Everybody needed to see thatevery gymnast and every girl, every human being in the world needed to see that, McClain said. She was interested in four other schools, she revealed, including Georgia, Utah and Oklahoma, and it was a very hard decision in the end.. At just 17 years old, four-time U.S. Women's National Team member Konnor McClain is a rising star in the sport of gymnastics and a leading contender to represent the U.S. at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. Slowly the coaches began building her back up. And then just whatever comes after that, but definitely World Championships later in the year. As a teenager, Konnor makes me feel SEEN. I recognized Konnor's talent early on, and she's always been a super serious kid. If youd like to watch along, the episodes are available. On vault, shes focused on perfecting her double twist and working an Amanar. AndLaurie Hernandez, the 2015 U.S. junior all-around champion who made the 2016 Olympic team. She made it to the arena that weekend, but not to compete. Peng Peng Lee is hyping up the audience, cheering for USA. How many people there know Peng is from Canada? I would say I had very low goals for myself at this competition, so I went in really thinking, 'Just do your best. She wanted to go and see her friends that she hadn't seen since third grade. And I havent felt the joy for the sport in a long time. Today were talking about the recently dropped episode five. Jumpers, Know his name!!! Konnor also has cousins playing DI college baseball, college football, soccer, and basketball. But I think one time she had a headache and missed a practice, and that's really the only time I can think of her missing a practice. [Coach] Anna [Liukin] gave me the patch three days before the competition. At one point last spring, she felt she was "the most garbage gymnast ever." I was like, Oh my gosh, what do I do now? And then each day, I was like, Oh my gosh, this is actually real.. I think its considered a big deal because: Real data on college teams put together by mezzamare! I barely know. She starts crying, hates everything, and at the end of the meet, even thinks of quitting gymnastics for good. Once in Baton Rouge, she wants to help the team achieve that elusive first NCAA national title and wishes to have fun with the sport, enjoying the team environment that is missing from elite. Learn how your comment data is processed. Her sister was doing some backbend kick overs, and Konnor started doing backbend kick overs at 20 months oldthat's a little freaky for 20 months old and we have videos of it because I was like, no one will ever believe us, Lorinda shared. However, Susan often brought up outside topics like Donald Trump or things happening in China, instead of being focused on gymnastics. For the time being, however, shes looking forward to competing again at the DTB Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, and then, hopefully, later this year at the World Championships in Liverpool. An organic, homegrown gymnast through and through, her success has come from her own methods, rather than from following the usual formula. Muramoto was a singles skater through her teens, then competed in the 2018 Olympics in dance with Chris Reed. Born in 2005, McClain was originally too young to compete at the 2020 Games, but the postponement of the Olympics suddenly made her age eligible for Tokyo, drastically changing her plans. As a child I idolized him and he was a major influence in my life. I just loved going along with it because they started it, she said. Shes really taught me, and shes really built me up all the way from developmental camp, said McClain. You won. At first [driving] was definitely scarier than gymnastics. McClains journey still has a long way to go. The first time when we were invited to National Team Camp, they asked me if I thought she was ready. "She was like, 'Yes, you can.' She was like, 'I felt the same way, too, at one point,'" McClain told Olympics.com of her conversations with the Olympic champion. . "So I'm excited for the future.''. In 2018, he returned to singles skating after a four-year retirement. In 2018, he returned to singles skating after a four-year retirement. McClain says she didnt have expectations to win the Winter Cup, just getting back into the gym and then competition had been hard enough. It kind of took me a long time to get back into the groove of things. But I was not expecting the outcome that happened.. More: Olympics I was very unmotivated, I didn't want to go to the gym, I didn't care about the Olympics and I just wanted to be done with gymnastics completely because it felt like there was a part of me that was like missing and that's what I told her.". Honestly for a really good two or three months it was kind of like a seesaw, ups and downs, Liukin recalled. McClain began Sunday just less than a point behind Jones but took the lead in the first rotation when she drilled her double-twisting Yurchenko vault while Jones hopped off the balance beam. The night she got home from Classic, she cleared everything out of her locker, which is commemorated in a TikTok, obviously. She falls on bars, then on beam. Theres a somber mood as the first night of championships. Known for her powerful yet technically proficient gymnastics, McClain performed a show-stopping beam routine Friday, posting the highest score of the night on that event. The next step for McClain and the other top gymnasts will be a selection camp, where five women will be named to the U.S. team for the world championships that start in late October in Liverpool, England. In short, the episodes are far from The Ranch documentary from 2016. And I think just to throw that into the mix, I think just put a little extra pressure with our upgrades because before she had three years to perfect the upgrades and now she's really having to work on them a little bit more than she probably would have.. McClain by then had a reputation. As 2021 was winding down, tragedy struck U.S. gymnast Konnor McClain. "I'm just super excited to be back out here,'' Jones said. Boston won silver and bronze at the next two Olympics and remains the lone person to win an Olympic long jump medal of every color. It was a difficult ending to an otherwise encouraging meet for the resilient 20-year-old, who promised her father Sylvester before his death from kidney disease last December that she would press on in hopes of reaching the 2024 Olympics. Do their kids just hang around the gym all day? Ive never even thought about it, she said. All Rights Reserved. The 17-year-old took to Instagram Wednesday, announcing that a back injury would hold