More than 40 current and former Florida Gators have arrived in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, including UF gymnast [autotag]Leanne Wong[/autotag], who is an alternate for Team USA.
She spent Thursday doing media, visiting the Eiffel Tower and meeting America’s favorite rapper Snoop Dogg. Over recent years, The D-O-Double-G has woven himself into the fabric of Americana, so of course he’s in Paris for the Summer Games.
It’s not all fun and photo ops for Wong, though. Alternates are used somewhat regularly, typically after a member of the top five goes down with an injury. Of course, Simone Biles pulled out of several events in the 2020 Tokyo Games while dealing with “the twisties,” a mental block that plagues some gymnasts prohibiting typical aerial movement.
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Biles has been elite since returning, so there’s not much concern that a repeat will occur. Still, if Biles going down last year reminds everyone that each day of competition is a privilege, not a guarantee. That’s why Wong must be ready for when her name gets called.
“My training is the same as if I was going to compete,” Wong said to NBC. “Because in this sport, like we saw at trials, anything could happen.”
Wong and fellow alternate Joscelyn Roberson won’t be in the Olympic Village with the rest of the team. Despite being considered Olympians by the U.S. Olympic Committer, the international committee does not recognize alternates. They’ll be staying in a nearby hotel.
The Florida superstar has done this before — she was an alternate on the 2020 team and came in to vault for Roberson — but every Olympics tends to have a different feel.
“I guess it can be kind of weird to be in the stands and not on the floor competing, but that’s my position, if I’m not needed,” Wong said. “I think it’s just cool to be there, to get to learn and just explore outside of the arena and outside of practice, too.”
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