Bleacher Report · Jun 24, 2016
Upstart Veteran Chris Brooks 1 Step Away from Realizing Unexpected Olympic Dream
At 29 years old, Chris Brooks is practically a dinosaur in the world of men's gymnastics, but one more strong performance Saturday night in St. Louis and he could be on his way to Rio de Janeiro to represent the United States at the 2016 Olympics.
Brooks was an alternate for the USA men's gymnastics team at the 2012 Olympics in London and faced a difficult decision after not getting to compete in those Games.
"Being an alternate was awesome but being that close and not getting a spot, I felt like later in life I'd be upset if I called it quits," Brooks recently told Stu Durando of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "But gymnastics is not easy and once you hit 25 or 26, it can be a real issue."