Chellsie Memmel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chellsie Memmel
Memmel performing on the balance beam at the 2008 USA Gymnastics National Championships in Boston
Personal information
Full name	Chellsie Marie Memmel
Country represented	United States
Born	(1988-06-23) June 23, 1988 (age 37) West Allis, Wisconsin, U.S.
Residence	Eagle, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height	5 ft 2.5 in (159 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	2000, 2002–09, 2011–12 (US)
Gym	M&M Gymnastics
Head coach(es)	Andy Memmel
Eponymous skills	Memmel Turn (Floor Routine): Double turn with leg fully extended in a "Y"
Medal record Gymnastics Representing  United States Olympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing Team World Championships Gold 2003 Anaheim Team Gold 2003 Anaheim Uneven Bars Gold 2005 Melbourne All-Around Silver 2005 Melbourne Uneven Bars Silver 2005 Melbourne Balance Beam Silver 2006 Aarhus Team World Cup Final Gold 2004 Birmingham Uneven Bars Pan American Games Gold 2003 Santo Domingo Team Gold 2003 Santo Domingo All-Around Gold 2003 Santo Domingo Uneven Bars Bronze 2003 Santo Domingo Balance Beam Pan American Championships Gold 2004 Maracaibo Uneven Bars Gold 2004 Maracaibo Balance Beam Gold 2005 Rio de Janeiro Team Gold 2005 Rio de Janeiro All-Around Gold 2005 Rio de Janeiro Uneven Bars Gold 2005 Rio de Janeiro Balance Beam Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2006 Honolulu Team Gold 2006 Honolulu All-Around Gold 2006 Honolulu Balance Beam Silver 2006 Honolulu Floor Exercise
Spouse(s)	Kory Maier

Chellsie Marie Memmel (born June 23, 1988) is a talented American artistic gymnast. She is famous for winning the world all-around championship in 2005. She was the third American woman ever to win this big title! Chellsie also won a world championship on the uneven bars in 2003.

She was a key member of the United States women's gymnastics team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. There, she helped her team win a silver medal.

With seven medals from World Championships and the Olympics, Chellsie is one of the most awarded American female gymnasts. She is tied with Shawn Johnson for ninth place. Only a few other gymnasts, like Simone Biles and Shannon Miller, have won more medals.

Chellsie made a surprising return to gymnastics in her 30s. This showed that gymnasts can still perform at a high level as adults if they train smartly. In 2022, she was honored by being inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Chellsie Memmel's Gymnastics Career

Early Days in Gymnastics

Chellsie Marie Memmel was born in West Allis, Wisconsin. Her parents, Andy and Jeanelle Memmel, were both gymnastics coaches. They encouraged her to play and learn basic skills in the gym from a young age. When she was eight, she started serious training with Jim Chudy at Salto Gymnastics.

She began competing at a high junior level in 2000.

Big Wins in 2003

In 2003, Chellsie became a senior elite gymnast. This meant she could compete at the highest level. She earned third place at some national meets and won the all-around at the Pacific Challenge. This was a competition with teams from Canada and Australia.

At the 2003 U.S. National Championships, Chellsie was recovering from a hamstring injury. She made some mistakes and finished tenth in the all-around. Even so, she was chosen to compete at the Pan American Games.

At the Pan American Games, she won four medals! These included gold medals in the all-around and on the uneven bars. Because some gymnasts on the World Championships team got injured, Chellsie was asked to join the team. She flew straight from the Pan American Games to the World Championships in California.

At the World Championships, Chellsie was a leader for the American team. She was the only American to compete on every event in the team finals. The U.S. team won its first-ever team gold medal at the World Championships! In the individual event finals, Chellsie became a world champion on the uneven bars, sharing the gold with her teammate Hollie Vise.

Challenges in 2004

In 2004, Chellsie placed third at the American Cup. Later that year, she broke a bone in her foot. This injury stopped her from competing at the National Championships and the Olympic Trials. She was still named an alternate for the U.S. team at the 2004 Olympics. Despite the injury, she later won the uneven bars title at the 2004 World Cup Final.

Becoming World All-Around Champion in 2005

Chellsie started 2005 strong, winning the uneven bars title at the American Cup. She then won a silver medal in the all-around at the National Championships. She also won the all-around title and gold medals on beam and bars at the Pan American Championships.

At the 2005 World Championships, Chellsie won the all-around title by a tiny margin (0.001 points) over Nastia Liukin. This made her the third American woman to win this prestigious title. She also earned silver medals on the balance beam and uneven bars. After this success, Chellsie decided to become a professional gymnast.

