhood due to her being raised by a single mother who drank heavily. The gymnast herself stated that she feels no remorse and considers all her achievements to be completely “clean” and well-deserved. This raises logical questions about how the athlete was allowed to compete. According to medical indications, the gymnast should have been suspended from training, as she allegedly required such a potent substance to treat narcolepsy. However, despite everything, they decided to leave anyway. The decorated gymnast is also distinguished by her unusual physical attributes. She is hardly graceful or fragile, and athletes rely primarily on complex elements and a strength advantage that supports their vaults. At 142 cm tall (the shortest among the US Olympic team members), the gymnast weighs 47 kg and has a very athletic build; she has been jokingly called a “little monster.” However, she is now happily in a relationship with Staci Ervin Jr., also a professional gymnast. However, the popularity of American gymnasts isn”t solely due to athletic triumphs and doping scandals. At 22, the elegant Makayla Meloney became a three-time world champion and an Olympic silver medalist (also winning gold in the team event). However, it was a unique meme featuring her face that truly brought her worldwide fame. During the awards ceremony for her Olympic performance, the gymnast unwittingly showed off her silver medal, causing considerable outrage. The athlete”s expression was so striking that memes featuring Makayla Meloney instantly spread across the internet, and Yahoo named him one of the most popular photos of the year. So, in just a few weeks, the distraught young woman became famous even among those far removed from the sport.
Having retired from athletics, the beauty continues to attract attention on Instagram. More than 1. 6 million followers admire her very revealing photos. The girls clearly acknowledge the full extent of their attractiveness and see no reason to hide their assets. In most photos, the small pieces of clothing on Makaire”s body barely cover the gymnast”s most cavernous areas. And her figure and curves allow her to confidently show them off.
Sexual harassment
More than doping, American gymnasts became famous only for bullying by their coaches. It all started with the publication of the Indianapolis Star, which made the material available to the public. A gymnast’s athletic years are not that long; they begin as early as three or four years old. At the age of 14, talented girls perform in international competitions, and at the age of 16 — at the Olympic Games. At such a young age, the girl’s psyche is not yet fully formed, and, of course, the coach can have a strong influence on his ward. Gymnasium students also understand the further career and life importance of mentors. This, according to many sources, has made coaching staff and young athletes prone to sexual behavior. Journalists at the Indianapolis Star conducted their own independent investigation and subsequently discovered the most shocking secret of all. For years, USA Gymnastics covered up the ongoing harassment of young athletes. The authorities simply suppressed the complaints they received and hid the problem.
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Only until 2006, 56 such requests were found. The girls and their representatives complained of sexual harassment, corruption of minors and the publication of child pornography. Coaches usually assured young gymnasts that all these behaviors were necessary to better understand the girl”s abilities and increase the effectiveness of the training process. They may also name specific names, such as Marvin Sharp. The first complaints about the best coaches of 2010 came in 2011. However, USA Gymnastics refused to press charges and chose to file a lawsuit against American Pride. Thanks to these efforts, the men worked with the gymnasts until 2015, when they were arrested. Another coach, James Bell, worked with young athletes for 13 years, but all the allegations against him mysteriously disappeared. Kaylin Bricka (one of his victims) admitted that the abuse began when she was seven years old. The girl did not ask for help, she was simply puzzled and did not understand at all what to do. The gymnast was sincerely outraged by the desire of officials to save the honor of the organization, without fully taking into account the consequences and experiences of many victims of sexual violence. USA Gymnastics officials continued to assure athletes that they had done everything possible to protect them. The year 2018 was remembered for the loud scandal associated with the collapse of the USA Gymnastics Federation. The reason for this was a new turn in the Larry Nassar case. The young gymnast, Ph. D., was previously accused of sexual assault, abuse of minors and possession of child pornography. The chain of accusations was opened by American gymnast Rachel Denhollander.
