Ashton Locklear facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ashton Locklear
Locklear in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Ashton Taylor Locklear
Country represented	United States
Born	(1998-01-13) January 13, 1998 (age 27) Lumberton, North Carolina, U.S.
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2014—18 (USA)
Club	World Champions Centre
Head coach(es)	Laurent Landi
Former coach(es)	Qi Han Yiwen Chen Kristie Phillips Sergei Romanov
Music	Pa'Bailar (2012)
Retired	May 16, 2019
Medal record Representing  United States World Championships Gold 2014 Nanning Team Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2016 Everett Team Gold 2016 Everett Uneven Bars Pan American Championships Gold 2014 Mississauga Team Gold 2014 Mississauga Uneven Bars

Ashton Taylor Locklear (born January 13, 1998) is a retired artistic gymnast from North Carolina, USA. She is a member of the Lumbee Tribe, a Native American group. Ashton was part of the United States team that won a gold medal at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She also won the national championship on the uneven bars twice, in 2014 and 2016. Ashton was known for being an expert on the uneven bars. She was also an alternate for the U.S. gymnastics team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, known as the Final Five.

About Ashton Locklear

Ashton Locklear was born in Lumberton, North Carolina. Her parents are Carrie and Terry Locklear. She has an older sister named Angelia, who also did gymnastics.

Ashton was homeschooled until the 8th grade. She is a proud member of the Lumbee Tribe. In 2017, she became an ambassador for Nike N7, a program that supports Native American and Aboriginal communities.

Ashton's Gymnastics Journey

Starting Gymnastics

When Ashton was very young, she watched her older sister's gymnastics classes. She started copying her sister's moves. Watching the 2000 Olympics on TV also inspired her to start competing.

Ashton first began her gymnastics journey in trampolining. Later, she switched to artistic gymnastics. She started training with Terry Barrett in Hamlet, North Carolina.

Ashton won her first championship at age five. It was a state title in trampoline and tumbling. After that, she trained at KPAC (Kristie Phillips Athletic Center) with Kristie Phillips. When she was eleven, she moved to Everest Gymnastics in Huntersville, North Carolina. There, she was coached by Qi Han and his wife, Yiwen Chen. Because Huntersville was far from her hometown, her family kept a second home near the gym.

Early Competitions (2013)

In 2013, Ashton competed at the Nastia Liukin Cup. She placed seventh in the all-around competition. She also finished first on the uneven bars. Later that year, Ashton had a stress fracture in her back. This injury meant she could only do conditioning for about four months. It also stopped her from competing on the floor exercise and vault.

Senior Gymnastics Career

Breakthrough Year (2014)

Ashton had amazing performances in 2014. At the Secret U.S. Classic, she won first place on the uneven bars. Her score was 15.700, which was much higher than the reigning world silver medalist, Kyla Ross.

In August, Ashton competed at the P&G Championships. She became the national champion on the uneven bars. She also placed eighth on the balance beam. After this, she was chosen for the national team. She also joined the U.S. team for the Pan American Championships in Mississauga, Ontario.

In Mississauga, Ashton and her teammates won the team gold medal. They beat Brazil by more than six points. Ashton also won a gold medal on the uneven bars with a score of 14.975.

On September 17, Ashton was selected for the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China. She helped the U.S. team win a gold medal. She also placed fourth in the uneven bars final.

Overcoming Injuries (2015)

In early 2015, Ashton hurt her shoulder and needed surgery. After a lot of physical therapy, she returned to competition. She participated in the Secret U.S. Classic on July 25. She only performed exhibition routines, meaning her scores didn't count. She said she would be back to full strength for the P&G Championships.

In August, Ashton competed on uneven bars and balance beam at the 2015 P&G Championships. She scored 15.400 on bars on both nights. This placed her second on bars, just behind her 2014 Worlds teammate Madison Kocian. She placed 13th on beam. A week later, Ashton was named to the senior national team. She was also invited to the 2015 Worlds selection camp.

Ashton had planned to go to the University of Florida. However, she later decided not to compete in college gymnastics.

Olympic Alternate (2016)

Ashton started her 2016 season at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She helped the U.S. team win the gold medal. She also won the gold medal in the uneven bars final with a score of 15.250.

In April, at the 2016 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, Ashton helped the U.S. team win. She also won the gold medal in the uneven bars final with a score of 15.625.

In June 2016, Ashton competed at the U.S. Secret Classic. She won the gold medal on uneven bars, beating the world champion, Madison Kocian. She also placed fourth on beam.

Later in June, Ashton competed at the P&G Championships in St. Louis. She scored very high on uneven bars, reclaiming her national title. She also placed eighth on balance beam. Ashton was named to the 2016 U.S. National Team. She also qualified for the Olympic Trials in San Jose, California.

At the 2016 Olympic Trials, Ashton fell on the beam on the first night. However, she scored 15.700 on bars on the second night. Ashton was chosen as an alternate for the Olympic team, along with MyKayla Skinner and Ragan Smith.

Final Competitions (2017-2019)

Ashton began her 2017 season at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She won the team gold medal with the U.S. team. She also earned a bronze medal on the uneven bars.

In late July, Ashton competed at the U.S. Secret Classic. She only performed on balance beam and tied for eighth place.

In August, Ashton competed at the P&G Championships in Anaheim, California. She placed second on the uneven bars. She also placed tenth on the balance beam.

In September, Ashton was chosen to represent the United States at the 2017 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Montreal. She competed on uneven bars and balance beam. She qualified for the uneven bars finals in 7th place. However, she made an unexpected mistake in the finals and finished in 8th place. Ashton later explained that she had re-injured her shoulder during the finals.

In 2018, after shoulder surgery, Ashton moved to Spring, Texas. She trained alongside Simone Biles at World Champions Centre. She also had knee surgery that summer and spent the rest of the year recovering.

In 2019, Ashton announced she would return to competition. She planned to compete on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. At the WOGA Classic, she scored 12.350 on uneven bars and 12.550 on balance beam. Later that month, she competed at the World Champion's National Qualifier. She placed first on uneven bars and tied for fourth on balance beam. However, her scores were not high enough to qualify for other major competitions.

On May 16, 2019, Ashton officially announced her retirement from gymnastics.

Ashton's Competition Results

Competitive history of Ashton Locklear

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
2013	Nastia Liukin Cup		7
2014	U.S. Classic					4
	U.S. Championships					8
	Pan American Championships
	World Championships				4
2015	U.S. Championships					13
2016	City of Jesolo Trophy
	Pacific Rim Championships
	U.S. Classic					4
	U.S. Championships					8
	U.S. Olympic Trials					13
2017	City of Jesolo Trophy
	U.S. Classic					8
	U.S. Championships					10
	World Championships				8
2018	Did not compete
2019	WOGA Classic				6	6
	WCC National Qualifier					4

See also

In Spanish: Ashton Locklear para niños