Holley Mangold will leave the Olympic Games in London without any medals. Her brother, New York Jets center Nick Mangold, was impressed nonetheless.
Holley, 22, tore a tendon in her wrist days before leaving for the Games, and the injury eventually doomed her in the super heavyweight competition in weightlifting. Mangold needed three cortisone shots Saturday just to compete Sunday, finishing 10th out of 14 lifters with a combined total of 240 kilos (529 pounds).
Nick Mangold had planned to watch Holley from Jets training camp in upstate New York, but coach Rex Ryan and teammates convinced the center it was OK to leave the team and fly to London.
"I think it's commendable what she did as athlete," Nick said Sunday, via the New York Daily News. "Everyone strives to fight through the pain and do the best they can, so it was good to see her out there competing."
Holley will need to undergo surgery to repair the damage done to her wrist.
"I wish I could have done a little bit better for (Nick), but it is very exciting to have him here, and it was exciting to have him come here," she said.
Let's try to put this in perspective. This woman finished in the top 10 of an Olympic weightlifting event -- lifting a combined 529 pounds -- with a freshly torn tendon in her wrist. Respect.
