The gymnastics vault is methodical. "One small step, you know, one inch is a really big difference," former U.S. Olympic gymnast Elise Ray says on the new podcast
Blind Landing. "It completely plays a factor in your run and your hurdle and your entry."
Ray was a top contender in the all-around at the 2000 Sydney Games—until it came time to vault. She flipped at the wrong angle and crashed hard on the mat, nearly landing on her neck. "I thought it was nerves, I thought my steps were off... something that I was doing," Ray says. "I blamed myself."
But it wasn't her fault. The vault had been set two inches too low. A staggering 17 other gymnasts also fumbled their way through the event, which ended up looking "more like junior high stuff than the mark of true Olympians," ESPN reported at the time. Even gold-medal favorite Svetlana Khorkina landed backside on her first vault.
The mishap is still one of the biggest mistakes in Olympic history. In
Blind Landing, host Ari Saperstein talks to several vaulters (some are speaking out for the first time) about how the error in measurement cast doubt on the entire competition—and put them in serious danger.
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