She's a little older and can handle more, Lorinda shared. The choice of taking a step back and prioritizing her physical and mental health was important for McClain. She has some wobbles and doesnt do her real dismount. So it was totally up to her. Viewers especially enjoyed watching her compete at Winter Cup because of her floating beam series, where instead of merely completing a skill, she appears to be hovering over the apparatus with all the time in the world to float in the air and complete the flip. The gymnastics that came so easily for so long to the precocious teenager had turned shaky. AndLaurie Hernandez, the 2015 U.S. junior all-around champion who made the 2016 Olympic team. Perhaps even more remarkable, McClain estimates she's about 75% healthy, optimistic she'll be in even better shape at the world championships in Liverpool, England, this fall. Although this is very upsetting after such a successful year, she posted. Three weeks later, Boston took gold at the Rome Olympics. Boston died Sunday morning after recently suffering a stroke, according to the Tennessean. 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. For Susan, the meet was memorable for an entirely different reason. Though everyone is excited about her Olympic eligibility, Konnor is focused on one thing at a time. When the scores came up, Liukin whispered into McClains ear. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 11, 2019 in Kansas City, Miss. I always tell people if it wasn't gymnastics, Konnor would strive to go to the Olympics in another sport. Get the most important Gymnastics stories delivered straight to your inbox. "You know, to fall twice and still end up in second place, this just really only the beginning for me.''. Switching gyms with less than a month to go before Olympic Trials is not something you see often (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.. Slowly, she began the rebuilding process once again. While shes working on beam, Jess is scribbling judges shorthand, trying to figure out how to maximize her routines potential. Im not sure Ive seen MyKayla in the gym with just her coaches and no family members once this entire series. Takahashi switched to ice dance after his singles farewell at the December 2019 Japanese Championships. It was kind of crazy.. Konnor initially started at a gym where Susan coached, and when Susan opened her own gym in 2009 closer to home, Konnor followed. Konnor speaks more to the struggle of growing up in West Virginia and with white people saying racist things around her. Konnor is no outlier to the family trade - shes been athletically gifted since birth; sitting, crawling, and walking before her peers. Konnor McClain (born February 1, 2005) is an American artistic gymnast and a convicted criminal for a hit and run case involving teammate Hezly Rivera in a woga parkinglot, she is also a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team. 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. Goodbye candle mounts, multiple wolf turns, split leaps, and 1/2 jumps from . Three weeks later, Boston took gold at the Rome Olympics. To the untrained eye, it looks like hes just doodling while Suni practices. Konnor McClain during an interview with NBC Sports following competition at the 2022 U.S. Kayla Dicello took fourth, with reigning Olympic floor exercise champion Jade Carey in fifth. Konnor McClain competes at the 2019 U.S. On beam, Morgan falls on her back full, as well as her side aerial + back layout sequence and nearly hits her face on her dismount, only getting a 10.300. An ankle injury delayed her preparation and left her unable to compete consistently in the all around. A little more than a year before the Games, she reset her sights from 2024 to 2021. She had reached out to me and asked me how did I stay motivated when my dad had his accident? I think it definitely happened way too fast for me and too fast for my brain to handle all of that, she said. I loved them almost more than anyone in the world.. She was interested in four other schools, she revealed, including Georgia, Utah and Oklahoma, and it was a very hard decision in the end.. McClain posted a two-day total of 112.750, just ahead of Shilese Jones at 111.900. Susan's crazy, and she's been my friend for a long time. The video was originally uploaded by Konnor's mom, Lorinda McClain, because Konnor liked watching herself after practice. Id won a gold, silver and a bronze in that order. