His last piece was pommel horse. He stood there, his arms loosely at his sides, head down, completely in the zone. The arena sound system was playing music in the background; I remember Led Zeppelin. The music was curiously cohesive with the space and the occasion. When it was time for him to go, he was perfect, golden.
Belyavski spans generations of gymnast, floats across era of gymnastics. His body is light and lithe. His technique is balletic. You could watch Belyavski perform a simple handstand or leap, and it would still be impressive. His execution is immaculate.
It’s now 2025, and David is 15 years into his senior career. Today he won a silver medal on the pommel horse. Tomorrow, he will compete in the parallel bars final. He is 33.
And on his social media, he reminds us of the following remarkable fact.
‘In modern Russian history, not a single gymnast has won a medal at the national championship after the age of 30.
I did it three (no, four) times.’
Belyavski, it seems to me, is capable of continuing for many more years. May he continue swinging parallel bars and flying weightlessly through the air for another 34 years.
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