2020 Olympic Gymnastics Hopefuls Training for Tokyo
2020 Olympic Gymnastics Hopefuls Training for Tokyo
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Games of the 32nd Olympiad in 2020 to Tokyo.
The Japanese capital won Saturday's final vote over Istanbul and Madrid to host the Olympics for the second time in 2020. Tokyo also held the Games in 1964 when Yukio Endo of Japan and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia won artistic gymnastics all around titles.
While the 2020 Olympics are still a distant seven years away, our 2020 Olympic gymnastics hopefuls are already hard at work. They are learning big tricks and quickly progressing up the levels.
FIG rules state that gymnasts must turn 16 within the Olympic year in order to be age eligible for competition. This summer we got our first look at a handful of 2020 Olympic hopefuls during the 2013 P&G Championships. While the majority of the junior women's field will target the 2016 Olympic Games, four athletes will narrowly miss the cutoff to be age eligible for Rio. Even still, they impressively made their elite debuts and and were able to keep pace with the pack. The four athletes are: Ariana Agrapides of MG Elite, Jordan Chiles of Naydenov, Molly Frack of Parkettes, and Deanne Soza of Arete. Born January 31, 2001, reigning Junior National Vault Champion Agrapides misses the 2016 cutoff by just one month.
Ariana Agrapides of MG Elite
Each of these girls will turn nineteen during the 2020 Olympic year so perseverence will be key. The average age of the Fierce Five during competition in London was 16 years, 9 months. Based on this statistic alone, the ideal birthdate for a 2020 female Olympic gymnast is 2003 or 2004, currently age 9 or 10.
Each of these girls will turn nineteen during the 2020 Olympic year so perseverence will be key. The average age of the Fierce Five during competition in London was 16 years, 9 months. Based on this statistic alone, the ideal birthdate for a 2020 female Olympic gymnast is 2003 or 2004, currently age 9 or 10.
For comparison, Kyla Ross, the youngest member of the 2012 USA Olympic team, was competing as a level six seven years out from the 2012 Olympics. She was the SoCal State Champion on Floor. Meanwhile, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney both competed level seven. Douglas claimed the Virginia State All Around title. That same year, Jordyn Wieber and Aly Rasiman competed level eight. Wieber was the Region 5 All Around Champion while Raisman finished second all around in her Region.
Just as the Fierce Five dreamed of competing in the London Olympics during their early years in gymnastics, developing gymnasts around the country will now have their sights set on Tokyo, a distant seven years away.
Just as the Fierce Five dreamed of competing in the London Olympics during their early years in gymnastics, developing gymnasts around the country will now have their sights set on Tokyo, a distant seven years away.