No one believed the gymnast, but after her, the revelations of dozens of athletes began to flow into the stream. The 29-year-old man worked as a doctor for the US team and all these years committed illegal acts of a sexual nature in connection with his ward. As a result, Larry Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison. Famous gymnasts such as Alexander Raisman, Gabriella Douglas and Makaire Maroney have come forward with allegations against this man. Simone Bales” revelations caused a particular resonance. The girl admitted that she had not talked about everything before. I was afraid of a negative reaction from the public and the end of my sports career. The FBI found 37, 000 pieces of child pornography in the defendant”s home. In total, 156 charges were accepted against Nassar from athletes, and the criminal himself admitted only 11 cases. The court decided to increase the terms of imprisonment to 175 years. The perpetrators were sentenced to life imprisonment. Of course, after Nassar was acquitted, American officials were left with many questions. How was such persecution allowed to happen over the years and how was it hidden? The Federation of the United States of America fell under blows. In the blink of an eye, wrath descended upon the organization!
Scandal of coaches” abuse of gymnasts in Britain | casualties in British gymnastics
Beautiful cover
Despite numerous scandals for various reasons, gymnastics has always been very popular in the USA. The tenacity, talent and achievements of the plastic girls have captured the attention of millions of Americans. It is impossible not to note the beauty of this sport. Instead of skimping on costumes, the USA has always paid attention to the appearance of its gymnasts. For example, at the 2012 Olympics, Gabby Douglas”s costume featured 1, 188 Swarovski crystals. At the same time, in 2008, Anastasia Lukinas was decorated with 184 stones. Such is the sparkling “arms race”. At the last Olympic Games in 2016, the number of decorations on the uniforms of American athletes quadrupled. Each spectacular costume costs the United States budget approximately $1, 200. But, as they say, beauty requires sacrifice. Finance included.
The popularity of this sport forced American producers to create an entire series under the identical title “Gymnast.” The audience was told about the lives of some young gymnasts, their path to success, difficulties and will to win. The series turned out to be successful, several seasons were filmed and there is a Russian adaptation. The secret of its popularity lies in the careful selection of actors, beautiful pictures on the screen and, of course, the mesmerizing elements of rhythmic gymnastics. The performers of the leading roles underwent special sports training for six months, but the most difficult stunts were still performed by stuntmen (selected exactly according to the type of actress). The main audience of the series were young girls who admitted that the film work influenced not only their passion for gymnastics, but also their many courageous actions, their strength and faith in their dreams. In addition, with the help of public approval, the creators of the series sought to reveal the problem of anorexia among gymnasts. For many years, there was an implicit criterion for physical appearance in this sport, the ratio of height and weight.
The situation began to change when competitors began to win, for example, with Simon Biles” “non-standard” gymnastics. During the broadcast of one episode, confidence and phone calls were demonstrated on screen, especially in the case of a girl suffering from anorexia. For six months, the leading actors underwent special sports training, but the most difficult stunts were still performed by stuntmen (selected specifically according to the type of actress). The main audience of the series were young girls who admitted that the film work influenced not only their passion for gymnastics, but also their many courageous actions, their strength and faith in their dreams. In addition, with the help of public approval, the creators of the series sought to reveal the problem of anorexia among gymnasts. For many years, there was an implicit criterion for physical appearance in this sport, the ratio of height and weight. The situation began to change when competitors began to win, for example, with Simon Biles” “non-standard” gymnastics. During the broadcast of one of the episodes, confidence and phone calls were shown on the screen, especially in the case of a girl suffering from anorexia.
The achievements of American gymnasts cannot be underestimated, but they cannot be called honest in all their desires. Too many doping scandals have erupted around outstanding athletes. Also frightening is the fact of many years of sexual harassment of young girls by doctors and trainers. The country”s National Olympic Committee only hopes that future U. S. gymnasts will come out of this situation — training and competing without fear for their safety and spirit, achieving victory without the use of additional stimulants, achieving victory without attracting judges and spectators only by the sparkle of numerous crystals.
