TOKYO – Olympic-level gymnastics is tough enough when you’re in good health. Now imagine doing it on a torn Achilles.
That’s right. Russia’s Artur Dalaloyan recorded the fourth-best score in the first qualifying session on Saturday three months after an injury so severe his foot bounced uncontrollably as his wife drove him to hospital.
“I couldn’t control my emotions,” Dalaloyan said through a translator, explaining why he collapsed and buried his face in his hands after completing the floor exercise, his penultimate event. “One side of me was full of joy and confidence. I was a little proud that I was able to get there, to be able to get there and to do all the exercises the way I really wanted.
“The other part of me felt disappointed in a way because I understood that I couldn’t do all of the exercises perfectly,” he said. “There was something I probably could have improved.”
Dalaloyan is the 2018 world champion and was set to face his teammate and reigning world champion Nikita Nagornyy for gold at the Tokyo Olympics. But he blew his Achilles in mid-April while training for the European Championships, jeopardizing his chances of making his first Olympics.
Russian gymnastics officials insisted that Dalaloyan would be part of the Tokyo squad and, of course, he returned for the Russian Cup in June. But he’s only done four events and still hasn’t been able to make any outings.
Dalaloyan had initially not planned to do the floor jump or the jump in Tokyo and, after training on the podium on Wednesday, he was not sure if he would participate at all. A pep talk from his coaches and teammates on Friday, however, made him change his mind.
“For me, the Olympic Games are a very high priority. For most sportsmen and people who do gymnastics, they are not lucky enough to be here. It is a once in a lifetime experience, ”he said. “Thanks to my family, especially my wife and children, and the support of the entire Russian team, I was able to find the strength to continue.”
Sure, but it’s one thing to be competitive. It’s another to have one of the best scores at the Olympics.
Russia started the day on still rings and Dalaloyan landed without any sign of pain. But the real test came next, when Russia switched to vaulting, which forced Dalaloyan to sprint an 82-foot track and land with a force seven times his bodyweight.
He was last in the four-man roster, and some thought Russia could jump him if his first three scores were high enough. (Teams can lose their lower scores in qualifying.) But Dalaloyan warmed up without any obvious problems and did his only jump solidly.
The next two events didn’t put much stress on Dalaloyan’s surgically repaired ankle, but every second of floor exercise was going to be excruciating. While he pulled off his passes carefully – or as carefully as possible when you descend 10 feet in the air – and with his feet wide to help absorb the pounding, he was already fighting back tears as he stepped off the podium.
He sobbed for several minutes on the sidelines before lifting his head and wiping his eyes. Then he joined his teammates for the final round.
Dalaloyan’s score of 85.957 placed him fourth, behind Nagornyy and China’s Xiao Ruoteng and Sun Wei. Said he would be making the all-around final, Dalaloyan briefly put his hand over his eyes and then smiled.
“OK,” he said in English. ” It is not a problem for me. Yes, I’m going.”
On a leg or two.
Follow Nancy Armor on Twitter @nrarmour.
