After American gymnasts Hezly Rivera and Claire Pease announced their withdrawal from the US World Team selection camp due to injury, their coach, Valeri Liukin, has received criticism from fans on social media. Liukin has been coaching Rivera and Pease at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Texas for years, with the two earning US National Championships under his guidance.Hezly Rivera and Claire Pease both announced their injuries on social media, with the pair suffering from similar injuries. They both rolled their ankle while training and are set to be out for a long period, aiming for a return to competition in 2026. They will now both be missing out on the World Championships selection camp, with the team to be announced on October 1st.After the news of their injuries was announced, many users on X expressed their frustration with the intensity of Valeri Liukin's training sessions."Three gymnasts who train/ed at WOGA under Valeri Liukin in a post Olympic year and won domestic competitions, only to be sidelined by injury before worlds. Two was an eerie coincidence. 3 in 3 years is a pattern. And we haven’t forgotten about Bross, Ohashi, or even Nastia either" - A user wrote"being coached by valeri is like being coached by wang qunce. it's a death sentence. if usag can't do anything about it, these gymnasts parents need to notice the pattern thats occurred for almost 2 decades now and get their athletes somewhere safer" - A fan wrote"We all know it as the WOGA curse." - Another user wrote"I hate you Valeri Liukin first Konnor McClain, now Hezly, wow" - Another fan wrote"USAG fire or ban Valeri Liukin, I'm so serious. This is f***ing insane" - A user wroteMeghan H @h_meghan58784LINKWe all know it as the WOGA curse.cesar degante @CesardegantteLINKI hate you Valeri Liukin first Konnor McClain, now Hezly, wowucla_gymfan123 @ucla_gymfan123LINKUSAG fire or ban Valeri Liukin, I'm so serious. This is fucking insaneAnother one of Valeri Liukin's students, Konnor McClain, also struggled with injuries during her time working under him. McClain left WOGA in 2023 and now competes for the LSU Tigers.Hezly Rivera: "I’ve been more confident in my gymnastics this past year"Hezly Rivera with her Olympic gold medal at the New York Yankees v Texas Rangers game - Source: GettyBefore suffering from an injury, Hezly Rivera discussed how she would be approaching the World Championships this year. According to NBC Sports, Rivera said:"I’ve truly just found a next level of confidence in myself that honestly wasn’t really there last year. I’ve been more confident in my gymnastics this past year, especially these past few months. I’ve been feeling more comfortable with my gymnastics, and I can trust myself a little bit more. ... I’m just really excited to show everyone and prove to myself that I can do this again."Hezly Rivera is now expected to compete again in 2026. Her injury is a major disappointment, as she recently won the national all-around title.