Already 21 ½ years of age at the Sydney Olympics, I think there's a high probability Svetlana Khorkina would have retired and gone out on top had she won the all-around there.
But as we all know, that did not happen, so Sveta continued on in her quest for an Olympic all-around gold medal.
The 2021 FIG Code of Points was the most demanding yet, with a whopping 1.2 required via bonus points. At the first Worlds of the quadrennium in Ghent 🇧🇪, almost nobody had yet figured out how to obtain a 10.0 SV. It was not uncommon to see scores in the high 8s for hit routines.
A couple months shy of her 23rd birthday--and already a giant amongst gymnasts, Khorkina was definitely at a disadvantage coming up with the required level of difficulty--particularly on beam and floor. The new vault she'd unveiled in Sydney was highly rated and competitive. And of course, her options on bars were nearly limitless.
As is often the case with the first post-Worlds Olympics, the depth of the field was not at the highest level in Ghent. And Khorkina used this to her full advantage. Original Olympic AA gold medalist Andreea Răducan was coming back from injury and was not at her best. (Also, she had to compete uneven bars 😬.)
Still, Svetlana could not afford any major breaks during the AA, and she didn't--going four for four and winning her second World AA Title ahead of teammate Natalia Ziganshina 🥈 and Andreea Răducan 🥉. This made Khorkina the first two-time World Champion in non-consecutive years since Lyudmila Turishcheva in 1974. She also became the oldest World AA Champion since the great Czech legend Věra Čáslavská in 1966.
Such brilliant achievements for one of the best and most innovative athletes our sport has seen 👏 👏 👏.
26 авг 2024
