Three American women medaled at Junior Worlds in the years 2012 to 2020. Gracie Gold won the silver in 2012, Ting Cui won the bronze in 2019 and Alysa Liu won the bronze in 2020. They were all up against fierce competition from the Russian women (many of whom are favorites for the big prizes in the upcoming Olympic Games and World Championships).
What strikes me right now is that all three are still competing and striving to make that Olympic team. Two of the three will probably retire after this season. All three have struggled since their Junior wins (primarily with growth). All three have decided to continue in a sport that rewards precocious talent over sustained development. That takes a lot of guts. The USFSA has seemingly given up on two of the three and the 3rd is no longer considered the hot property that she once was.
If I were the federation, I would give each of these three women (financially, coaching, mentoring, health resources...) everything that they need to succeed. Yet it looks like these three have been virtually abandoned to their own resources. These three have proven that they can be competitive and based on what I see, they are still competitive. I think these three still represent our best hope of success at the upcoming Games (even if the athletes may be struggling at the moment). They have the greatest potential.
What strikes me right now is that all three are still competing and striving to make that Olympic team. Two of the three will probably retire after this season. All three have struggled since their Junior wins (primarily with growth). All three have decided to continue in a sport that rewards precocious talent over sustained development. That takes a lot of guts. The USFSA has seemingly given up on two of the three and the 3rd is no longer considered the hot property that she once was.
If I were the federation, I would give each of these three women (financially, coaching, mentoring, health resources...) everything that they need to succeed. Yet it looks like these three have been virtually abandoned to their own resources. These three have proven that they can be competitive and based on what I see, they are still competitive. I think these three still represent our best hope of success at the upcoming Games (even if the athletes may be struggling at the moment). They have the greatest potential.
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