Kerri Strug, The Last Hope
Perhaps, you recall the iconic image of this Olympian gymnast being carried off after her final rotation. She was facing immense pressure at the 1996 Olympics. Strug, competing with America’s Magnificent Seven needed to clinch the win over the Russians, who were leading by 0.897 points. Sadly, her one teammate did not land cleanly and another team member fell twice. Thus, it all fell on her shoulders during the final vault performance for her team.
Kerri Strug, The Last Hope
Making History Despite Injury
Much to the fans’ dismay, Strug fell, hurting her ankle during her first landing. Still, judges gave her a 9.162 score. When she consulted with her coach Béla Károlyi on whether she needed to vault again, he responded, “Kerri, we need you to go one more time. We need you one more time for the gold. You can do it, you better do it.” Despite being injured, she stuck her next landing! Immediately, she collapsed and her coach had to carry her to get the gold medal.
Making History Despite Injury
