At first [driving] was definitely scarier than gymnastics. She began walking the balance beam and doing backbend kickovers before age 2, mimicking her 4-year-old sister. 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. Susan and Lorinda have been friends since grade school, working at the local pool, doing gymnastics together, and going to college and cheerleading together. Elite-level gymnastics. The video was originally uploaded by Konnor's mom, Lorinda McClain, because Konnor liked watching herself after practice. So long freezing cold West Virginia, hello sunny Plano, Texas. Finally, after nearly two years of turmoil, she feels like shes back where she wanted to be with two years to go until the Paris Games. Your email address will not be published. Now that I've gotten older, it's definitely different. In this instance, the balance check on the landing cost her another 0.3 or 0.5 (depending on whether it was deemed medium or large). Required fields are marked *. Lorinda's really like my sister, now that I think about it. Theres a somber mood as the first night of championships. With less than two years to go until the Olympic team is named . Devastated, McClain reached out to a friend, Tokyo 2020 Olympic all-around gold medallist Sunisa Lee, seeking comfort, advice, and guidance. And then just whatever comes after that, but definitely World Championships later in the year. Whether the E panel thinks this is a switch ring where the foot is too low or a switch leap where the foot is too high, she's losing 0.3 on the element. She left Revolution to be coached by Liukin 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. As 2021 was winding down, tragedy struck U.S. gymnast Konnor McClain. I am thrilled to see former Olympians working for large media outlets and promoting the sport. Konnor says until the pandemic started, things were good with her coach, Susan, and in the gym. Its a great routine, especially after falling at Classic. Ah! Ukraine boycotts judo worlds after Russians, Belarusians allowed as neutrals. She was very hard on herself, Anna Liukin said. Konnor decided to switch gyms because things just kept going poorly at her gym. That made McClain the highest-ranked, first-year U.S. senior woman in 2021. It felt like he was there actually just with the patch there. I don't know. And on top of that, she's super smart, very intelligent, makes corrections quickly, just really has the whole package.. Get the most important Gymnastics stories delivered straight to your inbox. On floor, Sunis routine is solid, except for her last landing, where her ankle seemed to buckle. 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. Being the only Black girl in her group, Konnor felt uncomfortable in the environment. Although this is very upsetting after such a successful year, she posted. I think she's missed one practice in 16 years besides an injury or something. She's a great sister, she's a great daughter, she's the easiest kid. He would be so proud of me, she said. Its such a big difference being so confident and not being garbage anymore. His first retirement came after placing sixth at his third Olympics in 2014. You are using an out of date browser. OnlyCarl Lewis, who won four golds, has more Olympic long jump medals. "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. Id won a gold, silver and a bronze in that order. After a while, MyKayla grew to enjoy the sport, but it was taxing on their family. This is a blessing, Susan shared. And then she said based on how this will go, maybe she can do two classes next year. I just wanted to give you this just so you have something to remember him and just to know that he's right there with you, explained McClain. What Susan and Konnor decided to do about the news was also unexpected. At her first camp, Konnor was 12 years old, and placed in a rotation group with Ragan Smith, Emma Malabuyo, and Maile OKeefe. My philosophy on this is I am trying to preach to her to always stay present, Liukin said. The first step is the September training camp later this month, which will select the U.S. team for the world championships in October. According to the USAG website and Chalkwarriors Twitter, Konnor is now trained by Valeri Liukin at WOGA. You would have never known. Konnor McClains Olympic year was not supposed to go this way. Daisuke Takahashi, pioneering Japanese figure skater, retires again Ngl, that seems like a blast. At the 1968 Games, Boston broke his own Olympic record in qualifying by jumping 8.27 meters. You won. You certainly wouldnt know it from watching her compete. 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. Also in qualifying, Beamon fouled his first two of three jumps, giving him one last chance to make the final. Randy, her husband, says he did talk politics in the gym. It may not display this or other websites correctly. At the U.S. Championships in August, McClain edged Shilese Jonesby .75 of a point after Jones fell on the last skill of her last routine of the competition. Try to forget the past and not be anxious about the future. College, however, will have to wait until the fall of 2024, as before then McClain will seek to finally achieve that Olympic dream shes had since she was a child. It has been a long year," Lorinda McClain said. "I was having a rough year inside the gym. 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. Since then, the site has transformed into a one-stop-shop for college gymnastics news, from recruiting analysis to meet coverage at the NCAA national championships thanks to the hard work of 15-plus contributors. She lost her father and grandmother in the span of a week around New Year's. College Gym News is your place for everything you need to know about collegiate gymnastics. In the run-up to the 1968 Olympics, Boston reportedly became Beamons unofficial coach after Beamon and other UTEP track athletes lost their scholarships for boycotting a meet against BYU because of the Mormon churchs historically racist views. Finally, McClain began to feel the weight of expectations, leaving her with a sense that she wasnt doing it for the right reasons anymore. She won the Winter Cup in late February but had trouble staying healthy during the spring and early summer. Susan feels like Konnors family could have handled the situation better because what they did was so sudden. I [felt] like I needed a change because [my gym] wasnt good for my head. Takahashi was trying to become the first figure skater to compete in the Olympics in their career in both singles and ice dance as medal