Alexa Moreno's health forces her to stop in 2022: "Returning to gymnastics is difficult"

Alexa Moreno at the end of her participation in the Tokyo Olympics. Laurence Griffiths (Getty Images)

Alexa Moreno is in zen mode.

The Mexican gymnast, the fourth best in the last Olympic Games, has found some peace in these last few months of inactivity.

She is somewhat calm because a week ago she underwent an arthroscopy, a visualization of the menisci, and a joint cleaning in both ankles.

That takes him away from competing in the world championship, to be held at the end of November.

“Probably, I won't compete this year.

I have months without training well.

I have to recover from the shoulder, I have not climbed on the bars.

Gymnastics is not easy to resume, it is a lot of risk.

I need to be at 100 to enter competitive mode, I don't want to give a medium role.

The following year maybe yes, ”said Alexa Moreno in a meeting with journalists.

In September 2021, the Mexican underwent shoulder surgery due to a chronic injury caused by a torn rotator cuff.

Now, after taking care of her ankles, she must use crutches for two weeks and then start having regenerative work in the pool.

"It's like two months of rehab to get back to running," she added.

Alexa Moreno, the banner of Mexico in gymnastics, made history for her country in Tokyo 2020 by reaching the horse vault final, the second to achieve it after Denisse López in Sydney 2000. Already in the competition, the 27-year-old athlete he was tenths away from the bronze medal.

Her fourth place, however, was an award for a gymnast who had to juggle confinement.

On whether he will compete in Paris 2024, Moreno asks for calm in his process.

“I'm not 100. It's a mental issue.

There is a lot of psychological weight that we are beginning to carry [as athletes].

I was between six and eight hours in the gym, going to physical therapy for two and a half hours, meal times, sleeping... You can't do anything.

You have to make decisions... Decisions cannot be taken lightly.

What I want to do is put all those elements into my routines that I couldn't do because of the inconsistency due to the pandemic, ”he says.

The Mexican debuted in Olympic competitions in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and she is the only one from her country to win a medal in a world championship.

That bronze that she won in Doha made her get on the podium with Simone Biles.

“I would like to continue being a resilient person, it is essential.

Persevere above all.

Having the will to keep going despite everything, despite falling 1,000 times.

It's something I wouldn't want to lose," said Moreno, with bluish hair and accompanied by a stuffed toy of baby Yoda [Grogu for specialists].

Alexa Moreno also took advantage of this break in activities to finish her architecture studies and the Mexican student association at Harvard University has invited her to give a master class between February 26 and 28.

The Mexican gymnast, during the next few months, will leave her talent in the fridge.

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