Coach: Jordyn Wieber showing signs of a stress fracture
Jordyn Wieber's coach shed light on the reason the 2011 world all-around champion struggled at the Olympics. According to team doctors, she has been showing signs of a stress fracture, and will be outfitted in a walking boot.
[Photos: Jordyn Wieber]
John Geddert, Wieber's longtime coach and the coach of Team USA, said the problems started during last month's training camp.
Geddert shared that according to USA team doctor Larry Nassar, "there are all the signs of a stress fracture. She's had soreness and now there is a lump there. So, she'll be in a boot tomorrow, finish out the Games, get an x-ray, and then an MRI. It's the same leg as her heel injury. She's been having problems since training camp."
But withdrawing from the competition was never an option for Wieber, who earned gold with the team. Her failure to qualify for the all-around competition was surprising. She scored in the top five overall during qualifications, but didn't do as well as teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas. Only two athletes are allowed per country in each individual competition.
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Geddert said the pain hampered her training, but they will not use it as an excuse.
"I didn't want to dwell on it, and she neither did she. We rested it as much as we could. We didn't do as many numbers as we normally would. And obviously it took its toll. She wasn't as polished as she normally is because we couldn't train. I'm really proud of her team performance because she really dug down deep. Obviously, today she had a shot at a medal. If she'd have done the same routine she did in team she would've had a medal. But, I'm not making excuses. I don't want to get into that. There are some great champions out there. I don't want to draw away from their accomplishments."
Having watched Wieber perform several times in the past two years, it was clear to me something wasn't right. Reliably dynamic routines are her hallmark, but she had uncharacteristic little mistakes during the qualification round. Though she was strong in the team final, she stepped out of bounds and didn't look like herself during her floor exercise. An injury would explain much of what was a puzzling competition for Wieber.
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