Chusovitina, 51, takes on Malaysian teens in Asian Games vault final

KUALA LUMPUR: Imagine competing for an Asian Games gold medal against a competitor old enough to be your mother.

That will be the reality facing Malaysia's artistic gymnasts Yeap Kang Xiang and Marissa Zaiful in today's vault final at the Nagoya General Gymnasium.

Uzbekistan's Oksana Chusovitina, 51, the 1992 Olympic champion, will line up alongside 17-year-old Kang Xiang, 18-year-old Marissa and the other finallists as she bids for another Asian Games medal.

The Uzbek legend qualified fourth for the vault final with a score of 13.266 — 32 years after her first appearance at the Asian Games.

Chusovitina finished ahead of Kang Xiang, who qualified sixth with 13.049, and Marissa, who took the eighth and final qualifying spot with 12.849.

The veteran also revealed she intends to attempt to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which would come 36 years after she made her Olympic debut in Barcelona in 1992.

"I will try to qualify for 2028," Chusovitina told reporters, in comments carried by Olympics.com.

"It's sport, it's gymnastics. If it's possible, I will try to compete at LA28."

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Chusovitina is competing at her seventh Asian Games, with her continental career stretching back 32 years to Hiroshima in 1994.

She has collected eight Asian Games medals in total — two golds, four silvers and two bronzes.

Chusovitina credited her remarkable longevity to never having suffered a major injury and said her feelings towards the sport had changed as her focus shifted towards simply enjoying competition.

"As long as I'm enjoying it, as long as I can do it, why do I need to stop?" Chusovitina added.

"I'm feeling great and it's great to perform here when we have so many fans and so much support from the spectators, and I will perform as long as I can.

"I'm not competing with anyone. I'm just enjoying the process.

"Now I'm getting more pleasure and excitement. I'm just enjoying the competition. Finally, after all these years, I am starting to have positive emotions and pleasure from gymnastics."