*Insert Expletive Here*

Hollie Dykes has retired. Good on the Courier Mail for typing her name wrong in the headline, though, the silly duffers. That's going in her scrapbook, y'know. Liddick's attitude? Don't get me started. Real sour grapes, no "goodbye and good luck".

There was talk Hollie had taken time off for injury (one of many we've come to hear her fall victim to). Talk she was just moving back to the Queensland Academy of Sport after being on-and-off with injury and light training since 2006 (AIS is more and more proving to stand for Athletes Injured Serially. Why there more than any other state training centre?) and talk she really had thrown in the towel. Now we know.

I really, really, REALLY hope she gets struck by some divine inspiration and opts to return because despite all the flack she got for being inconsistent, she was a beautiful gymnast to watch. Dainty and balletic and precise, she was such a unique competitor and a medal prospect for Beijing... she was capable of 16 and above when she hit and to see her, Liukin and the likes of Li ShanShan duke it out in the final at the Games would have been fantastic, and whoever won gold would have done so justifiably - truly beautiful gymnasts are few and far between in these days of the new scoring code.

If the decision is final in Ms. Dykes' eyes, then I wish her the very best of luck in whatever she pursues. We, the fans, will miss her a lot.

Hollie Johnston Dykes

* Member of 2006/07 World Championship teams (7th all-around in the former)

* Gold on beam, 2007 Australia vs China

* Silver on beam, 2007 National Championships

* Gold on beam, 2006 DTB World Cup

* Gold with team and on floor. Silver on beam. Bronze all-around (qualified in 1st place), 2006 Commonwealth Games

* Bronze all-around, 2006 Pacific Alliance Championships

Peace Out.

Happy Birthday to my brother Matt who turned 24 today! :D