The Fierce Five is now down to two.
Kyla Ross took herself out of the running for the Rio Olympics on Monday, announcing she is retiring from elite gymnastics to focus on college. With Jordyn Wieber already retired and McKayla Maroney sidelined by injuries, Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman are the only members of the team that won gold four years ago still hoping to compete in Rio.
“I’ve been kind of debating decision for a while,” Ross told USA TODAY Sports. “This past year has not been really what I expected. I dealt with a few small injuries but also some downfalls (in result) and I know the motivation hasn’t been completely there.
“I wanted to see if I could push through last few months, but I went into the first national team camp in January and just felt my heart wasn’t really there.”
Ross was the youngest member of the Fierce Five, turning 16 three months after the Americans won gold in London, and was considered the most likely of the team to stick around through Rio. While Douglas, Raisman, Wieber and Maroney all took time off, Ross continued to compete, finishing second in the all-around at the 2013 world championships and helping the Americans to the team title in 2014.
Known for her grace and elegance, particularly on balance beam and the uneven bars, Ross won five medals at the world championships in 2013 and 2014. She also finished second at the U.S. championships both of those years.
“Kyla not only was known for her work ethic and dedication, but also for her desire to reach perfection, which is an important component for a gymnast,” national team coordinator Martha Karolyi said in a statement. “The results of her hard work showed in her technique and excellent execution.”
Ross has grown about 4½ inches since London, and admitted last fall that adjusting to the growth spurt was a challenge.
“A lot of it was strength. You definitely have to lift a lot more,” she said. “It was just getting used to that. Also, some of the rotational stuff.”
But it was the change in her heart, not her body, that ultimately led to her decision to retire.
Ross had deferred her entry to UCLA for a year, hoping to compete for a spot on the Rio team. But as the consistency that once was her trademark eluded her – she was 10th at last year’s nationals and took herself out of considering for the world championships team – she found her motivation fading.
“This past year has not been really what I expected,” Ross said.
“Gymnastics is something you have to spend so much time in the gym. To be in an environment when you don’t feel your best and you don’t always want to be there” is hard, she added.
Though Ross is still training in preparation for her college career – “I’ve been excited to try some, not necessarily new skills, but skills haven’t done in a while” – she has already started the transition to life as a former elite athlete. She plans to major in biomedical engineering, and is working at her sports medicine doctor’s office. She’s also begun getting things for her dorm room.
Knowing she’ll have something else to keep her busy in August helps, but Ross said it’s still going to be “really difficult” to miss the Rio Games.
“It’s going to take me time to get used to being known as an elite gymnast whose career is over,” Ross said.
