While fans all over the world rejoiced when Oksana Chusovitina announced her comeback, she also received negative reactions – people saying that it’s time for her to leave the sport and give way to younger gymnasts. Chusovitina commented to the National Olympic Committee:
“I’m not taking the spots from the young ones, they are also training, preparing, and will go to all the competitions, don’t worry.”
She also told Sputnik:
“It’s my desire and, I suppose, I have a right to do what I want… I’m not taking anyone’s place, I will fight and compete and go through the selection for the team same as [the other gymnasts]. Everyone is under the same conditions. I want to tell people – be a bit kinder, every person has a choice and they have a right to choose what they want to do.”
Chusovitina explained that while she already has medals from the Asian Games, she wants to win a medal at her last competition:
“Yesterday, I made the decision to train for the Asian Games. I made this decision because, after all, I end my career without a medal. It won’t be Olympics, it will be the Asian Games, nonetheless, I want to end my career on a high note. We’re talking only about the Asian Games, so I’m only training for that. I’ll compete at the Asian Games, try to win a medal, and that will be it.”
She emphasized that she’s not trying to prove anything to anyone, it’s just what her hear wants:
“I’d really like to end my career with a medal for Uzbekistan. When your heart asks for it, you have to do it. I’m not proving anything to anyone, I just want to prove it to myself. I want to try it, so that I won’t have regrets later. After all, not being able to do it [to win a medal] at the Olympics left a bad taste in my mouth.”