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 21, 2022 in Tampa, Fla. Twelve hours later, she had packed up her room at the familys West Virginia home, hopped in the car with her dad Marc and hit the road, headed toward Texas. They were like, What school is Konnor going to? And I was like, Let me join in. So I started it and then it became a thing, so I had to continue it all the way until I actually committed., Although LSU always felt special to McClain, she wasnt misleading fans when she appeared to be considering multiple options. People are going to hate me Because I wasnt even acting like myself.. Golden: The Journey of USAs Elite Gymnasts,, After Elite Heartbreak, Aleah Finnegan Is Ready for Fresh Start at LSU, The Transfer Portal: How It Works and How to Normalize It in Gymnastics, Looking Back at the Highs and Lows of the 2023 Season, Belgiums Margo Van Linden Looking Forward to Team Spirit at Western Michigan College Gym News, MyKayla Skinners Unusual Path to the Olympics Paved by Just Three Before Her College Gym News, LIVE BLOG: NCAA National Championship Final, LIVE BLOG: NCAA National Championships Semifinal II, LIVE BLOG: NCAA National Championships Semifinal I, LIVE BLOG: Los Angeles Regional Round Final. I mean, she loves my family. In short, the episodes are far from The Ranch documentary from 2016. Outside of gymnastics, shes most excited about getting to watch her sister play college softball. She just is so self-driven that Konnor's going to make it work wherever she is., Though her coaching situation may be an unusual one, its certainly a perfect fit for her. Having grown since then, one thing that Lorinda and Susan can attest to is that her perfectionism and attention to detail has stayed consistent. I just wanted to make sure I had everything it took to help Konnor reach her ultimate goal, just equipping myself with as many tools as I can, she shared, adding, Konnor's always pulling meIm not necessarily in the lead here in the training. Picking up the pieces to rebuild the 16-year-old, regarded as one of the most talented gymnasts in the country, would be a gargantuan task for her new coaches, Valeri and Anna Liukin. College Gym News is your place for everything you need to know about collegiate gymnastics. On bars, Susan shares, the double front and then the double front half out is going to really work for her. Devastated, McClain reached out to a friend, Tokyo 2020 Olympic all-around gold medallist Sunisa Lee, seeking comfort, advice, and guidance. Jumpers, Know his name!!! As per usual, Suni is feeling a little bit stressed, and is still struggling with injuries. That seemed to be the theme for many of the gymnasts at that meet. She made it to the arena that weekend, but not to compete. In August 1960, Boston broke Owens world record in the long jump that stood since 1935. But despite an error on the uneven bars McClain won the competition. But now, I feel like it's pushed me to be better at gymnastics and a better person. Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year! McClain had trained at the same gym, with the same coach, her whole career. This is so unbelievable right now, she said. 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He died in late December. McClain was one of five gymnasts featured on the Peacock docuseries Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts. So that was definitely fun for us, Lorinda said. She lost her father and grandmother in the span of a week around New Year's. ", When asked how she mentally prepares before competing a beam routine, she admitted, I feel like my brain is scattered before beam even though it shouldn't be, I feel like it is.. This year will be the first year that she is the only gymnast competing at her level. Now shes eyeing a place in the US team alongside superstar Simone Biles. Many events and activities were canceled, including the 2020 Olympic Games. In 2018, he returned to singles skating after a four-year retirement. You won. 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. I think that is so good because sometimes Konnor can be shy. Konnor McClain moves to WOGA. Do their kids just hang around the gym all day? So long freezing cold West Virginia, hello sunny Plano, Texas. "We're just trying to get her back on track. The first time when we were invited to National Team Camp, they asked me if I thought she was ready. She did far more than that, taking the lead through one rotation on Sunday night and never letting go. Very interesting switch a week before Nationals! Nevertheless, she gets a 13.750. That was really good to see.. Laurie had fallen on her landing during warmups and hurt her knee. Finally, McClain began to feel the weight of expectations, leaving her with a sense that she wasn't doing it for the right reasons anymore. According to the USAG website and Chalkwarriors Twitter, Konnor is now trained by Valeri Liukin at WOGA. Your email address will not be published. What Susan and Konnor decided to do about the news was also unexpected. Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year! Like what you see? With less than two years to go until the Olympic team is named . You are using an out of date browser. The Liukins are well-known in the sport. If she bends her knees, I'm like, Oh my God, that's not Konnor. Her fundamentals are just so soundI think that's probably the most awesome thing about Konnor is her execution, Lorinda stated. The team won't be selected until mid-October. When asked separately what their favorite moment in Konnors career has been, both Lorinda and Susan said it was when she won first all-around at Jesolo. Those three, along with McClain, Jones, DiCello and Skye Blakely appear to be the top contenders to make the five-woman team that will head to Liverpool for the world championships in late October. Her unconventional path started when an infamous video of Konnor became well-known in the gymnastics community completely by accident. To see Konnor McClain compete today, many people would happily pay a good amount of money. Everything. Back to her original timeline, McClain was making progress and qualified for her first world championships team last fall. Konnor just traveled to see Livs first game in person, and hopes to go to more this season. Following U.S. Championships last year, a number of athletes made the switch to new gyms. As we get closer and closer to the Olympics, NBC released the first three episodes of its series "Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts" on its new streaming service, Peacock. Always has been, she just has a great personality and she's a good kid, Lorinda shared. 