In a poignant turn of events, Shoko Miyata, the reigning Japanese national champion and captain of the women’s artistic gymnastics team, has been removed from the Paris Olympics and sent home from France, rather emphatically, might we say? And all for a wee little mishap, no less. What led to this unexpected withdrawal? An alleged rule violation during competition resulted in her disqualification. Miyata, who secured bronze on the balance beam at the 2022 World Championships, faces the end of her Olympic dreams.

In a dramatic turn, she is not only stepping away from the Paris Games but also unplugging from the gymnastics community entirely, at least for the foreseeable future. As she embraces a new path beyond competitive gymnastics, the weight of missed dreams settles in. As the fate of the wunderkind hangs in the balance, what lies in store for her now?

Shoko Miyata looks beyond gymnastics for solace now

Recently, in a shocking revelation made by the gymnastics community on Reddit, Shoko Miyata has deleted all her Instagram posts in a bid to unplug from the community. They titled the post, “Shoko Miyata deleted all her Instagram posts and her Twitter account.” She still has 18.9k followers on the account. The news came just days after authorities received a tip on the 15th of July. After the investigation, the 19-year-old was sent home from the training camp in Monaco for smoking, which is illegal for anyone under the age of 20 to do in Japan. This is considered a violation of the code of conduct by the Japanese Gymnastics Association and she was withdrawn from the Paris artistic gymnastics squad in one fell swoop. This begets the question as to whether this move was too excessive and warranted removal or not.

The team will now compete with four athletes instead of five. JGA President Tadashi Fujita said, “We apologize from the bottom of our hearts for this.” Even Miyata’s coach, Mutsumi Harada, was present. He tearfully added, “She was spending her days really burdened with so much pressure. I would implore people to understand that.” Miyata was likely facing a lot of trolling and hatred online, which compounded to her already low spirits. This is probably why she deleted her social media. The Japanese team now consists of Okhane Ushioku, Mana Okamura, Haruka Nakamura, and Rina Kishi.

All of them are first-time Olympians, aiming to secure Japan’s first team medal since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Shoko Miyata’s suspension is a great blow to the team’s aspirations, especially since she had earned podium finishes internationally. Her departure opens a new chapter, offering fresh opportunities for growth and exploration. Mental health came into sharp focus at the Tokyo Olympics when Simone Biles withdrew from several competitions. This highlighted the intense pressures young athletes face. Miyata’s departure opens a new chapter, something that could constitute a hiatus of sorts, or self-introspection for her transgressions.

Shoko Miyata’s repertoire is one that can easily overlook her smoking debacle 

In 2020, Shoko Miyata made her international debut in the senior competitions at the Melbourne World Cup. She finished 3rd on the vault. Later in 2021, she finished 10th all-around in the All-Japan Championships, which was an improvement from her 28th place finish in 2019. Additionally, she won silver in the vault at the All-Japan Event Championships. In 2022, Shoko Miyata won on the balance beam at the World Championships in Liverpool, a performance that contributed to Japan’s 7th place finish.

Moreover, she finished 8th in the AA finals. Miyata even won silver at the Asian Championships on the vault and floor exercises, placing 4th in the AA. In 2023, she had a breakout year, winning gold on vault, and bronze on balance beam and floor exercise at the World University Games. She also placed 4th on the balance beam. Japan qualified to the team finals at the 2023 World Championships because of this and secured an 8th place finish. She even secured a 6th rank in the vault finals.

Her consistent track record led her to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics this year. However, that ship has now sailed. Though it is unlikely that Miyata will retire from gymnastics or leave the sport completely, she definitely is taking some time out for herself. We hope the gymnast rises back from adversity in her future endeavors and hopefully she will steal our hearts in the next Olympics.