It was announced this week that Mohini Bhardwaj will be inducted in the 2013 UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. Let's take a look back at her incredible and unpredictable gymnastics career. 


(C) UCLA GYMNASTICS 
 
By the normal standards in gymnastics, Mohini Bhardwaj was an anomaly in the sport. Bhardwaj's career should have ended in Boston following the1996 Olympic Trials. Coached by the legendary Alexander Alexandrov, Bhardwaj placed 10th in the all around at those Trials. A strong performance, however, only the top seven gymnasts earned a spot on the Olympic team. Bhardwaj went home and the Magnificent seven went on to make history in Atlanta winning the first-ever team gold medal for USA women's gymnastics.

Bhardwaj continued on at the elite level in 1997 and placed 3rd in the all around at the 1997 National Championships, earning a spot on the World Championships team in Lausanne, Switzerland. Then in 1998, Bhardwaj chose to move on to collegiate gymnastics and joined coach Valorie Kondos-Field and the UCLA Bruins. Of course this was after the Bruins had just made history in 1997 winning the program's first NCAA title and becoming only the third team in NCAA history to accomplish this feat. 
 


Bhardwaj spent the next four years making her own history with the Bruins. Bhardwaj was the first gymnast in NCAA history to perform a double twisting yurchenko on vault and posted the second highest all around score in NCAA history with a 39.975.  Bhardwaj lead the Bruins to two NCAA team championships in addition to winning two individual titles. She was the recipient of the 2001 Honda Sports Award given to the  best collegiate female gymnast in the country. In addition, she earned the prestigious AAI Award recognizing the nation's top senior gymnast. Becoming an 11-time All-American, she left UCLA as one of the greatest gymnasts in both UCLA and NCAA history. 

Coach Galina Marinova of AOGC talks about coaching Mohini Bhardwaj from a late comeback to the 2004 Olympic team:

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After a battle with some injuries and temporary retirement, Bhardwaj resurrected her career again in 2004 attempting to make the Olympic team; few expected much from her return at age 25. Her Olympic dream almost ended at the 2004 US Championships when Bhardwaj barley made the cut for Olympic Trials with a 12th place finish, which did little to inspire the critics or the olympic selection committee. Since only the top 6 gymnasts make the olympic team, to say she was a long shot at that time would've been an understatement.

In dramatic fashion, Bhardwaj put on a show for the crowd and the selection committee at the Olympic Trials in Anaheim. Bhardwaj made her double-twisting yurchenko look effortless, soaring high above the vault and dropping in for the landing. Bhardwaj capped off her bar routine with a  stuck full-twisting double layout and her strong performances continued the next two events. The same athlete who barely made the trip to Olympic Trials was on her way to the final selection camp after a commanding performance in Anaheim placing 6th in at the all around.  

The entire world watched live as the selection committee announced the names of athletes who would represent the US in Athens, Greece . Mohini Bhardwaj's name was on that list and the dream she had been chasing since 1996 suddenly came true. Bhardwaj helped her team win a silver medal in Athens, Greece and finished 6th in the individual event finals on floor. 

Bhardwaj had an incredible career and it is a very exciting for gymnastics fans to see her achievements recognized as an inductee to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.