Whittenburg through the years
Just two years short of a decade ago, Whittenburg stepped up to the plate at the Olympic Trials for the very first time as he attempted to make the coveted U.S. team for Rio 2016.
When the Olympic Team was announced at the conclusion of that competition eight years ago, he was named as the traveling alternate for the Games. Recalling that moment, he told Olympics.com that he left St. Louis feeling “humbled.”
It came as a shock to the then 21-year-old, who thought that his year of performances leading up to the trials put him in a position to be a “shoo in” for the Rio team.
The year before, he took the bronze medal on vault at the World Championships, as well as silver medals on the floor, rings and vault at the Pan American Games.
“I got humbled pretty hard at that moment, so I think having that happen kind of reset my mind to be like, ‘Oh, even if you were one of the best in the country…anything can happen.’”
At his second round of Olympic trials in 2021, Whittenburg received even worse news. He failed to finish in the top eight by the conclusion of the competition and did not make the Tokyo 2020 roster at all.
But, resilience and perseverance have kept Whittenburg on the international stage for an entire decade since he made his World Championships debut in 2014.
Now, over the next few days, the world will see if his Olympic dreams can finally become a reality.
Source link : https://olympics.com/en/news/donnell-whittenburg-interview-2024-olympic-gymnastics-trials
Author :
Publish date : 2024-06-27 15:43:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.