Chellsie Memmel.Photo: Kyle Okita/CSM/Shutterstock
Chellsie Memmel has made her comeback.
On Saturday, the 32-year-old gymnast and mother of two came out of retirement after nine years to compete in two events at the U.S. Classic.
While Memmel’s fall on the beam left her shy of meeting the Tokyo Olympics qualifying score, her petition to compete at the national championship has been accepted,USA Todayreported.
Chellsie Memmel.Kyle Okita/CSM/Shutterstock
“I feel like this is a win,” Memmel said after the event. “It felt really good. It felt great to start on vault with one of my best vaults of the weekend. Obviously beam didn’t go as I wanted but I’m happy. I put myself out there and I couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
Former gymnastNastia Liukincongratulated Memmel on her comeback on Twitter, sharing a photo of the pair and writing, “SO incredibly proud of you Chel. You are inspiring the entire world - every generation - showing that age is truly just a number AND your true love and passion for the sport@CMemmel.”
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Memmel initially retried from gymnastics in 2012 after her final performance at the Classics. The following year, she married Kory Maier, a mechanical engineer, and they went on to welcome two children: son Dashel Dean, now 6, and daughter Audrielle Ruth, now 3.
According toUSA Today,Memmel began to ponder a return to gymnastics about a year-and-a-half ago. Her father and former coach, Andy, was also gently teasing his daughter to get back in the sport.
“The biggest thing for me is don’t be afraid to go after something, to set a goal,” Memmel said last week, according toUSA Today. “And try not to listen to someone who tells you, ‘Yeah, you probably can’t do it.’ It should be about you and your journey and not listening to people who don’t think you can.”
After completing her routines on the vault and the beam at the Classic on Saturday, Memmel received a big hug from her dad. Her husband was also in attendance, as seen in the athlete’sInstagram post.
While speaking to reporters afterwards, Memmel said with her return to gymnastics, she “just wanted to put that message out to anybody who thought they missed their chance at something or didn’t get a chance to try it.”
“No one should be stopping you,” the mom of two added. “Just don’t hold yourself back.”
source: people.com
