Oksana Chusovitina got a memorable and highly deserved send-off after competing in her eighth Olympic Games.
On Sunday, July 25, the 46-year-old gymnast received a standing ovation from her fellow competitors and even the judges after performing her vault routine at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which failed to qualify her for the event's final. The athlete had announced that this will be her final Olympics.
Oksana, who was representing Uzbekistan but has also previously represented the Soviet Union and Germany, has competed in every Olympics since the 1992 Barcelona Games. She has won two Olympic medals throughout her storied career, including a team gold with the Soviet squad in 1992, and a silver in the vault for the Germans at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Footage from NBC's broadcast on July 25 showed Oksana getting tearful after her final routine, in addition to making a heart with her hands and saying "bye-bye" into the cameras.
In describing the emotional scene, NBC gymnastics commentator Terry Gannon pointed out that Oksana "first competed at the Olympics five years before Simone Biles was born."
Prior to competing on Sunday, Oksana had told the press in Tokyo that these Games would be her last, according to The Guardian. "My son is 22 years old, and I want to spend time with him," the gymnast explained, per the outlet. "I want to be a mom and wife."
Oksana, who has won 11 world medals throughout her legendary run, was voted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2017.