“Heart Aches”: Gymnastics Community Saddened by 23-Year-Old Athlete Missing Out on Paris Olympics Berth

Heath Thorpe is a living indictment of a gymnast with wins and chinks in his armor. The 23-year-old gymnast made himself shine by winning the Australian Championship. With innumerable medals pinned to his lapels, comes with it a lot of baggage and expectations as well. Recent news comes abound that Thorpe will unfortunately not be taking part in the Paris Olympics. The openly gay gymnast competed in the 2023 Australian Gymnastics Championships but failed to leave an impact, resulting in his no-name, no-show status at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium. With that and the double whammy round the corner about Paris not being on his vision board anymore, fans were up in arms about this.

It is the first time Heath has had a chance to compete and show his hard work at the Oceania Continental Championship, something he took part in recently. Fans are excitedly showing their love and support for the Australian Champion despite his loss at the Championships. With the Paris dream not on his periphery anymore, how are fans reacting to this unfathomable news, and more importantly, will Thorpe makes amends with his loss and come back stronger for 2028 LA?

Heath Thorpe holds his head high despite missing out on Paris

Heath Thorpe shared an Instagram post about the result of the Artistic Gymnastics Oceania Championship, a springboard to the Olympics. It features a horde of athletes from New Zealand and Australia vying for a spot in the Paris Olympics. By congratulating the winner, Jesse Moore, for his deserved victory, does this mean Heath made it clear that he won’t be competing in Paris? Heath also mentioned in the post that he was just 0.768 shy of securing a venerable Olympic quota and a 0.134 from securing a reserve position as well, compounding to his loss. Thorpe said that –“My heart hurts but my head is held high”.

Whether he wins or loses , Heath has always remained down to earth. He appreciated his own hard work and the love he receives from the world. Regardless of the outcome, he takes pride in his efforts, as reflected in his recent Instagram post. “My heart hurts but my head is held high. 0.768 shy from an Olympic quota place and 0.134 from a reserve position,” said Heath. A for effort, as they say, and fans too were in agreement with that corollary.

He never dreamed of losing his Paris ticket and gave his all on the floor. It was heartbreaking for him to deal with the result, as he had put his hard work into it every single day until the event started. Heath shared, “I couldn’t have worked harder over these last 6 months.” He made it appreciable by achieving an International AA PB which itself demonstrates the existence of his efforts.

While thanking his close ones, including his Belgian teammates, family, and friends. Heath didn’t forget to appreciate his coaches: Hongwei, his Australian coach, for supporting and believing in him, and Koen, his Belgian coach, who reignited his passion for the sport that he had lost at some point. However, aside from missing out on the Paris ticket, Heath’s only message for fans right now is that he is looking forward to taking a break to process his emotions. Fans chimed in and lent their undeniable solidarity to the fallen soldier himself.

Fan’s chime in on Heath Thorpe’s infallible loss suffixing it with rays of positivity

The kind of support he has been receiving from the fans is phenomenal. Other athletes and stars such as Justin Ah Chow, Sam Phillips, Tynga Williams, and more have also congratulated him on his journey and perseverance. People are proud of him for giving his all on the floor, regardless of the outcome. One said, “Proud of you regardless of the result! you are more than your gymnastics.”

Another fan remarked on his overwhelming happiness in witnessing Heath’s evolution in AA over the year. The fan also expressed sentiments regarding Paris not being this time, but appreciated Heath’s performance until the last moment. “Congrats Heath. It’s been amazing to watch your AA evolve over the past few years and culminate in a strong performance today. Paris wasn’t meant to be, but you fought bloody hard for that final spot,” said the fan.

Additionally, a fan seemed heartbroken but still cheered up, saying, “You still young and you can keep it up and make next one.” People are showering love on the athlete, saying, “Love you Heath, so proud of you.” This shows the respect Heath has earned over time from people. However, despite the result, people are being crazy fans to support his journey. Now that Heath is taking a break, what do you think his next greener pasture aka course of action will be?