London Log-In - Anna Li (July 28, 2012)
July 28, 2012 | Bruin Athletics, Olympics
UCLA athletes, coaches, alumni and staff share their experiences at the 2012 Olympics. Gymnast Anna Li talks about her experience training in Birmingham as a replacement athlete for the U.S. gymnastics team.
July 28, 2012
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Hi everyone! Ive been soooo busy with our training schedule that I didn't have time to write a little! So I'll play a quick catch-up!!
On July 19, I flew straight from Texas to Birmingham, where I have been training as a replacement athlete. We trained in Texas for a week prior to leaving as a whole team.
On the plane ride, We all watched a few movies and got about an hour of sleep on the flight! When we landed, it was about 7 am in the UK, so 1 am in the U.S.! We were very tired but excited to be here. We took a bus/shuttle to our hotel, where the U.S. track and field team was also staying. There were probably at least 50 security people on duty in our hotel! They would check our credentials, then we would take three steps, and someone else would be checking it again! There were security guards on every floor level as well. I guess it was a pretty safe site! We got to see so many track athletes, and we shared a huge bus to our training sites.
I took a nap in the room, and we headed to the first workout. It was a nice gym, but we were all not very fond of this equipment we've never trained on before! Of course, we had to quickly adjust and get back to our daily routines, and we all did just that. Our gym was right next to where the track and field athletes trained, so we got in our workout and caught a bus back with them.
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The rest of the days were exactly the same - woke up at 7:20, breakfast at 8 am and then morning workout. It was routines and some more routines. Then we took the bus back to the hotel at noon. We ate lunch at the hotel with the other athletes and went straight to the ice tubs. Then I would take my nap until my alarm went off at 2:50 to get ready for the second workout. The bus left at 3:30, and it was back to routines! At this point, my routines felt so easy. It was just go, go, go and hit, hit, hit, and we were into the next event!
For dinner we walked to a nearby restaurant, and it was nice to get some fresh air for a bit! Right after we finished, we would head straight to the hotel for ice buckets and some therapy. We were lucky to have the track and field trainers and massage therapists there. That was nice of them to help us! For the most part, we all taped ourselves and had our daily routine down!
Unfortunately, I did get injured in one of the second workouts, but I'm still glad to be a part of this amazing Olympic team. This year, the U.S. is so deep, and the team is so strong! I'm so blessed to train with these incredible girls and to represent USA!
Thank you so much for all of the get-well wishes I've received! Although it isn't fun being injured, and I have to wear a hard neck brace, I was very lucky because my injury could have been much worse. I'm excited to go to London and continue to enjoy this experience, and of course, cheer on team USA!
Can't wait to heal up ASAP and see everyone on tour!
Players Mentioned
