Christmas has come early for Dutch ringmaster Yuri van Gelder -- the Dutch Federation announced today that it would give van Gelder, 27, a second second chance to return to elite gymnastics.
The 2005 World rings champion tested positive for cocaine at the 2009 Dutch Championships. The Dutch federation suspended him from competition for a year, rendering him ineligible for the 2012 Olympics.
"The Ducth gymnastics union KNGU has decided to give gymnast Yuri van Gelder another chance to return to top-level gymnastics," according to a short release from Radio Netherlands. "The decision is the result of negotiations between Yuri van Gelder and KNGU representatives."
Van Gelder was poised to make a storybook comeback at the October World Championships after winning gold on rings at the Ghent World Cup in September. But he withdrew from the competition days before it began, and the Dutch announced he had again been using cocaine.
Van Gelder has since come forth and said that his "confession" of cocaine before Worlds was false, and that he had had problems dealing with the pressure of performing in a Worlds at home so soon after making his comeback. The Dutch federation has seemed reluctant to let him back on the national team. Until now.
The federation's decision benefits van Gelder...and the federation. A healthy van Gelder could still be a huge benefit to the Dutch men as they try to qualify for the 2012 Olympics at next year's World Championship. Without him, the team finished 17th at home in Rotterdam, its top score on rings a 14.4 from Jeffrey Wammes.
With a hit routine, van Gelder could score around 16, almost a three-point difference considering the Dutch team's low on rings was 13.15. That would move them...well, closer to the top 12.
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