As quickly as USA Gymnastics introduced its group lineup for the 2023 World Championships, one of many first issues gymnastics followers seen was that Leanne Wong had been named to the American beginning lineup for the third consecutive time. I used to be requested the next query by a Twitter consumer:
Who else has made all three World Championships groups for america in a single Olympic quad and are there any ‘bonus’ examples if stated gymnast made the Olympics as effectively within the fourth yr?
What makes this query so attention-grabbing is that it’s a double redundant query. The primary purpose it’s redundant is that there isn’t a have to separate American Olympians who’ve made three consecutive World Championship groups and non-Olympians who’ve carried out the identical. Each single American gymnast who has ever reached this milestone on the World Championships degree can also be an Olympian.
The second redundant facet of this query is that it doesn’t matter if the gymnast went to a few World Championships in the identical Olympic cycle. It doesn’t matter if stated gymnast did it in three consecutive World Championships, however not in the identical Olympic cycle. It doesn’t even need to occur in consecutive World Championships in any respect. Each American who has ever competed in three World Championships is an Olympian.
It doesn’t matter if these three World Championships occurred over the course of a complete decade, three appearances on the World Championships no matter circumstance correlates to being an Olympian within the American girls’s gymnastics program. This famously occurred with Jade Carey who turned senior in 2016, made the World Championships 3 times in 2017, 2019, and 2022. However received’t be eligible to return to the World Championships till 2025 on the earliest.
However Jade Carey is an Olympian and accomplished the prophecy that the one American gymnasts to have ever competed in three World Championships are both a previous Olympian or will turn into an Olympian the very subsequent time they’re held. As Jade Carey demonstrated, this development is so troublesome to perform that the one Individuals to have carried out it are gymnasts who’ve gone on to turn into Olympians, or returning Olympians who’ve accomplished it for the primary time.
It is so simple as receive three appearances of any variety on the World Championships and stated gymnast at all times finally ends up being an Olympian. The earlier 12 gymnasts who’ve carried out this are as follows
Alicia Sacramone
Aly Raisman
Chellsie Memmel
Dominique Dawes*
Jade Carey
Jaycie Phelps
Kathy Johnson
Kelly Garrison
Kerri Strug
Nastia Liukin
Shannon Miller
Simone Biles
It needs to be famous that Dominique Dawes has competed in 5 totally different World Championships, however solely has two appearances within the context of World Championships that comply with a standard schedule. Her three further appearances stem from the “break up” World Championships in 1994 and FIG’s temporary try at internet hosting an additional World Championships within the 1992 and 1996 Olympic years.
Whereas gymnastics followers have come to embrace the idea of a gymnast competing in three World Championships in a single Olympic cycle, such an achievement was unattainable for gymnasts of earlier eras, together with gymnasts who competed as just lately because the 1997-2000 Olympic cycle. FIG had just one World Championships per Olympic cycle previous to 1976, solely two per Olympic cycle previous to 1992, whereas the 1997-2000 Olympic cycle additionally featured solely two World Championships.
The unique premise of the query on Twitter was with reference to gymnasts who competed in three consecutive World Championships that each one occurred in the identical Olympic quad and thus needed to keep consistency in three consecutive years. Nevertheless, within the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1998 Olympic cycles there have been solely two World Championships, however the competitions had been positioned in 12 months #1 and 12 months #3 of the Olympic quad. So regardless that there have been solely two World Championships in these time intervals, for the gymnasts competing they successfully needed to keep high type in three consecutive years simply to make two totally different World Championship lineups.
In case you open up the eligibility of this statistic to incorporate gymnasts who competed within the two non-consecutive World Championships of those 4 Olympic cycles, that will make Julianne McNamara and Kristin Maloney because the thirteenth and 14th gymnasts to perform this milestone whereas Leanne Wong would turn into the fifteenth gymnast to take action. As soon as once more, all however Leanne Wong are Olympians.
To incorporate the Olympic cycles of 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1998 is so simple as altering the wording to say “gymnasts who’ve gone three years with out lacking a World Championships” versus saying “gymnasts who’ve competed in three consecutive World Championships.”
The next gymnasts qualify for this statistic by having “three of any.” Gymnasts who reached this milestone by competing in any three World Championships no matter when these World Championships happened.
