What We Learned from Tokyo 2020

TOKYO 2020

What We Learned from Artistic Gymnastics and How It Helped Us Through CSL

By Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski, Head Gymnastics Coach

Starting a new school year online was never going to be an easy feat but as we near the end of Term 1, it is important to reflect on the good, the bad and maybe even the ugly! For many families, the summer break would have been very different to ‘normal’. Luckily, however, we all had Tokyo 2020 to provide some much-needed entertainment and inspiration! The buzz that came from watching athletes from around the world come together for a common cause was infectious and the uplifting stories and tales of athletes overcoming adversity was a major motivation boost.

For me, joining Bangkok Patana School this past summer has been a great experience. Of course, it wasn’t the school start that I initially envisioned, and it certainly came with its challenges. Still, it has been important to remain optimistic and take away the positives from every situation. For example, my two-week hotel quarantine wasn’t the ideal summer holiday; however, I gained uninterrupted time to binge watch the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, particularly the Artistic Gymnastics events!

The Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) and Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) events were filled with jaw-dropping, gutwrenching moments, taking spectators through a whirlwind of emotions! The gymnastics world witnessed new young athletes establish themselves on the world stage as the ones to watch as well as seeing veteran gymnasts hanging up their handguards after their final competitive performance. Through all the ups and downs, lessons have been learned and history made. Let’s have a look at some of the key takeaways from Tokyo 2020 gymnastics and consider how these lessons helped the gymnastics community through lockdown number three and beyond!

1. SHOWING UP FOR YOUR TEAM

In the team finals, we saw numerous examples of athletes really showing up for their team! Angelina Melnikova was last up on floor with what must have felt like the weight of the world on her shoulders, knowing she needed to pull an extraordinary performance out of the bag to secure Russia (ROC) the Team Gold! And…she went out fighting! It was evident that she had done enough as she broke down in tears after successfully completing her final tumbling pass. Likewise, Team USA stepped up to the mark and fought to the end, walking away with Silver after Simone Biles surprised the world by withdrawing from the Team final in the first rotation. Yet despite Biles struggles, she still came out to cheer on her teammates, help carry their equipment, bring them water and give them emotional support. These are only a handful of examples of how the Tokyo athletes showed up for their teammates when the pressure was high!

Bangkok Patana gymnasts learned that even though they were out of the gym hall, they still showed up for their team. The Academy’s Continuing Student Learning (CSL) sessions enabled student-athletes to keep active and encouraged them to keep those connections with other Tiger gymnasts. As a team, we prioritised taking care of both body and mind and no matter the CSL challenges thrown our way, we all shared a unifying passion for gymnastics.

2. MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!

I briefly mentioned Simon Biles as an example of showing up for her team, yet Biles has taught the world much more than being a good sportswoman. She also highlighted the importance of putting mental health first, standing up for what’s right and not reducing herself to a robot. As I’m sure you read in the news, Simone was struck with a bad case of the “twisties”. She immediately recognised the physical and mental dangers and stated her needs. Biles was predicted to clear up to six Olympic gold medals, an unimaginable amount of pressure, yet she took a pause and placed her worth as a person above the value of a medal. So, what lessons did we learn from Simone Biles, and how did we use these lessons to navigate our way through CSL?

We decided we needed a common goal to work towards to help maintain motivation and communication throughout the team. We launched the 2021 Virtual FOBISIA Gymnastics Invitational, a new, innovative competition which enabled gymnasts throughout South East Asia to take part, regardless where they were training. Having this event to work towards provided a positive incentive for Bangkok Patana gymnasts to attend the FOBISIA online training sessions and this centrepiece on our calendar helped the Academy to keep a sense of community throughout the Term 1 CSL period.

3. BOUNCING BACK FROM SETBACKS

Throughout the Tokyo 2020 Gymnastics, we were spoiled with uplifting stories of gymnasts bouncing back from adversity. For example, Arthur Dalaloyan of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team surprised the world by competing at the Olympics following a torn achilles, which he sustained at the European Championships in April 2021! An army of doctors said he wouldn’t be ready in time, but he set his mind to it, hit his routines and helped secure Team ROC the team gold! Another example of overcoming challenges is Rebeca Andrade, who, prior to the Games, had three reconstructive knee surgeries, yet claimed the all-around Silver. Some gymnasts even faced setbacks during the Games, such as seven-time Olympic medallist Kohei Uchimura from Japan and defending gold medallist Epke Zonderland from the Netherlands, who both fell off the high bar during the apparatus qualifications round. The disappointment of one mistake following five years of training for this one event is unimaginable, yet both athletes held their heads high, proud in their achievements in making the Olympic stage.

Bangkok Patana gymnasts learned from watching these athletes bounce back that they, too, can bounce back. After months of being out of the gym, they have also experienced setbacks, some may have lost flexibility or strength, while others a particular skill. Some may have faced mental blocks, but what is important to hold on to is that these setbacks are completely normal. We have reminded our student-athletes to not put too much pressure on themselves to bounce back to pre-lockdown levels but, instead, enjoy the process of regaining and relearning skills.