Nakamori driven towards Olympic qualification in June 2012
American gymnast, Sho Nakamori’s journey through the gymnastic years has undoubtedly been a tumultuous one, peppered with disappointments and injuries along the way. But as the Olympic year closes in on him, Nakamori is all set for London.
Two years ago, Nakamori was in his mother’s hometown, Chiba, competing in the Japan Cup when a dismount from the high bars went wrong.
Nakamori ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee but miraculously managed to hold his position while landing, long enough to protect his team’s scores from deductions. At the time, Nakamori was a U.S. Junior National team member.
The eager gymnast’s team trainer for the event made sure Nakamori does not worsen his physical condition by refusing to let him take part in the upper-body events despite the latter’s insistence.
The string of injuries that followed included a torn bicep, a bulging disc, and a fractured femur. The latter most was sustained during warm-ups on the pommel horse at the Pan American Games, in 2003. The injury cost him his participation in the tournament.
But all the setbacks just bounced off Mr. Bopping Bag, who showed exemplary resilience and motivation every single time he was thrown off course.
It is clear that the injuries and subsequent disappointments did not break Nakamori’s positive spirit.
“I've obviously been through a lot in terms of injury. They were all disheartening for a few seconds. But at the same time I said, 'You know what? I've got to rebound. This is what I want to do,’” Nakamori said with a smile that unmasked his humility.
With former gymnasts Kazuki and Tamae for parents, Nakamori hails from a tradition in gymnastics. The legacy recognizes his father to be the source of all inspiration.
Indeed Kazuki, who has been a trainer at Stanford University and UC Berkeley, played a crucial role in Nakamori’s development, such that at 12 years of age, he had joined the U.S. Junior National team.
The biggest test of Nakamori’s spirit came with the sudden death of his father, who was only 44 when he passed away of scarlet fever infection.
“He was a huge inspiration for me. Getting back into it mentally after he died was probably the hardest part,” he said.
The 1996’s Chinese Olympic medallist, Jinjing Zhang, took Nakamori under his wing in 2009. This trainer-trainee partnership spurred the better, less injurious part of Nakamori’s gymnastics career, except for the torn ACL.
In eventuality, he led Stanford’s Cardinals to an NCAA title, which was a first in 14 years.
As 2011 comes to a close, Nakamori has a place in the U.S. Team and a Pan American Bronze medal under his belt. His growing age, however, is a source of some concern to Zhang.
“He'll be about 27 (for London). When I competed in Atlanta, I was 18," Zhang said. "That's a huge difference. It's just really hard to keep up”.
Nakamori is now training rigorously to perfect his routines for the upcoming Olympic trials (scheduled for June 28 – July 1, 2012). On the day of the trials, Nakamori will enter HP Pavilion with realistic expectations and unrelenting confidence.
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