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.". 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. She then performed a balance beam routine in front of a studio audience. There, McClain is planning to compete in the all around for the first time since March and hopes to end her year at worlds in Kitakyushu, Japan. Theyve decided to keep shooting for 2024 as their ultimate goal, especially as Konnor has already faced some serious setbacks this year, including foot surgery and a stomach infection that set her back about three months. The thought of uprooting her family also weighed on her mind. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "afcfd5a3b9b326283a000c1a4a0b73d7" );document.getElementById("af034859ed").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. In March 2020, Reed died of a sudden cardiac issue at age 30. Well, huh. We're trying to be on pace for 2024. "If Suni says it, then I can do it." McClain took Lee's words to heart. Maybe I cant do it all the time, maybe Im not perfect all the time. Just to get it at the end of the routine's going to take some time, but just having that E dismount is going to really help, and she also has a laid out Jaegerwe're still working the laid out full on beamand the Arabian on beam.. I mean, she was in her meet mode, and I could just tell that's what she was doing. You certainly wouldnt know it from watching her compete. Menu. She skipped last years nationals (and a shot at Olympic Trials) to focus on 2024 after moving from West Virginia to Texas to train under AnnaandValeri Liukin, the parents of 2008 Olympic gold medalistNastia Liukin. I [felt] like I needed a change because [my gym] wasnt good for my head. A star on the junior level, McClain won the U.S. all-around silver medal in 2019, then went on to the inaugural junior world championships as the alternate for the American team. However, Susan often brought up outside topics like Donald Trump or things happening in China, instead of being focused on gymnastics. For 2024, we had everything worked out, we were feeling good about it, we have plenty of time. Creating a Level 10+ Focused Team Program (Finances / Coaching / Athlete Selection / Facility / Etc), Daughter just turned 11, wants to hit lvl 10. The night she got home from Classic, she cleared everything out of her locker, which is commemorated in a TikTok, obviously. Honestly for a really good two or three months it was kind of like a seesaw, ups and downs, Liukin recalled. Like what you see? Remember your why, remember why you started, remember how proud you made your dad. Muramoto was a singles skater through her teens, then competed in the 2018 Olympics in dance with Chris Reed. She's really like a sister to me, Susan shared, making Konnors coaching experience more like a family one. This is your anonymous test thread reply now and try it out! Susan feels like Konnors family could have handled the situation better because what they did was so sudden. Reed retired in 2019. Now, MyKaylas on beam and falls on her back handspring into a back full. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 21, 2022 in Tampa, Fla. Coming into Tampa, she cautiously listed her goal as simply. And then just whatever comes after that, but definitely World Championships later in the year. Despite their close friendship with Konnor's old coach, Konnor's parents . Our kids had no choice. McClain learned the Olympics were postponed in March 2020, this making her age-eligible for Tokyo, while watching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire., Just to make it to the Olympic Trials would be such an accomplishment, especially for her being young, her mom said in April 2020. She starts crying, hates everything, and at the end of the meet, even thinks of quitting gymnastics for good. Jumpers, Know his name!!! "I still think we're going to be able to pull through and have an amazing outcome,'' Chiles said. She doesn't talk a lot still, but it's so good that Susan knows her. After a half-hour process to locate and lay out tape, it was Boston who broke the news to Beamon that he had jumped 8.90 meters,improving the world record by nearly two feet. The gymnastics that came so easily for so long to the precocious teenager had turned shaky . 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.. College Gym News was founded in 2015 by Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Grimsley.
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