Konnor McClain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Konnor McClain |
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McClain at the 2019 Junior World Championships
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Konnor McClain | |||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  United States |
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| Born | February 1, 2005 Las Vegas, Nevada USA |
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| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2018–2023 (USA) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Pacific Reign Gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||
| College team | LSU Tigers (2024–27) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Cale Robinson | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assistant coach(es) | Stephanie Gentry | |||||||||||||||||||
| Former coach(es) | Valeri Liukin | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Konnor McClain (born February 1, 2005) is an amazing American gymnast. She was a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team. Konnor became the U.S. National Champion in 2022. She also won the Junior All-Around titles at the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy and the 2019 U.S. Classic in 2019.
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Early Life and Training
Konnor McClain was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2005. She has three brothers and sisters. When she was three years old, her family moved to West Virginia. Before starting college, Konnor trained at Gymcats in Henderson, Nevada. Her coach there was Valeri Liukin.
Junior Gymnastics Highlights
Starting Out (2015–2016)
Konnor began her gymnastics journey in the Junior Olympic Program in 2015. She competed in several HOPEs competitions. At the 2015 HOPES Championships, she finished fourth in the all-around. She also placed second on the balance beam. In 2016, she won first place in the all-around at the HOPES Championships. She also took gold on vault, balance beam, and uneven bars.
Becoming an Elite Gymnast (2017–2018)
In 2017, Konnor became a junior elite gymnast. This meant she could compete at a higher level. She made her elite debut at the American Classic. Later that year, she competed at the 2017 U.S. Classic.
In 2018, Konnor won a silver medal on floor exercise at International Gymnix. She also placed second in the all-around at the American Classic. At the 2018 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships, she finished fifth in the all-around. Konnor won a gold medal on the balance beam. Because of her great performance, she was added to the national team for the first time.
Big Wins in 2019
In February 2019, Konnor was chosen to compete at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy. She helped the USA team win a silver medal. Individually, Konnor won gold in the all-around competition. She also took gold on vault and bronze on uneven bars and floor exercise.
In July, she competed at the 2019 U.S. Classic. Konnor won gold in the all-around, on vault, and on balance beam. At the 2019 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships in August, she earned a silver medal in the all-around. She also won gold on balance beam and silver on vault and uneven bars. She continued to be a part of the junior national team.
Team Gold in 2020
In March 2020, Konnor was part of the team for International Gymnix in Montreal. She helped the USA team win a gold medal. Konnor also won a silver medal in the all-around. She took home gold medals in all four individual events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.
Senior Gymnastics Journey
First Senior Competitions (2021)
Konnor became eligible to compete as a senior gymnast in 2021. She made her senior debut at the 2021 Winter Cup. She competed on vault and balance beam, showing strong performances.
After a competition in July, Konnor decided to move to Texas. She began training at WOGA. She then focused on preparing for future competitions. In October, Konnor was chosen to compete at the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She was re-added to the national team.
National Champion (2022)
Konnor had a fantastic year in 2022. She competed at the 2022 Winter Cup and won the all-around competition. This led to her being selected for the DTB Pokal Team Challenge in Stuttgart, where Team USA won gold. Konnor also won gold on balance beam and silver on floor exercise.
In April, she competed at the 2022 City of Jesolo Trophy. Her team won the event. Konnor also won the all-around title, along with gold medals on balance beam and floor exercise.
The biggest highlight of her senior career came in August at the 2022 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships. Konnor finished first in the all-around, becoming the U.S. National Champion! She also won gold on balance beam.
Injury and Return (2024)
Konnor made her return to elite gymnastics at the 2024 U.S. Classic in May 2024. She started strong, winning a bronze medal on balance beam. However, during her warm-up for the floor exercise, she unfortunately suffered an Achilles tendon injury. This meant she had to stop competing in the event.
Collegiate Gymnastics Career
LSU Tigers (2023–2024 Season)
Konnor had planned to join the LSU Tigers gymnastics team after the 2024 Summer Olympics. However, in July 2023, she decided to start college earlier, in the 2023–2024 school year. She still hoped to make the Olympic team.
Konnor made her college debut for the LSU Tigers on January 5, 2024. Just a week later, she earned her first perfect 10.0 score on the uneven bars! On January 26, she earned her second perfect 10.0, this time on the balance beam. At the SEC Championships on March 23, Konnor earned her third perfect 10.0, again on the balance beam. This helped LSU win the SEC team title.
At the NCAA Championships in April 2024, Konnor helped the LSU Tigers make history. She contributed scores on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Her efforts helped LSU win their first-ever national championship in program history!
