All this bitching about Komova's obvious emotional breakdown after losing the AA.
Were ANY of these people ever 16 years old and had something they desperately wanted snatched away from them at the last second?
Did ANY of those people ever want to just ignore the person who had benefited from the sudden change in their circumstances?
Did ANY of these people ever go through that with a bunch of TV cameras around and photographers snapping away?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Look, you can talk about good sportsmanship until the cows come home, but sometimes gymnastics fans seem to expect sainthood or something.
These athletes, by and large, are just kids. It was Komova's first Worlds AA, most people doubted she'd be able to compete at that level at various points this year, and she lost by hundredths of a point. Of COURSE she was upset! I could totally understand her behavior, and what's more, I thought it indicated what kind of an athlete she was, what kind of a competitor. She was probably just, if not more, as pissed at herself for stepping out of that Memmel turn than she was pissed at Jordyn for having that shiny gold medal. If Jordyn had acted like that, I would have completely understood it and accepted it too, despite my lack of enthusiasm over her gymnastics.
So give her a break, people. She's only human, and hopefully she can learn from this experience and come back as not only a stronger competitor, but will be better able to handle disappointment when it comes.
Were ANY of these people ever 16 years old and had something they desperately wanted snatched away from them at the last second?
Did ANY of those people ever want to just ignore the person who had benefited from the sudden change in their circumstances?
Did ANY of these people ever go through that with a bunch of TV cameras around and photographers snapping away?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Look, you can talk about good sportsmanship until the cows come home, but sometimes gymnastics fans seem to expect sainthood or something.
These athletes, by and large, are just kids. It was Komova's first Worlds AA, most people doubted she'd be able to compete at that level at various points this year, and she lost by hundredths of a point. Of COURSE she was upset! I could totally understand her behavior, and what's more, I thought it indicated what kind of an athlete she was, what kind of a competitor. She was probably just, if not more, as pissed at herself for stepping out of that Memmel turn than she was pissed at Jordyn for having that shiny gold medal. If Jordyn had acted like that, I would have completely understood it and accepted it too, despite my lack of enthusiasm over her gymnastics.
So give her a break, people. She's only human, and hopefully she can learn from this experience and come back as not only a stronger competitor, but will be better able to handle disappointment when it comes.
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