Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Jordyn Wieber - then and now

Jordyn Wieber, who is poised to grab the Olympic All-Around gold medal, was a ten year old phenom back in 2006

6 years ago at the junior national championships

Here she is a few weeks ago at U.S. Championships

She's always been a precise little duck.

I remember when she first appeared on the scene as a fetus and I thought, "well, she's adorable and strong but there's NO WAY she'll last until 2012. Not a chance." But she hung in there, kept improving and, most importantly, played it very smart when she was injured.

Most gymnasts will rush their return in order to not miss competitions or training but she and her coach knew the ultimate goal was the 2012 games, not the 2009 whatever competition. Very impressive to see this uberly talented prodigy actually make it to the big show. That doesn't happen very often - they usually burn out or worse, they just can't find a work ethic that matches their talent. Wieber is a rare combination of both talent and drive.

She also loves Justin Bieber but that's ok. 


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