Minnesota Native Maggie Nichols Retiring From Elite Gymnastics After Olympic Miss
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minnesota native says she's hanging up her gym shoes Wednesday after she barely missed qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Maggie Nichols of Little Canada earned sixth place overall at an Olympic qualifying event in San Jose, California this week. Unfortunately, coaches didn't select her for any of the five spots or three alternates on Team USA's women's gymnastics squad.
In a post on Instagram Wednesday afternoon, Nichols announced her retirement from elite gymnastic competition.
"This has been the hardest decision I've made, but it's what is right for me," she said in the post.
Nichols, at only 18 years old, has become a fixture of the local gymnastics scene in the Twin Cities. WCCO's David McCoy visited her local gym and spoke to her last month:
Nichols is committed to attending the University of Oklahoma in the fall.