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Article: Do young female gymnasts pay too high a price for success?(Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)(Column)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- July 25, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ATLANTA _ Kerri Strug had been there before _ in pain.
It is a gymnast's constant companion.
So are loneliness, self-doubt and an overwhelming need to please parents and coaches.
But always, there is the pain.
In 1993, Strug strained abdominal muscles.
In 1994, she tore stomach muscles, and that is excruciating. It makes you feel like you're being punched in the stomach every time you move, and Strug missed eight months of training.
In her first major meet back _ she fell off the parallel bars and flat on her back. She was carried off on a stretcher. Her teammates feared she had fractured her back. It was ``just'' a sprain.