Lilia Akhaimova is currently a top vaulter on the Russian team but medaling at the Olympics was probably a tall order – she had lower difficulty than the eventual medalists Rebeca Andrade, Mykayla Skinner and Yeo Seojeong and would have needed to be absolutely perfect on vault to clutch bronze. However, she had execution issues and ended up finishing sixth in the final. She said after the final:
“I wanted to do better. On my first vault, the landing did not go quite well, but I’m happy with the second vaut. I guess I wasn’t good enough for the judges to give me a high score.”
Previously, her personal coach Vera Kiryashova said that Akhaimova is likely to retire following the Olympics. Akhaimova told journalists that she’s not yet sure about her future plans and needs to think about them later:
“I haven’t yet decided whether I will compete at the [upcoming] World Championships, I need to think long and hard about it. For now, this matter is open. I’m joyful because of the Olympics. I’m happy that I made this team, we’ve reached our main goal.”
Photo: Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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