On doorstep of Olympic qualifying, Morgan Hurd now plays the waiting game
MIDDLETOWN, Del. (BVM) — Gymnast Morgan Hurd has felt athletic disappointment before.
Last year, the 18-year-old Middletown native began her season with a slight setback after a minor elbow surgery. The year became even more difficult when Hurd fell off the uneven bars during the U.S. world selection event. The fall was costly as Hurd was left off the six-person team for the 2019 World Championships.
“I was upset and disappointed (with my performance),” Hurd said. “I wanted to go out there and hit, so I was disappointed.”
It was a blow to the young athlete who was considered by many to be a lock for a spot
following her 2017 all-around world title and gold medal and a runner-up finish for allaround to Simone Biles at the 2018 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships. Where many young competitors may feel an overwhelming sense of failure that would cripple their ability to perform at their best, Hurd used the misstep as motivation to get even better.
“I used it as fuel because I felt I had something to prove,” Hurd said. “That I was still in the
game and not falling behind.”
Hurd understood that success this year would springboard her to her dream: a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
Hurd’s pursuit for the Olympic team is no secret. In fact, Hurd is one of three subjects of the Olympic Channel series All Around which follows a group of Tokyo hopefuls. Hurd, however, made a big splash to the start of her 2020 comeback campaign.
Hurd’s journey to Tokyo began with the American Cup in Milwaukee on March 7, the first of four International Gymnastics Federation all-around World Cup events where countries can secure an additional berth to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. During the event, Hurd proved why she was considered one of the best a year ago. Hurd won the event, finishing with a total score of 55.832, beating 12 competitors after winning first in the uneven bars, placing second in the floor exercises and third in balance beam and the vault.
“I was feeling pretty nervous because it had been such a long time since I competed and I felt I had to have a really good competition in order for people not to count me out,” Hurd said. “Honestly, I felt so relieved and so proud of all the work I had put in the last few months. It really felt amazing and I felt it really helped build my confidence up a lot.”
As Hurd prepared for her next event, an international crisis made its way to the Olympic stage. On March 24, the International Olympic Committee postponed the Tokyo Olympic Games until July 2021. Another year with disappointing news for the Olympic hopeful.
“I wasn’t very surprised at it; I kind of saw it coming,” Hurd said. “I believed it was the best
possible decision and I’m just trying to look at it in a positive light as it’s a time now to get
stronger.”
Hurd is undeterred. As she has seen her training facility close due to social distancing, Hurd has used her time at her Middletown residence to find unique exercises to keep in shape. From using her cats as weights for her Russian twist ab exercises to using books to help stretch, Hurd’s at-home workouts have become some of the more popular of Olympians’ COVID-19 exercises.
“I think it’s important to keep the positive side of things because if not it’s going to be really hard to keep in shape and work out and everything,” Hurd said.
https://twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/1241812641728712705
Although her videos have received much popularity, Hurd isn’t too surprised by the views they’ve received.
“(I’m) A little bit (surprised), but at the same time I feel like everyone is at home right now and there’s not really much to do. So obviously everyone’s on their phones a lot more, even I am, so it’s more mainstream right now,” Hurd said with a laugh. “Not everyone is going to have equipment at their house so if I can show them how to do (an exercise) with non-equipment, like furniture, I feel like it’s really helpful and appreciated.”
So as the world waits to get back to normalcy, Hurd continues to hone her craft from the comforts of her home. Hurd has shown she can bounce back from great disappointments. This is just another motivator for the young gymnast to use on her path to Tokyo.
“It would mean the absolute world,” Hurd said. “I have been dreaming of this my whole life and training for it for what feels like forever. My hopes are just to really show I can bring a lot to the table for the U.S.”
Hurd will also be able to look to the future at the college level as well, having committed in the fall to compete for the University of Florida starting in 2022.
