Konnor McClain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Konnor McClain
McClain at the 2019 Junior World Championships
Personal information
Full name	Konnor McClain
Country represented	United States
Born	(2005-02-01) February 1, 2005 (age 20) Las Vegas, Nevada USA
Hometown	Cross Lanes, West Virginia USA
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
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
Medal record Representing the  United States Junior World Championships Bronze 2019 Győr Team Representing Louisiana State Tigers NCAA Championships Gold 2024 Fort Worth Team

Konnor McClain, born on February 1, 2005, is a talented American gymnast. She is part of the U.S. National Gymnastics Team. In 2022, she became the U.S. National Champion. As a junior, she won big titles like the City of Jesolo Trophy and the U.S. Classic All-Around.

Konnor's Early Life

Konnor McClain was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2005. She has three brothers and sisters. When she was three, her family moved to West Virginia. She trained at Gymcats in Henderson, Nevada, with coach Valeri Liukin.

Junior Gymnastics Career

Starting Out: 2015–2016

In 2015, Konnor was part of the Junior Olympic Program. She competed in "HOPEs" competitions, which are for young gymnasts. At the 2015 HOPES Championships, she placed second on the balance beam. She also finished fourth in the all-around competition.

The next year, in 2016, she did even better. Konnor won first place in the all-around at the HOPES Championships. She also took home gold medals on vault, balance beam, and uneven bars.

Becoming an Elite Gymnast: 2017–2018

In 2017, Konnor became a junior elite gymnast. This means 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. She also 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 as a Junior: 2019

In February 2019, Konnor was chosen to compete in Italy at the City of Jesolo Trophy. She helped the USA team win a silver medal. Individually, she won gold in the all-around competition. She also won gold on vault and bronze medals on uneven bars and floor exercise.

In July, Konnor competed at the U.S. Classic. She won gold medals in the all-around, on vault, and on balance beam.

At the U.S. National Championships in August, Konnor had a fantastic competition. She won the silver medal in the all-around. She also earned a gold medal on balance beam. She won silver medals on vault and uneven bars too. After this, she remained on the junior national team.

International Success: 2020

In March 2020, Konnor competed at International Gymnix in Montreal. She helped the USA team win a gold medal. She also won a silver medal in the all-around. Amazingly, she won gold medals in all four event finals: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise!

Senior Gymnastics Career

Stepping Up: 2021

In 2021, Konnor became old enough to compete as a senior gymnast. She made her senior debut at the 2021 Winter Cup. She competed on vault and beam, showing her skills.

After a competition, Konnor decided to make a big change. She moved to Texas to train at WOGA. This meant she would focus on the 2024 Olympics. Later that year, she decided to join the LSU Tigers gymnastics team for college.

In October, Konnor was chosen to compete at the 2021 World Championships. She finished eighth on balance beam during the qualifying rounds.

National Champion: 2022

Konnor started 2022 strong at the 2022 Winter Cup. She won the all-around competition, earning her a spot on the team for the DTB Pokal Team Challenge in Stuttgart. There, she helped Team USA win gold. She also won gold on balance beam and silver on floor exercise.

In April, Konnor competed at the 2022 City of Jesolo Trophy. Her team won the event. Konnor also won the all-around title. She took home gold medals on balance beam and floor exercise.

The biggest highlight of 2022 was the National Championships. Konnor finished first in the all-around, becoming the U.S. National Champion! She also won gold on balance beam.

Comeback and Injury: 2024

Konnor returned to elite competition at the Core Hydration Classic. She started well, winning a bronze medal on balance beam. However, while warming up for her floor exercise, she hurt her Achilles tendon. This injury meant she had to stop competing in the event.

Collegiate Gymnastics Career

LSU Tigers: 2023–2024 Season

Konnor had planned to start college gymnastics after the 2024 Olympics. But in July 2023, she decided to start earlier, in the 2023–2024 school year. She joined the LSU Tigers team.

She made her debut for the Tigers on January 5, 2024. The next week, 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 on the balance beam. This helped LSU win the SEC team title. At the NCAA Championships, Konnor helped LSU win their first national championship ever!

Perfect 10.0 Scores

Konnor has achieved several perfect 10.0 scores during her college career:

Images for kids

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  LSU Tigers logo