“MyKayla resides proof which you can obtain no matter you set your thoughts to,” her husband, Jonas Harmer, wrote on Instagram. “She set off on the Olympic route once more 2 years in the past chasing unfinished enterprise from Rio 2016 and I’ve by no means seen extra resilience in a human being. The world has no concept all that this woman has been by.”
The Arizona native’s street to the Tokyo Olympics was not straightforward. MyKayla, who can also be a College of Utah gymnast, didn’t qualify for the 2012 London Olympics and was made an was an alternate for Workforce USA on the 2016 Rio Olympics. She advised NBC Sports final yr that “being an alternate might be the toughest factor I’ve ever needed to do in gymnastics. The entire time I used to be in Rio, I most likely cried each single night time.”
Over the previous yr, MyKayla additionally suffered well being issues. Final December, she injured her Achilles and month later, she contracted COVID-19 and was later hospitalized with coronavirus-related pneumonia.
Earlier this month, MyKayla introduced on Instagram, “The Olympics will probably be my final gymnastics competitors earlier than I formally retire.” Final weekend, the gymnast competed as an Olympian for the primary time within the qualifying spherical on the Tokyo Olympics, competing as a person, however didn’t rank excessive sufficient to proceed to the finals.
“Heartbroken is an understatement, however I’m happy with myself for getting right here after every little thing I have been by,” she wrote on Instagram on the time. “That is closing the guide on my gymnastics profession, and my solely regrets have been issues exterior my management. So no regrets.”
She added on Twitter, “#NeverGiveUp.”