events, according to Olympedia.org. Today were talking about the recently dropped episode five. Very interesting switch a week before Nationals! Most gymnasts change coaches frequently as they move through levels until they start working with their elite coach, but Susan Brown has coached Konnor since she was three years old. At one point last spring, she felt she was "the most garbage gymnast ever." A post shared by Konnor McClain (@konnormcclain_). Konnor is very close with her sister, and credits her as the main thing thats helped her mentally survive the difficulties of the pandemic, including that moment. A production company owned by LeBron James began filming her journey as part of a Peacock docuseries about Olympic womens gymnastics hopefuls. Even in Mommy and Me class, Konnor McClain was precocious. In March 2020, Reed died of a sudden cardiac issue at age 30. Takahashi switched to ice dance after his singles farewell at the December 2019 Japanese Championships. The 17-year-old announced Wednesday that a back injury will keep her out of the global meet. Everything. Konnor decided to switch gyms because things just kept going poorly at her gym. In March 2020, Reed died of a sudden cardiac issue at age 30. Lorinda never imagined anyone else would be interested in watching her daughter do gymnastics, especially for ten minutes straight. McClain became the sixth woman to win the all-around in her senior nationals debut since 2000. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 21, 2022 in Tampa, Fla. Coming into Tampa, she cautiously listed her goal as simply hitting her routines. In August 1960, Boston broke Owens world record in the long jump that stood since 1935. She's a little older and can handle more, Lorinda shared. I've always just wanted to help people in a way, and I didn't want to go to school to be a surgeon for like eight years. So, a firefighter, I don't know, it just inspires me, she shared. She wanted to move gyms. The U.S. has won every world team title dating back to 2011 and won gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016 before taking silver in Tokyo. When she was little, she was very, very driven, very detail oriented, and anything that she put her mind to, she was going to basically work until she met that goal. Im still in shock a little right now. Uncertain. I feel like I'm really nervous at first when I salute and then I get up there and I'm like, "Oh, I'm good." When I started filming it, I felt I wasnt even myself In the gym, I was so down, and I looked so dead, McClain said. And then, when it comes to my front aerial and my dismount, I'm like, "Whoa, I'm shaking again. Konnor McClain competes during the women's balance beam at the 2022 U.S. 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.. Boston broke the mens long jump world record six times between 1960-65 and shared the record going into the 1968 Mexico City Games. Thousands of miles away as Marc clung to life on a ventilator, McClain was despondent. The transformation that began when she switched gyms in a rush last spring ended with the 17-year-old atop the podium, a gold medal around her neck and her self-belief restored. Susan agreed, sharing, Her attention to detail, technique, just her fundamentals and basics are outstandingI'm just looking at her every day, and then I see other gymnasts. Sunis family would fundraise for Suni to compete by selling T-shirts and doing a banquet where theyd invite friends and family. After the first rotation, Sunis in second and MyKaylas in fourth. my #1 supporter, i love and miss you more than words can describe https://t.co/zC4owvGqzd. When the scores came up, Liukin whispered into McClains ear. Not bad for an athlete nursing stress fractures in both shins and less than a month removed from a concussion suffered during training. Along with learning logistics, Susan sought out a sports psychologist to gain confidence in coaching the mental aspects of gymnastics and wisdom to not get overwhelmed and give in to self-doubt. Beamon heeded the advice and advanced. Slowly the coaches began building her back up. Konnor knew my dad very, very well, but she knows my family. CROSS LANES, W.Va. (WCHS) Because of the pandemic, 2020 was a very difficult year for so many people. 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.. Let's not take this camp for granted. 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. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Konnor McClain arrived in Texas last spring adrift, her confidence shattered. 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. That's my number one priority, Susan shared. Maybe, just maybe, the best for her was not letting her compete while she was throwing up in a bag. Having grown since then, one thing that Lorinda and Susan can attest to is that her perfectionism and attention to detail has stayed consistent. Her and her sister are super closeother than a good gymnast, she's just a good person. They pulled her out of Revolution immediately and moved all the way to Texas in a matter of days to ensure Konnor could train with Valeri, the coach of Konnor's choice. From Konnors perspective, though it may look effortless, thats not quite how it feels. Konnor speaks more to the struggle of growing up in West Virginia and with white people saying racist things around her. Guess what? she said. In 2018, he returned to singles skating after a four-year retirement. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 11, 2019 in Kansas City, Miss. But despite an error on the uneven bars McClain won the competition. Its not a coachs place to say what someones weight should be. A couple of weeks after I switched [gyms] I really started doing it for me and not doing it for other people, because I just enjoyed it again, she said. This was an easy decision for the family. So that was a real learning moment for both of us, because Konnor went all professional on me. Their WOGA gym has produced two Olympic all-around champions, including their daughter Nastia Liukin in 2008. Wrestlers' anguished plea: Can't PM Modi listen to our 'mann ki baat'? McClain, 17, was due to vie for a spot on the five-woman world team at a selection camp in two weeks. Ralph Boston, Olympic long jump champion, dies at 83 Just looking back at last year and being where I was last year, this is so crazy to me. Everything was moving fast. The first day I was definitely nervous since it was like seven years since I've gone, but it's definitely been great my past two weeks, she shared.
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