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. To see Konnor McClain compete today, many people would happily pay a good amount of money. Just looking back at last year and being where I was last year, this is so crazy to me. Theres a conversation about the price of gymnastics and the sacrifices many families make to afford it. From Plano to world championships: Elite gymnast Konnor McClain's The other five later won Olympic and/or world all-around titles, the most recent Simone Biles. She watched the 2021 U.S. Championships from the stands and caught the Olympics on TV, wondering if the dream that once appeared so tantalizingly close had slipped out of reach, maybe for good. Suni is up on bars. Join us as we recap each episode. I loved them almost more than anyone in the world.. Aug. 22, 2022, 3:19 p.m. (ET). This is so unbelievable right now, she said. I'm devastated about Ralph Boston's passing. These two were the most amazing people I knew. On vault, shes focused on perfecting her double twist and working an Amanar. JavaScript is disabled. Unlike most of the NBC gymnastics pieces from over the years, these episodes take a more serious angle. Being the only Black girl in her group, Konnor felt uncomfortable in the environment. He died in late December. At first it was very overwhelming, I would say, and I felt a lot of peer pressure on me just because it was everywhere, Konnor said. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Peng Peng Lee is hyping up the audience, cheering for USA. How many people there know Peng is from Canada? Rest with the greats. At the end of it, I was like, How are people going to see me? 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 falls on bars, then on beam. Since she was moving so early, Lorinda enrolled her in a mommy and me class at 16 months. Olympics delay provides rare opportunity for local gymnast in 2021 Laurie said that she was having a nervous breakdown before Classic. Konnor McClain moves to WOGA. Susan says she still loves Konnor and wants the best for her. [Coach] Anna [Liukin] gave me the patch three days before the competition. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. 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. Konnors mother Lorinda confirmed the news and said her daughter began training at WOGA on Tuesday (May, 25th) and will now be coached by Valeri Liukin. 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. At the 1968 Games, Boston broke his own Olympic record in qualifying by jumping 8.27 meters. Konnor McClain moves to WOGA (confirmed on her IG) : r/Gymnastics - Reddit Konnor initially started at a gym where Susan coached, and when Susan opened her own gym in 2009 closer to home, Konnor followed. Lorinda's really like my sister, now that I think about it. For 2024, we had everything worked out, we were feeling good about it, we have plenty of time. Remember your 'why', remember why you started, remember how proud you made your dad. Konnor says that people only focus on the bad things about Valeri from the past, but everyone she knows likes him now. The hope is to have her ready for the World Championships in the fall. From Konnors perspective, though it may look effortless, thats not quite how it feels. She wanted to move gyms. "So I'm excited for the future.''. The Liukins are well-known in the sport. Konnor says until the pandemic started, things were good with her coach, Susan, and in the gym. Konnor McClain - Wikipedia Takahashi, 37, and Muramoto, 30, won a national title and placed 11th and 16th at the last two world championships after teaming up during the pandemic in 2020. In gut-wrenching social media posts, she questioned if she even wanted to continue in the sport. It doesn't matter where are you're going to end up,' she said. While Laurie said it was because the beam and bars were cursed, perhaps it could be chalked up to the idea that when an immense amount of pressure is put on young adults, they tend to crack, or in the gymnasts case, slip. In 2018, he returned to singles skating after a four-year retirement. 2022 Results Date Competition VT UB BB FX AA Aug 18-21 U.S. Championships AA 14.350 14.050 14.100 13.850 56.350 QF 14.400 13.300 14.800 13.900 56.400 Apr 9-10 City of Jesolo This is a blessing, Susan shared. You are using an out of date browser. 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. A very talented, successful and much talked-about gymnast from a very young age, she caught the nations attention in 2016, at only 11 years old, when she featured on Steve Harveys Little Big Shots, proclaiming she had her eyes set on the 2024 Olympic all around title. I'm like, Wow. 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. Takahashi, 37, and Muramoto, 30, won a national title and placed 11th and 16th at the last two world championships after teaming up during the pandemic in 2020. Susan feels like Konnors family could have handled the situation better because what they did was so sudden. Beamon heeded the advice and advanced. When the Tokyo Olympics were postponed a year, she suddenly found herself eligible for a Games shed never thought about. The night she got home from Classic, she cleared everything out of her locker, which is commemorated in a TikTok, obviously. I mean, she was in her meet mode, and I could just tell that's what she was doing. The teacher was always like, Oh my gosh, she's so strong, and so we kept her in it, Lorinda shared. 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.. 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. Very interesting switch a week before Nationals! I was ready to quit gymnastics, McClain said. with a free Peacock account. McClain by then had a reputation. U.S. all-around champion Konnor McClain posted that she will miss the world gymnastics championships that start in three weeks due to a back injury, writing that her season is "officially over . For her family, this was no surprise. I literally thought that I was the most garbage gymnast ever, she said this week. 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. She's really like a sister to me, Susan shared, making Konnors coaching experience more like a family one. So it was totally up to her. Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year! Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a3860ed09bb427606f3c16e2d8cddaf3" );document.getElementById("af034859ed").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. People are going to hate me Because I wasnt even acting like myself.. Konnor McClain BB EF DTB Pokal Team Challenge 2022 14.033 (E - Reddit "We're just trying to get her back on track. It's a goal that appears in reach if she can build on two days that showcased her power, precision and maturity. Maybe, just maybe, the best for her was not letting her compete while she was throwing up in a bag. Konnor McClain competes during the women's balance beam at the 2022 U.S. I've actually recently started going back to school, which has been good, and finding new friends, Konnor shared. Like what you see? CROSS LANES, W.Va. (WCHS) Because of the pandemic, 2020 was a very difficult year for so many people. 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.". The transformation that began when she switched gyms in a rush last spring ended with the 17-year-old . Lauries watching Charlotte Drury train on trampoline. At one point last spring, she felt she was "the most garbage gymnast ever." Long considered a star-to-be for the 2024 Olympic quad, McClain positioned herself as just that, all while competing at what she described as 70 to 75 percent of her true ability. After a while, MyKayla grew to enjoy the sport, but it was taxing on their family. She did far more than that, taking the lead through one rotation on Sunday night and never letting go. 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. Through Turmoil, Heartbreak And Injuries, Konnor McClain Is Back On The