Aurora's Anna Li will travel to London after all, as a supporter instead of a competitor.
US Gymnastics said Friday the 23-year-old gymnast will travel to the Games with her mother and coach, Jiani Wu, to experience the Olympics before heading back to Chicago to recover from a fall this week.
"I'm excited to get to come to London and be at the Olympic Games and support my team," Li said in a statement. "I want to enjoy the experience even though I am injured."
Li was training Tuesday with the other alternates at an off-site facility when she fell from the uneven bars. Following mixed messages about her condition, the team said she won't compete as an alternate in the London Games.
Li is "no longer training as [a] replacement athlete" after she suffered a torn neck ligament in a fall, the team said Thursday.
USA gymnastics president Steve Penny told NBC Chicago he believes Li should return to Chicago to get treatment immediately, but the team said a day later the experience would be good for her.
"She and her mother, who is her coach, have decided that spending a few days at the Games before heading back to Chicago will be a valuable experience," USA gymnastics said in a statement. "She will be seeing a local physician for follow up after her return."
