What should Oksana Chusovitina do to qualify for her ninth Olympic Games?

In Tokyo 2020 she seemed to say goodbye. Although there was no audience at the Ariake Gymnastics Center, the few authorized to attend the competition cheered her on qualifying day. She wanted to advance to the final jump, but her performance hadn’t been the strongest and, deep down, she knew that it wouldn’t be enough for her to be among the eight Olympic finalists. Excited as rarely seen, she waved with both hands up and received recognition from her rivals. She finished in 14th place, the Olympic final escaped her by half a point.

But that was not the outcome that Oksana Chusovitina had chosen for her career. And already in 2022, the post-Olympic year of a three-year cycle, the gymnast reappeared in competitions, won the national of Uzbekistan -the country she currently represents- and confirmed that she will seek to be in Paris 2024 because she is “full of energy and healthy”.

But what can Chusovitina do to get an Olympic place without having to compete in the four devices of women’s artistic gymnastics? The answer is as a “specialist”, a new path that is becoming more and more established within the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) circuit. The figure of the “specialist” gymnast made it possible to extend the sports careers of those competitors who prefer -for different reasons- to train and compete only on one device. Considering that the full test in women’s gymnastics has four devices, the scenario and physical demands change considerably when focusing on just one. Already for Tokyo 2020, it was possible to reach a place this way and on the way to Paris 2024 it will also be possible, although with some modifications.

The bronze medal won in the final jump last weekend in Cottbus is very encouraging for Chusovitina. Despite not having presented her most difficult jumps, she was able to score important points in the ranking of specialists. This annual arrangement put together by the FIG will take the results of the four World Cups by Apparatus of 2023, whose first date was that of Cottbus; and which will pass through Doha, Baku, and will end in Cairo. If she remains among the eight best in the jumping ranking, Chusovitina will earn the right to participate in the World Championship in Antwerp, which will also serve as the Olympic Qualifying Championship. Among the several Olympic places that will be distributed in the Belgian city, Chusovitina will try to keep the one awarded to the best classified in her favorite device: jumping. The criteria published by the FIG speaks of an Olympic ticket for the champion of each device, with the possibility of being relocated if that gymnast belongs to one of the 12 countries already qualified for Paris 2024 with a full team. The 12 countries that reach the Olympic Games through team places cannot compete for individual spots. There the opportunity opens up for Uzbekistan and for Chusovitina.

If this is not achieved in Antwerp, Chusovitina will have one last chance in 2024. And it will be again through the ranking of the World Cup circuit by Apparatus (Cottbus-Doha-Bakú-Cairo). With practically all the Olympic places allocated and the big figures qualified, there will be two tickets to Paris 2024 for the two best placed gymnasts in the jumping ranking. It’s not unreasonable to think that she can do it there.

If she qualifies for the Paris Games, Chusovitina will break her own record for gymnastics appearances with nine and will tie the record for the most Olympic appearances by a woman in any sport. Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze was 52 years old when she competed in the Tokyo 2020 Games, also her ninth Olympic Games.