Aly Raisman
Chellsie Memmel
Dominique Dawes
Jade Carey
Jaycie Phelps
The next gymnasts qualify for this statistic by having two non-consecutive appearances in an Olympic cycle the place the World Championships had been held twice in non-consecutive years throughout an Olympic cycle and a gymnast appeared in each.
Julianne McNamara
Kristin Maloney
The next gymnasts qualify for this statistic by having “three consecutive” appearances on the World Championships. Gymnasts who reached this milestone made the lineup for 3 World Championships in a row no matter what Olympic quad these World Championships happened. For instance, making a World Championships lineup in 2003, 2005 and 2006 with 2004 being and Olympic yr as a substitute.
Alicia Sacramone
Kathy Johnson
Kelly Garrison
Kerri Strug
Nastia Liukin
Shannon Miller
Simone Biles
Leanne Wong
However to amend the final checklist, solely the next have carried out three World Championships appearances in a single Olympic cycle.
Kerri Strug
Shannon Miller
Alicia Sacramone
Nastia Liukin
Simone Biles
Leanne Wong
It needs to be famous that of the 5 gymnasts who’ve beforehand carried out it, three of them have medals within the Olympic All-Round. That’s how excessive of a correlation there’s between this statistic and anticipated Olympic success.
So the query is why? Why does a seemingly trivial statistic maintain a lot sway in predicting Olympic lineups?
For starters, it’s an early indicator of expertise and this development highlights those that are amongst essentially the most gifted gymnasts USA Gymnastics has in any given decade. Solely gymnasts of essentially the most famend skillset may be this profitable for such a longstanding length of time.
Nevertheless it largely stems from pacing, harm and consistency. Gymnasts who’ve reached this milestone are capable of display that they’ll constantly carry out effectively below stress in home competitors to the purpose the place they’ll win the grueling group choice course of three totally different occasions. Making any future Olympic choice course of considerably much less formidable for them.
It additionally highlights their sturdiness that these gymnasts can already seem in two totally different World Championships and are available again for a 3rd World Championships with out being sidelined by lingering accidents stemming from their two earlier appearances. It additionally proves they’ve competent teaching within the type of “pacing” the place they’re dedicated to a coaching schedule that isn’t overloading them or resulting in untimely burnout.
One other issue to think about can also be age. For a gymnast to compete in three World Championships or two World Championships throughout three years, meaning she is at the very least three years older than from the place she first began out. For the demographics of a sport the place the beginning age for entry into senior degree competitors is round 16 years outdated, because of this gymnasts might be round 19 years of age at minimal once they attain this milestone.
Having a 3 yr age distinction for a demographic involving highschool aged gymnasts is completely huge as a result of it’s throughout these three years the place gymnasts typically have to beat main physique modifications. Gaining weight and present process a progress spurt is quite common throughout these years and that’s typically a serious issue for gymnasts who need to compete throughout this timeline of their lives. In gymnastics, it’s not the kind of physique you could have that places one at a drawback in these years, however how shortly your physique is altering and the way simply you’ll be able to adapt to stated modifications.
For gymnasts who’ve reached their third World Championships, they’re both sufficiently old the place they’re previous the purpose of their lives the place essentially the most vital physique modifications happen, or the physique modifications are at present taking place however are taking place in a manner the place it’s simply manageable. By the point a gymnast has competed in her third World Championships she now not has to fret about bodily progress related to reaching maturity.
This development highlights the monumental distinction between being a 2x participant on the World Championships versus being a 3x participant. The careers of Rebecca Bross and Morgan Hurd are an unlucky reminder of this development. Bross and Hurd have two issues in frequent. The very first thing they share in frequent is they’re aspect by aspect on the checklist of essentially the most profitable gymnasts within the historical past of the World Championships who by no means went to the Olympics. Morgan Hurd ranks because the #2 most achieved non-Olympian on the World Championships degree whereas Rebecca Bross ranks #3.
The opposite unlucky facet Bross and Hurd share in frequent, they each appeared in two consecutive World Championships, solely to overlook out on their third try at making the World Championships. And beginning in yr #3, that’s exactly when their careers started to say no and would sadly be highlighted by a high-profile harm monitor document of their last years on the elite degree.
Sadly, there’s one awkward facet of this story that must be addressed. What makes this statistic essentially necessary, is it represents American gymnasts who on three totally different events competed towards the “A-Staff” and on all three events they scored throughout the identical vary as their fellow A-Staff members. This clearly occurred with Leanne Wong in 2022 and 2023, however for 2021 issues had been totally different.
Due to Covid-19 impacting the competitors schedule, the 2021 World Championships was held instantly following the 2021 Olympics. This was not solely an excessive rarity by having each the World Championships and Olympics contested in the identical yr, however by having the World Championships contested after the conclusion of the Olympics was absurd. Below regular circumstances FIG had actively averted such a schedule as a result of earlier competitions, particularly the 1980 World Cup in creative gymnastics and the 1992 World Championships in rhythmic gymnastics had demonstrated such competitions had disastrous participation charges when held instantly after the Olympics.
For all of the rhetoric that possibly the 2021 World Championships nonetheless retained a powerful worldwide subject and that many 2021 World Championships veterans have received medals elsewhere, none of that issues regarding the premise of this historic development. What issues is whether or not the American program had excessive participation charges and the 2021 World Championships lineup didn’t retain any of its 2021 Olympians. In truth, it was the primary American lineup to return none of its earlier veterans from any prior Olympics and/or World Championships degree competitors in 30 years.
For as awkward as this can be to level out, it is very important spotlight as a result of this milestone has a 100% success charge in making a future Olympic group, however what makes this milestone a milestone is being included within the lineup of three totally different A-Groups. Leanne Wong has unquestionably reached this milestone, however she is the primary to take action the place the circumstances of it are usually not as clear minimize.
However it could simply as simply be stated “who cares?” Leanne Wong doesn’t want issues to be as minimize and dry with reference to this statistic, she has already confirmed that 2024 might be a superb yr for her. Leanne Wong was an Olympic alternate in 2021 and was essentially the most broadly repeated identify amongst gymnastics followers and media over which alternate got here the closest to creating the Tokyo Olympic group. Wong then adopted that success up with three consecutive appearances on the World Championships.
Leanne Wong received a gold medal on the 2019 American cup regardless of being a primary yr senior. She then proceeded to get via the Covid 2020 sports activities shutdown with out shedding any of her momentum and carrying all of it into 2021. She was the #1 ranked NCAA prospect amongst her class on School Fitness center Information. She competed elite, competed NCAA, after which returned again to competing elite with out shedding any momentum. It was one other astounding milestone as so many gymnasts have been unable to pivot between these two ranges, let alongside produce more and more higher outcomes whereas doing it.
Then to high it off, Leanne Wong has not solely confirmed she will compete each NCAA and elite whereas additionally competing via the Covid-19 sports activities shut down, she has one final trick in her bag of bowties. Leanne Wong is so adaptive to a variety of circumstances she is doing this whereas having totally different coaches on the World Championships between her membership (GAGE) and faculty (Florida Gators) coaches.
That’s simply what Leanne Wong has achieved as a senior. Way back to 2018 when Leanne was nonetheless a junior she was demonstrating exceptional expertise even again then. Most notably, in 2018 she received back-to-back All-Round gold medals on the Junior U.S. Classics and Junior Nationwide Championships. In each circumstances she adopted that success up with medals on 3 of 4 occasions throughout Occasion Finals. Bringing her whole to successful medals on 10 of 12 occasions throughout these two competitions within the last yr of her junior profession.
Leanne will both show the development or be the primary to disprove the development. But when issues don’t go favorably for Leanne Wong in 2024, she would have a close to Olympic miss in 2021 and more than likely one other close to Olympic miss for Paris as effectively. Demonstrating simply how excessive this development correlates with some type of being an Olympic contender. And if Leanne doesn’t make it in 2024, she might theoretically full the development in 2028.
For some gymnasts, you have a look at their routine composition or their athleticism as they compete essentially the most troublesome eponymous expertise of the day and be so impressed, you possibly can’t assist however assume that the gymnast you’re watching goes to be an Olympian in the future. For Leanne Wong it’s totally different. You have a look at her aggressive resume and see the overwhelming consistency coupled with longevity that’s what makes it onerous to disregard the internal thought this gymnast is definitely going to turn into an Olympian subsequent yr.
