lettersfromtitan: This is Jordan Jovtchev.  He is 39-years-old and competing in his sixth Olympic games. He’s also the head of the Bulgarian Olympic gymnastics program, which he came out of retirement to try to rebuild.  Between his administrative duties, age, and injuries, he only is able to train for 30 minutes, three times a week, on what is widely considered to be one of the hardest Olympic events, the still rings. Last night, in what was supposed to be his farewell performance, and happening really because there’s just no one of age to compete at this level for Bulgaria right now (all his up-and-comers are, he says, still young teens), and mounting the apparatus with what he describes as “a halfway-torn bicep” and a noticeably swollen, “half-way broken” wrist, he scored just high enough — by .08 of a point — to, extremely unexpectedly, make the finals. His odds of winning a medal are pretty much non-existent.  But so were the odds of his making the finals.

lettersfromtitan:

This is Jordan Jovtchev.  He is 39-years-old and competing in his sixth Olympic games. He’s also the head of the Bulgarian Olympic gymnastics program, which he came out of retirement to try to rebuild. 

Between his administrative duties, age, and injuries, he only is able to train for 30 minutes, three times a week, on what is widely considered to be one of the hardest Olympic events, the still rings.

Last night, in what was supposed to be his farewell performance, and happening really because there’s just no one of age to compete at this level for Bulgaria right now (all his up-and-comers are, he says, still young teens), and mounting the apparatus with what he describes as “a halfway-torn bicep” and a noticeably swollen, “half-way broken” wrist, he scored just high enough — by .08 of a point — to, extremely unexpectedly, make the finals.

His odds of winning a medal are pretty much non-existent.  But so were the odds of his making the finals.

(via amillionparachutes)

Jul. 30 2012
Via lettersfromtitan
143 notes

Notes

  1. mystzaiblot reblogged this from goodbye-raggedyman
  2. h-feather reblogged this from sadpearonmars
  3. polkadotsandpillows reblogged this from lettersfromtitan
  4. toolonghere reblogged this from regala-electra
  5. wehavebigdreams reblogged this from amillionparachutes and added:
    This is incredible.
  6. caramterlep reblogged this from ringtales
  7. tenshinochouwa reblogged this from spiralstreesandcupsoftea
  8. goodbye-raggedyman reblogged this from scarlethearted
  9. ringtales reblogged this from amillionparachutes
  10. amillionparachutes reblogged this from romeosareveryundependable
  11. romeosareveryundependable reblogged this from scarlethearted
  12. scarlethearted reblogged this from incandescentwings
  13. majorheelturn reblogged this from regala-electra and added:
    Holy SHIT
  14. chefreeni reblogged this from lettersfromtitan and added:
    reblogging because youth (and being able to rely on your body without question) is wasted on the young sometimes. And...
  15. fishpoets reblogged this from sirwatson
  16. sirwatson reblogged this from random-red-ramblings
  17. random-red-ramblings reblogged this from goodshipophelia
  18. bookfanatic reblogged this from lettersfromtitan
  19. incandescentwings reblogged this from crashingnotlikehipsorcars
  20. jacquelinesrumbottle reblogged this from deykae and added:
    Oh my gods. I’m feeling so proud right now! Tumblr KNOWS!! #bulgarian pride
  21. deykae reblogged this from allyndra
  22. isagrimorie reblogged this from regala-electra
  23. spiralstreesandcupsoftea reblogged this from basic-cable
  24. basic-cable reblogged this from teslawings
  25. gwydionmisha reblogged this from lettersfromtitan and added:
    I was so happy for him when he made it.