Olympic gold medal gymnast Laurie Hernandez told the ‘On Her Turf’ podcast she’s “letting grieving and excitement co-exist” while in Tokyo to work, but not compete.
WASHINGTON — While Laurie Hernandez hoped to be competing at this year’s Summer Games, the Olympic gold medal gymnast is instead in Tokyo working as a commentator for NBC.
Hernandez had suffered an injury at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships that ultimately cost her a spot at the Olympic trials. She appeared to hyperextend her right knee during warmups before the U.S. Championships. She pushed through the beam routine on the first night, but withdrew from the second night altogether.
She later revealed she had suffered multiple injuries including a bone bruise and torn meniscus in her knee.
Hernandez recently spoke to the “On Her Turf” podcast about the emotions of not making the Olympics this time around.
“I love these girls and I want them to do as best they possibly can, so it does feel very easy to root for them,” Hernandez described. “We were trying for a shot to get out there and so when it doesn’t happen it’s not a failure, but it is a big loss and I’m kind of just letting grieving and excitement co-exist at the moment.”
After her injury, Hernandez posted a thread on Twitter showing a bunch of the skills she was working on for trials.
Hernandez won silver on the balance beam and gold in the team event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The 2020 U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team will include Hernandez’s 2016 teammate Simone Biles along with first-time Olympians Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, MyKayla Skinner and Jade Carey. Skinner and Carey will only compete in individual events while the other four will also be in the team competition. Carey earned her own spot through the World Cup circuit, separate from the Olympic trials.
