3 Scary Facts About Gymnastics You Won’t Hear in Athletes’ Sound Bites
The balance beam is the width of an iPhone, and other nerve-rattling realities
Behind the beauty and grace of Olympic gymnastics lies an unforgiving truth. Succeeding at the sport takes more than skill, persistence, and a helping hand from luck when it matters most. It also takes exceptional bravery. Here are three reasons why.
1. The balance beam is the width of an iPhone
In Olympic gymnastics, the balance beam is about four inches wide, or narrower than an iPhone in landscape mode. It’s four feet tall. On it, gymnasts must do — among other elements — a 180-degree split and a turn on one foot.
How do athletes know they’re ready for the white-knuckle moves? Or for routines like those that won gold for Suni Lee in Tokyo?
In his The Story of the Olympics, the Pulitzer Prize–winning sportswriter Davie Anderson quotes Mary Lou Retton, the gold medalist in the women’s all-around at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, on how gymnasts prepare for the terrors. Retton said:
“If you’re a gymnast, someone should be able to sneak up and drag you out of bed at midnight and push…
