Aliya Mustafina will not be on the Russian roster for next month’s world gymnastics championships, the nation’s gymnastics federation confirmed Tuesday.
Mustafina previously said she’s unlikely to compete because she skipped a domestic Russian qualifying meet, according to Olympic Channel.
“I can’t qualify for the world championships,” Mustafina, a seven-time Olympic medalist, said, according to the report. “At the moment, I choose to find myself physically, morally, rest a little. I want to start my way to Tokyo with a brand new energy.”
Mustafina, 24, is the last non-American woman to win an Olympic or world championships all-around, back in 2010 in her first year as a senior gymnast. A series of injuries followed, including surgeries on both knees and her left ankle.
She earned all-around bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, plus uneven bars titles at both Games. She had daughter Alisa in 2017, then finished fifth on bars at worlds 16 months later.
Mustafina joined a list of distinguished moms to return to the top level of gymnastics, including Oksana Chusovitina, who began competing in the Soviet Union in the 1980s and, seven Olympics later, is still competing at age 44 (for Uzbekistan).
The most decorated Olympic gymnast, Soviet Larisa Latynina, earned 12 of her 18 medals after becoming a mom.
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