Mohini Bhardwaj was pissed at 2004 Olympics and Standing up to Marta Karolyi

[@bulldawgs2002]

I remember when she needed funds to train for the Olympics. She had raffles, fundraisers, etc..to try and make it to the trials & team. She got a check from Pamela Anderson for the full $20K she needed because Pam was a former gymnast from Canada. When Mo made it to the team, Pamela was there to watch her new friend..true story..

[@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast]

Yes! She talks about it in depth in the episode. Have you listened? Would love to hear your thoughts.

[@bulldawgs2002]

@@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast where can I find this interview? I’d love to hear it! She’s definitely one of my favorite GenX gymnasts.

[@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast]

@@bulldawgs2002 here you go: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-makes-you-think/id1563958453?i=1000526980633

[@bulldawgs2002]

@@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast I’m in the middle of it and I can totally see the rolling the field punishment…lol…in marching band in college, we had to do high mark time and that was bad..definitely gonna subscribe to your podcast

[@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast]

@@bulldawgs2002 yes!!! I had never heard of that before! I hope your enjoy all of the episodes. Please leave a rating and review if you have a sec;)

[@JoshuaFazeli]

Oh my god!!!! Mohini standing up for herself to Márta is everything I wanted her to be and now I know she is that woman!

[@meganlangreck2488]

Mohini in 2004 was so mentally strong and superb a gymnast that she dealt with this situation and this unnecessary additional pressure with the grace of a Goddess. She was rightfully chosen to be on that team, and rightfully she was the team Captain.

[@projectfabulosity1110]

It was hard watching team USA at the 2004 Olympics. It seemed Marta was too over focused on having the right strategy for the team to win which I felt you got that vibe throughout both Qualifying and the Team competition. I was more in awe of Russia taking in a wonderful moment of winning a bronze and Romania who played it cool and confident with a strong feat to win Gold. I'll never forget team USA after Catalina Ponor got her scores for the FX in the finals. They had seemed bummed out they didn't win. Of course an athlete works hard to win. I get that. But obviously Marta wasn't doing any favors showing the team what it means to enjoy the Olympic experience. Just a thought..

[@mikeg8375]

The thing is, they really left a lot on table strategy wise... I wish Marta and USA gymnastics had taken a closer look at things and figured out how to work the code of points to their advantage. There were opportunities with Mohini to have higher start values, and the dance and leap combos really cost them on floor. I don't see too much point in having a centralized camp system, if they aren't going to use them for the right reasons. From what Mohini hinted here and from other sources over the years, It seems that these camps and the approach as a whole was to build discipline and toughness out of the athletes by working them really hard. It really backfired at this competition because none of that mattered if they had technical problems with start values and certain skills...Romania won because they figured out a way to work the code and consistency to their advantage.

[@LaotianLover]

There was too much power given to the karolys

[@mikeg8375]

I agree, people were way too willing to give them free reign especially after Sydney, But they should have taken a closer look at things and really realized what specifically was needed. I definitely think centralizing the program was the right move, but I wish they had spent more time learning how to work the code of points better vs playing mind games with the athletes and making up these arbitrary rules like Mohini mentioned... and thats not even mentioning how that environment allowed Nassar to have access to victims.

[@speedofpee]

This was honestly one of the best interviews you've had and one of the most enjoyable to listen to. Props to Mohini for giving us the real tea behind everything that went on. We've watched her routines for years and it feels so good to hear what's happened behind the scenes, because throughout the entire 2004 Olympic process, there was always an aire of "something feels wrong." I think I kind of get what you're looking for in your interviews, and it's things that are usually not talked about in other interviews or things that the interviewee has never been asked before. In that sense, this interview with Mohini was a huge success.

[@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast]

Thank you for taking the time to dive in. I loved this interview too. Mohini is so incredibly open and genuine. I appreciate your feedback as well. Keep it coming!

[@JoshuaFazeli]

@@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast You did a great job.

[@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast]

@@JoshuaFazeli thank you so much.

[@garrettzjohnson]

I miss gymnastics like yours, Mohini! Such a legend 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@anovemberstar]

in my country, 'pissed' is slang for being drunk ... im slightly disappointed that's not what happened here ...

[@emmyjo720]

Carly Patterson and Courtney Kupets were both competing with bad injuries. Marta was such a vile woman.

[@JoshuaFazeli]

I need to know what Mohini thinks of Tom Forster.

[@kevinjewell233]

Perhaps Marta knew Mohini well enough that she could really count on her to hit without a warm-up........

[@meganlangreck2488]

Probably knew Mohini as a gymnast better than Mohini knew herself.

[@sharjjahnaziz4122]

I love the feed back !!!! This was a great interview!!!!

[@WhatMakesYouThinkPodcast]

Thank you!! Hope you enjoy the full podcast episode too!!

[@BmcC102]

I know I could look it up, but who did she replace?

[@haydenmusicacademy7502]

Courtney Kupets. Courtney suffered a fluke injury mid-team final and couldn't do beam at the last minute.

[@PeirsolFan2]

Small Fact Correction - Bhardwaj fell on beam at the 2001 US Classic. USAG used to run SymGym/Fantasy gym and I remember that F'D up everyone's results since everyone put her up on beam because of her extreme reliability! kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5S1mpemmb6depo - There was no one-touch at the time for team finals. Though it is still F*ED up that she wasn't even allowed to warm-up in the back gym until the last minute.

[@ShelleeGraham]

I thought Mohini said she had never fallen off the beam in her NCAA career.

[@CurlyBoyChuck]

She hadn’t fallen in her collegiate career not elite

[@PeirsolFan2]

@@CurlyBoyChuck - the part where she says until she retired made me think she was referring to her entire career. I don't think Mohini ever technically retired after NCAA since she went to Nationals in 2001.

[@Frisbieinstein]

Look at all those empty seats.

[@mydobie130]

Not giving an athlete time to obsess about going up is smart coaching

[@emmyjo720]

Not if you put the responsibility of winning a medal on them...

[@jackib8113]

Fantastic routine

[@nickmann9549]

Do we know what Courtney Kupets warm-up was like? What made her scratch the event?

[@craftingmama4514]

Something with her hip muscles can't remember the specific injury.

[@erikahansen6959]

If you watch the AA final, they do talk about it when she's on beam and maybe also floor, as those were the events she struggled on most.

[@d00f60]

Mohini was a lucky gymnast lol