Injuries and Comebacks (2006-2012)

In 2006, Chellsie injured her shoulder. This injury affected her performance at the World Championships, where she had to withdraw from some finals. She spent much of 2007 recovering from her shoulder injury. She made her all-around comeback at a test event for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

In June 2008, Chellsie placed third in the all-around at the National Championships. She performed a new, exciting floor routine. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, she did very well and was named to the Olympic team.

At the Olympics in Beijing, Chellsie suffered an ankle injury during training. She bravely competed on a broken ankle in the team finals, helping the U.S. win a silver medal.

After the Olympics, Chellsie took some time off. In 2011, she returned to competition, winning a silver medal in the all-around at the U.S. Classic. At the National Championships, she won another silver medal on balance beam. However, she dislocated her shoulder during her bars routine. She later had surgery to fix a torn tendon in her shoulder.

In 2012, Chellsie had a second shoulder surgery. She tried to make the 2012 Olympic team but was unable to compete at the National Championships. On November 14, 2012, she announced her retirement from gymnastics.

Amazing Comeback in 2020

In April 2020, Chellsie surprised everyone by starting to train seriously again. She posted a video of herself doing a difficult beam dismount, hinting at a comeback. On July 31, she officially confirmed her return as an elite gymnast!

Chellsie competed again at the 2021 U.S. Classic in May 2021. This was her first competition in nine years! She competed on vault and balance beam. In August, she joined Simone Biles' Gold Over America Tour, performing for fans across the country.

U.S. National Team Coach

In May 2022, Chellsie was named "technical lead" for the U.S. National women's artistic gymnastics team. In this important role, she helps top gymnasts create routines that get the best scores. She also decides which gymnasts compete on which events in team competitions. She helped coach the U.S. team to win a world championship in 2022.

Personal Life

Chellsie Memmel married Kory Maier, who is a mechanical engineer, in August 2013. They have two children together. Their son was born in February 2015, and their daughter was born in November 2017.

Gymnastics Skills and Routines

Skills Named After Her

Chellsie has one skill named after her in the official gymnastics rulebook, called the Code of Points.

Competitive Routines

Here are some of the skills Chellsie performed in her routines during competitions:

Vault

She performed a Double-twisting Yurchenko vault, which is very difficult. She also did 1.5-twisting and full-twisting Yurchenko vaults.

Uneven Bars

Her bars routine included complex moves like a clear hip circle to Tkatchev, a Pak salto, and a stalder Shaposhnikova. She finished with a tucked double front dismount.

Balance Beam

On the balance beam, Chellsie performed a piked Barani (a forward pike with a half twist), which is a very high-level skill. She also did a standing Arabian, an illusion turn, and a front tuck connected to a back handspring. Her routine ended with a round-off into a double pike dismount.

Floor Exercise

Her floor routine was packed with powerful tumbling passes. She did a piked Arabian double front and a double layout. She also performed her signature "Memmel" double turn with her leg held high. Her routine included a double pike dismount.

Competitive History

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
2000	American Classic		7
	Puerto Rico Cup
	USA vs. France
2002	American Classic		10			4	8
	USA/Belgium
	Intl Gymnastics Championships
	Podium Meet					9	4
	U.S. Classic		4		9
	USA Gymnastics Championships				5
	USA/Mexico Friendship Competition
Senior
2003	American Classic
	Pacific Challenge (USA/CAN/AUS)
	National Podium Meet			5	5
	USA Gymnastics Championships		10		7	6
	Pan American Games
	World Championships		8			6
2004	American Cup
	Pan American Championships
	World Cup Final
2005	American Cup
	USA/SUI
	USA/GBR
	Pan American Championships
	U.S. Classic		4	7			14
	USA Gymnastics Championships
	World Championships
2006	Pacific Alliance Championships
	USA Gymnastics Championships		4		5	4
	World Championships
2007	U.S. Classic			5
	Good Luck Beijing Intl Tournament		5
	Toyota Cup
2008	Friendship International Exchange					5
	USA Gymnastics Championships					4	4
	Olympic Trials
	Olympic Games
2009	USA Gymnastics Championships					8
2011	U.S. Classic			5	6	5	4
	U.S. National Championships		8				6
2012	U.S. Classic					21
did not compete from 2013–2020
2021	U.S. Classic					29
	U.S. National Championships				26	13