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Gymnast Thompson forced to retire
Posted: Friday June 16, 2000 09:50 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- A nagging ankle injury has forced U.S. gymnast Jennie Thompson to retire and give up on her dream of competing in the Olympics. With the Olympic trials two months away, the 18-year-old Thompson made the decision Thursday with the advice of her doctors and her coach, Mary Lee Tracy. "I'm really sad about it," Thompson said. "I've been thinking about it for a long time. But I know I did everything I could." Thompson has been on the U.S. team since 1992, and was the junior national champion in 1993, one of the top gymnasts in Bela Karolyi's stable of athletes. But nagging injuries were a constant through her career and they crept up again after the Pan-American games last year. "I remember asking her how she was doing and she started to cry and said, `I can't see myself tumbling,'" Tracy said, recalling a recent conversation. "When you lose that vision, you know it's going to be almost impossible. Jennie was never a hypochondriac. If she could have done this in any way, she would have done it." When Thompson was healthy, she was among the best in the country. She won the 1999 American Cup and also won medals in last year's U.S. Championships and the Pan-Am games, where the ankle injury flared up again. She underwent surgeries last December and in May to clean up the ankle, but came to realize that she didn't have enough time to heal and still be ready for the U.S. Championships, which take place next month. "Jennie has been a role model and leader for the women's gymnastics program for many years," Karolyi said. "Her dedication to the sport has been impressive and inspirational to athletes, coaches and fans."
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