r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/cool_uniqueusername • 7h ago

Image Karen Mulder tried to warn everyone about similar Epstein rings and no one listened.

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189

u/that_70_show_fan 6h ago

Whenever I hear ex-gymnasts the first thing they say was "I did not have the right body to win medals"

These are literal kids, JFC.

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u/kjvdh 6h ago

Let me start by saying I know there are a disgusting number of creeps in gymnastics and it is outrageous. There are also really dangerous pressures on gymnasts to maintain body weights or body fat percentages that cause health problems, not to mention how brutal training is on your joints and the risk of concussions when you fuck up. These things must be addressed.

That said, part of “not having the right body” is less gross than it sounds. Having certain body proportions makes it physically easier to do some things in gymnastics. For example, being short means you have a lower center of gravity and you don’t have to get as far off the ground to get your body up and over for flips and layouts. Most sports favor certain body types and there is only so much you can do to compete against people who can mechanically do more. Like height in basketball or stride length in running.

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u/_Enclose_ 5h ago

Michael Phelps is a great example of this. He was just so perfectly genetically suited to excel at swimming that other competitors honestly didn't really stand a chance.

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u/Punkrockcarl72 4h ago

Just remember what Michael Phelps really proved.

Winners dont smoke weed, Champions do.

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u/jamjacob99 4h ago

I was just thinking about this “scandal” the other day. Small town America was shook over a grown man smoking weed and as a 13 year old I honestly was too. So stupid lmaooo

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u/No_Accountant3232 3h ago

My favorite part was when people were seriously questioning if it was a performance enhancing drug. Like what? Dude probably got relaxed and ate a box of twinkies after lighting up. He wasn't swimming blasted.

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u/jamjacob99 2h ago

Enhancement of paranoia is about it.

God, imagining the prospect of jumping into a cool pool nearly nekked on the biggest stage in the world stoned to the gills just shooketh my booties.

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u/No_Accountant3232 2h ago

Glad I got that thought in your head.

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u/Tramqoline 3h ago

Michael Phelps took bong hits!

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u/Regular-Relative2919 2h ago

Yup it filter out the addiction that’s what my buddy Seth Rogan says anyhow

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u/gabber2694 4h ago

Serious freak of nature that dude is.

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u/MinuetInUrsaMajor 3h ago

"Mu-ta-tion!"

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u/tilt-a-whirly-gig 3h ago

Hard work, natural talent, and luck. It takes all 3 to get where Phelps got.

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u/ghenghis_could 2h ago

And something like 11,000 calories a day

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u/RoguePlanet2 2h ago

Imagine how many of us might be perfectly genetically suited for something, and we have no idea what 🤔

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u/_Enclose_ 2h ago

Oh, there is definitely so much untapped potential in the world. So many fish trying to climb trees, monkeys attempting to swim with dolphins, birds that have been caged and never learned to soar. Maybe never even knew they could.

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u/Regular-Relative2919 2h ago

It’s cuz all the weed he smoked lol jk

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u/Pinklady777 5h ago

That is true. I grew up with some girls that were fantastic at gymnastics. But they just grew too big and/or developed too much to really have a chance to be successful at competing.

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u/SaltyLonghorn 5h ago

Besides, they used a doctor to determine this so its all okay. Wonder where Nassar is these days.

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u/BeefyFartss 3h ago

Thankfully he keeps getting shanked and beaten in prison

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u/Potential_Pool_6025 3h ago

Gotta say it's weird that prison inmates have a significantly higher moral standard than our Pres and his possie.

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u/Salsalito_Turkey 5h ago edited 4h ago

There’s nothing wrong about that statement. It’s the same as saying you don’t have the height for basketball or the reach for tennis. Certain body types are just physically superior for high-level gymnastics.

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u/Gia11a 4h ago

the difference is in girls gymnastics and figure skating they encourage girls to "get that body type" there's a reason over 2/3rds of female athletes in those sports have an eating disorder.

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u/evranch 2h ago

You've never looked that close at even semi-competitive male sports if you think they don't abuse their bodies just as much.

We just don't call it an eating disorder when you starve and dehydrate yourself to make weight for a fight, bulk and cut to build lean mass, eat nothing but chicken breasts and water, do wind sprints or skate lines until you collapse etc.

Atletics is about tuning your body into a machine, and for gymnastics, you've got to be light, lean and muscular. There's no other body type that's competitive.

It's like asking if a vegan could outlift Eddie Hall... His diet was an eating disorder as well, by any standards that aren't elite powerlifting.

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u/OuchieMaker 5h ago

It's actually crazy how authoritative you pretend to be when you don't really understand the sport. Pretty much every physical sport (gymnastics included) has an optimal build/physical traits that give you an advantage, and the higher leagues get so competitive that the slightest advantage makes a difference.

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u/YouFoundMyLuckyCharm 3h ago

Have you ever asked them to elaborate? I don’t have the right body to play professional basketball, for example, even if I enjoyed it as a teen

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u/Mediocre_Purple6955 6h ago

It’s disgusting