Olympic Gymnast Oksana Chusovitina is 41 years old.  Let that sink in.  When 22 or 23 is considered grandma status in gymnastics, Oksana Chusovitinia is 41 years old.  To put this in perspective, RETIRED Olympic Champion turned commentator Nastia Lukin said on the gymnastics telecast:  “She competed with my Dad”

Not only is she competing in the Olympics in Rio, she is keeping up with the competition.  Chusovitina has qualified for the vault final.

To put this in perspective she competed on the Unified Team in 1992 after the Soviet Collapse.  There was still USSR when she started competing.

Mama Athlete

Oksana Chusovitina is also a wife and mother to a 16  year old son named Alisher who is one year older than American Olympian, Laurie Hernandez.

This is impressive enough, but while watching the Olympic telecast I was shocked to find out her son Alisher had been diagnosed with leukemia in 2002 and moved to Cologne, Germany for his treatment.  She started competing for Germany and won a silver medal on vault.

While setting the record for a SEVENTH Olympics is quite impressive along with medals, she told ESPN. com nothing compared to the news that her son was leukemia free.

“It was the greatest news of all,” she said.

“Medals, no medals, it really doesn’t matter when you hear this news. [No] medal could compare to this type of phone call. When your son is healthy, you can’t compare any athletic achievements with that.”

How does she keep going?

Get Your Mind Right

I’m always saying that Mindset Matters Most and it starts between the ears.  While it is incredible that someone can physically still keep up with gymnastics competition at 41 years old, much of it starts in the mind.

From ESPN.com

At this time, I don’t need much physical training,” she said.

“I do a lot of mental training. I have muscle memory that my body has developed over the years. I typically put in two to two-and-a-half hours in the gym.

“And then I visualize exactly how the skill needs to be done. I do this in my head, and when I get to the gym, all the mental preparation that I did after breakfast or just walking around, it just transfers to the gym and, if I’m vaulting, I know exactly what my body needs to be doing. I know exactly what I need to be doing to get a better execution or a better height or a better landing.”

Mindset Matters Most.

What keeps her competing?

After the 2012 Olympics, Oksana Chusovitina retired.

Then she unretired.

At night, I told everyone I retired, and the next morning I woke up and changed my mind,” she said.

“That’s literally what happened. I said I retired, and the next day I woke up, and I was lying down in my bed and thinking ‘I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish and I still feel I can do a little bit more.’ And that’s why I started training for my next Olympics because I still feel I can do more.” (source ESPN.com)

I still feel I can do more

“I still feel I can do more” she says   That’s just it!  Do More! Be More!  Don’t let age or labels stop you from wanting to be more.  Is this woman going to take down Simone Biles?  No but she’s doing the best she can do and it’s absolutely INSPIRING!  So let’s stop comparing ourselves to our old selves or other people.  Let’s work on doing the best we can do!

Here is what her coach Svetlana Boguinskaia (who I remember from her Olympic days) says:

“My body, my mind, were ready after three Olympics to be done. I did everything I had,” Boguinskaia said. “And that’s what I think is holding Oksana back — she definitely thinks she can do more, that she can be better.

“And you know what? She probably can. Her first Olympic medal was a gold at the 1992 Olympics, and her second Olympic medal was at her fifth Olympics. It means she doesn’t get worse, she gets better with age. And that’s why she’s still there competing.”

It is never too late to improve or try to BE MORE.  What an inspiration

I found the entire article to be so INSPIRING.  You can read the entire article here

Rio Update:

Vault Final: