Montreal (Canada): None of her competitor, who had lined up with Oksana Chusovitina before the women’s vault event at the 47th FIG Artistic World Championships on Saturday, were born when she won an Olympic medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

The 42-year-old performed with the same agility and fitness in her 16th Worlds at the iconic Olympic Stadium as she did some 25 years ago.

Though the Uzbek finished fifth in the event, her amazing confidence in a field of eight young girls, who are half of her age, was simply mind blowing.

Chusovitina knew she was competing with a new generation of gymnasts, and it was nothing new as she had been contesting in the World Cups as well.

She looked very much motivated and focussed, but it was her amazing control and finish that will always be etched in our memory.

After the event got over, Chusovitina settled into a dark empty space behind the media box as she intently watched the men’s apparatus finals.

Just like there will never be another Mohammad Ali, gymnastics will also never have another Chusovitina because not every sportsperson possess a strong determination like her.

And when Chusovitina said that she is going to be there at the 2020 Tokyo Games, you got to salute her steely resolve.

Her passion even at this age is something that will encourage the young girls.

Not surprisingly then the FIG Athletes Commission selected her as the representative for women’s artistic gymnastics.