Two months ago, John Orozco said that if USA Gymnastics cleared him to perform on its post-Olympic tour, it “will most likely be my last showing of my gymnastics career.”
Orozco did join the tour in October for its final run of cities, ending Sunday, following withdrawing from the Olympic team in July after tearing his left ACL for a second time.
Now that the post-Olympic tour is finished, Orozco says he’s not sure he’s done after all. He would like to return to competition, according to USA Gymnastics.
“It’s a big question mark,” Orozco said, according to the national governing body. “I feel like I don’t want to end my career on a low note.
“I want to see what happens when I get back to 100 percent healthy and see how I feel about competing then. It’s easier to make a decision when I’m fully healthy.”
Orozco, 23, came back from a tragic 2015, the loss of his mother and a potentially career-ending injury, to make his second Olympic team on June 25. Tears streamed in his first interview after being named to the five-man Rio squad.
Orozco went into the Olympic Trials in a precarious position, after placing 10th in the all-around at the P&G Championships three weeks earlier.
Orozco delivered on his best events at Trials — high bar and parallel bars — and was sturdy enough on pommel horse to earn a Rio berth.
But on July 15, Orozco tore his left ACL, just as he did in October 2012. He was replaced on the Olympic team by Danell Leyva.
Orozco has since undergone two surgeries, according to his social media.
Leyva, a three-time Olympic medalist, said he will focus on an acting career in California but isn’t ruling out a gymnastics return. The other four members of the U.S. men’s team that finished fifth at a second straight Olympics — Sam Mikulak, Jacob Dalton, Alex Naddour and Chris Brooks — said they hope to continue to compete, according to USA Gymnastics.
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