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I can’t really think of any generation of Russian or Soviet gymnasts where anyone retired earlier than they wanted to due to the pressure to start a family. Tourischeva did 3 Olympics before getting married, to a fellow Olympian. The generation after that, who emigrated in significant numbers, all tended to wait until they’d left before starting a family.Okay, my bad. Clearly I misunderstood something I vaguely remember being said years ago
The Sydney generation, Produnova was late 30s before she had a kid and Zamo doesn’t have any. Khorkina had her first son as a single woman, there’s a 15 year age gap between her children.
The 2 I can think of that are a bit stranger are Grishina and Mustafina. Grishina was 19, married with a kid within about a year of retiring. But given her family and financial situation, it’s not surprising. Mustafina’s marriage seems to have been a bit of a whirlwind romance, and I got the impression that her family weren’t all that keen, but did support her with childcare when she returned to training.
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