her out of this . Though McClain had some uncharacteristic struggles on beam and missed one of her skills, her lead held up going into the final rotation. Shes pushed an unexpected run at the Games out of her mind, reverting back to what the plan had always been: Paris 2024. That's my number one priority, Susan shared. Lee had been through hard times herself, including in August 2019 when her father, John, fell and was paralyzed from the waist down just prior to the U.S. Championships. Takahashis greatest success came in 2010, when he became the first Japanese man to win an Olympic figure skating medal (bronze) and a world title. College Gym News was founded in 2015 by Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Grimsley. In a split second, her Olympic dream was just 12 months down the road. Although this is very upsetting after such a successful year, she posted. After an honest conversation with her parents, McClain decided to relocate from Revolution in West Virginia to WOGA in Texas to train with Valeri Liukin, who coached 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin. There were other milestones too, such as her first National Team Camp. When McClain started her recruiting process, she began to tease fans about her collegiate choice, dropping real and fake clues on social media about the schools she was considering. OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Its starting to feel real. In the final, Beamonsfirst jump was so far that the measuring device couldnt extend far enough to record it. It was easy to end my career, in 1968, Boston said. Konnor McClain competes at the 2019 U.S. "Like, there's . Lorinda never imagined anyone else would be interested in watching her daughter do gymnastics, especially for ten minutes straight. Boston broke the mens long jump world record six times between 1960-65 and shared the record going into the 1968 Mexico City Games. After the fall, the routine is solid. "You know, to fall twice and still end up in second place, this just really only the beginning for me.''. I mean, she was in her meet mode, and I could just tell that's what she was doing. Her score of 13.850 opened the door for Jones, who was waiting to go on uneven bars as McClain's score flashed. McClain, who turned 16 on Feb. 1, won the U.S. junior all-around silver medal in 2019. Once a junior standout herself, McClains career was fast forwarded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lauries eyes are watering as the episode ends. Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year! Konnor says that people only focus on the bad things about Valeri from the past, but everyone she knows likes him now. Required fields are marked *. After a while, her parents noticed Konnor was easily doing skills that her older peers were still learning. Susan's crazy, and she's been my friend for a long time. Her unconventional path started when an infamous video of Konnor became well-known in the gymnastics community completely by accident. Its not uncommon for elite gymnasts to have a Triple A personality and take any setback as a catastrophe, Liukin said. Beamon heeded the advice and advanced. Then the injuries began piling up. Sensing Beamons nerves, Boston told his younger teammate to move it back three feet with a cautious jump to avoid fouling, Beamon later said. Sitting on the couch next to her sister, Liv told Konnor to open the app. A committee will choose the five-woman world team after the selection camp. The pair tell us how their friendship helped McClain get back on the mat. why did konnor mcclain switch gyms. The video was originally uploaded by Konnor's mom, Lorinda McClain, because Konnor liked watching herself after practice. The process seemed to be working. Its a great routine, especially after falling at Classic. You would have never known. I think it's considered a big deal because: 1) Timing. Theres nothing for fourth place, so I just said, OK, thats enough.'. I didnt really have the love for gymnastics, McClain said. As for her drivers license, she has her permit, but plans to wait a bit to get her license as she has quite a few things going onlike preparing for the Olympics. McClains father, Marc, passed away on 27 December due to COVID-19. Wearing a bedazzled red leotard with her bun held in place by a matching red scrunchie, McClain was up by a half-point going into the final rotation but lost her balance while trying to complete a wolf turn spin on floor exercise. As the National Anthem is sung, the athletes are making their entrance. Were just trying to get her back on track. I was like, 'OK, then I got it.' 2) Konnor is a rare breed. She committed to an elite schedule that she hopes will take her to the world championships this fall and eventually to Paris 2024, and she chose LSU as her future NCAA team. She wasfeatured onSteve Harveys Little Big Shots at age 11 in 2016, proclaiming she was set on the 2024 Olympic all-around title. Favorite TV show: Grey's Anatomy and All-American, How Would Other Elite Gymnasts Describe Her: Competitive, Hardworking, Funny. By Chrs McDougall |
Muramoto and Takahashi made their competitive debut as a dance couple in November 2020 and missed the 2022 Olympic team by one spot. Let's not take this camp for granted. She was like, Here you go. Everything was moving fast. Required fields are marked *. Join us as we recap each episode. Its not a coachs place to say what someones weight should be. Laurie had fallen on her landing during warmups and hurt her knee. It was just meant to be that way. McClain was one of five gymnasts featured on the Peacock docuseries Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts. On Sunday night, in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Tampa, Florida, the rebirth came to fruition. To the untrained eye, it looks like hes just doodling while Suni practices. When the Olympics were postponed, McClain became eligible to make the U.S. team, but a difficult start to her 2021 campaign prompted her to withdraw from the Olympic process, switch gyms from Revolution to WOGA and commit to a more relaxed training schedule that she hopes will lead her to Paris 2024. Like what you see? We were working for 2024, so this kind of threw a wrench in our spokes.. A week later, her grandmother also passed. Back to her original timeline, McClain was making progress and qualified for her first world championships team last fall. In agreement with her new coach, she decided to withdraw from the Olympic process and resume her original plan, preparing step by step for 2024. The news left McClain overwhelmed. Follow on
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