Gymnast Maroney — and her smirk — won't retire just yet
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Gymnast Maroney — and her smirk — won’t retire just yet
Two-time Olympic medalist McKayla Maroney is stepping away from competition — but not “retiring” from the sport, she said in an interview with gymnastics podcast GymCastic released Wednesday. While teammates Jordyn Wieber, all-around champion Gabby Douglas and three-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman retired or took lengthy sabbaticals after London, Maroney returned to competition in 2013 despite getting hurt during a post-Olympic exhibition tour with the rest of Team USA. She earned a gold medal in vault at the 2013 world championships in Belgium to bookend the one she captured in 2011.
I don’t even want people to use that word … this is something I’m always going to be a part of it. I’m never leaving this sport.
McKayla Maroney
The 20-year-old helped the “Fierce Five” U.S. women’s gymnastics team to the gold medal at the 2012 Games and added a silver in the vault. Her peeved expression on the medal stand after slipping on her second vault, a miscue that cost her the gold, became an Internet sensation and she ended up doing her “not impressed” face for President Obama.
