Kyla Ross facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kyla Ross
Ross in February 2018
Personal information
Full name	Kyla Briana Ross
Nickname(s)	Mighty Mouse, Silver Princess, Kyla Boss
Country represented	United States
Born	(1996-10-24) October 24, 1996 (age 28) Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Hometown	Aliso Viejo, California, USA
Residence	Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Junior Elite (2009–11), Senior Elite (2012–16), NCAA (2017–20)
Years on national team	2009–2016 (USA)
Club	Gym-Max Gymnastics
College team	UCLA Bruins
Former coach(es)	Jenny Zhang and Howie Liang, Valorie Kondos Field, Randy Lane, Chris Waller and Jordyn Wieber, Kristina Comforte, Dom Palange, and BJ Das
Retired	March 12, 2020
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships 1 3 1 Pacific Rim Championships 5 5 1 Pan American Championships 2 1 0 Women's gymnastics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Team World Championships Gold 2014 Nanning Team Silver 2013 Antwerp All-around Silver 2013 Antwerp Uneven bars Silver 2013 Antwerp Balance beam Bronze 2014 Nanning All-around Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2010 Melbourne Team Gold 2012 Seattle Team Gold 2012 Seattle Balance beam Gold 2014 Richmond Team Gold 2014 Richmond Balance beam Silver 2012 Seattle All-around Silver 2012 Seattle Uneven bars Silver 2014 Richmond All-around Silver 2014 Richmond Uneven bars Silver 2014 Richmond Floor exercise Bronze 2012 Seattle Floor exercise Pan American Championships Gold 2010 Guadalajara Team Gold 2010 Guadalajara All-around Silver 2010 Guadalajara Floor exercise Representing UCLA Bruins NCAA Championships Gold 2017 St Louis Uneven bars Gold 2017 St Louis Balance beam Gold 2018 St Louis Team Gold 2019 Fort Worth Vault Gold 2019 Fort Worth Floor exercise Silver 2018 St Louis Balance beam Silver 2019 Fort Worth All-around Bronze 2018 St Louis Uneven bars Bronze 2019 Fort Worth Team
Awards	See awards

Kyla Briana Ross Rittman (née Ross, born October 24, 1996) is a retired American artistic gymnast. She is now an assistant coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks gymnastics team. Kyla made history as the first female gymnast to win championship titles at the NCAA, World, and Olympic levels.

Kyla was a top-level gymnast from 2009 to 2016. As a junior, she won two national all-around titles in 2009 and 2010. She also won the all-around title at the 2010 Pan American Gymnastics Championships. In 2012, she was the youngest member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. This team was called the Fierce Five, and they won the gold medal in the team competition.

At the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Kyla won silver medals for the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam. In 2014, she helped the U.S. team win gold at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She also earned a bronze medal in the all-around competition that year.

In February 2016, Kyla stopped competing in elite gymnastics to go to college. She joined the NCAA gymnastics team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She won titles on uneven bars and balance beam at the 2017 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. Then, she helped UCLA win the team title at the 2018 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship.

On March 16, 2019, Kyla achieved a "Gym Slam". This means she earned a perfect 10 score on all four gymnastics events. A week later, she became only the second NCAA gymnast to get a second Gym Slam! She then won the vault and floor exercise titles at the 2019 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. Her final season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After retiring from gymnastics, she became an Undergraduate Assistant Coach at UCLA. Later, she joined Arkansas's coaching staff in 2022.

Kyla's Early Life

Kyla Ross was born on October 24, 1996, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents are Kiana and Jason Ross. Her mother has Filipino, German, and Puerto Rican roots. Her father is of African American and Japanese descent. Kyla's father used to play minor league baseball. She has two younger siblings, McKenna and Kayne. Her sister McKenna played volleyball for the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine volleyball team.

How Kyla Started Gymnastics

Kyla's mother said Kyla was always very strong and full of energy. She was born with muscles! Her parents noticed she was super strong even as a baby.

Kyla started gymnastics when she was three years old. This was at Greenville Gymnastics Training Center in Greenville, South Carolina. She later trained in Virginia and Aliso Viejo. In 2005, she moved to Gym-Max Gymnastics in Costa Mesa, California. Her coach, Jenny Zhang, wasn't sure about Kyla's future at first. But another coach, Howie Liang, believed in her.

Kyla quickly became a successful gymnast. Between 2005 and 2007, she won five state titles and two national titles. In 2008, she competed as a Level 10 gymnast. She won titles on uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and the all-around at state championships. At the 2008 Junior Olympic national championships, she won balance beam, floor exercise, and all-around titles.

Kyla's Junior Elite Gymnastics Career

2009: Junior National Champion

Kyla became a junior elite gymnast in February. In April, she placed second in the all-around at the American Classic.

In July, she won first place in the all-around at the CoverGirl Classic. She beat future Olympic teammates Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney. She also placed first on vault.

In August, Kyla competed at the Visa Championships in Dallas, Texas. She said it was a dream come true! In only her second elite meet, she won first place in the all-around. She also won titles on vault and balance beam. She earned a bronze medal on floor exercise.

In November, Kyla and her teammates won gold at the 2009 Junior Pan American Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Aracaju, Brazil. They beat the Canadian team by almost 15 points. Kyla also won first in the all-around. In the event finals, she won gold on uneven bars and balance beam. She also got a silver medal on floor.

2010: More Junior Success

In March, Kyla competed in Jesolo, Italy, and placed second in the all-around. The next month, she competed at the 2010 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Her team won the gold medal. Kyla placed second in the all-around. She also won a gold medal on vault and silver on uneven bars and floor exercise.

In July, she placed third in the all-around at the CoverGirl Classic in Chicago. She also won first place on balance beam.

The next month, Kyla competed at the Visa Championships in Hartford, Connecticut. She was the defending junior national champion. She won her second straight junior all-around title. She also won the national title on balance beam.

In September, she competed at the Pan American Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her team won gold. Kyla placed first in the all-around. She also won the silver medal on floor.

2011: Junior Elite Highlights

Kyla competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy again in March. Her team won the event over Russia. She also won the all-around competition.

At the CoverGirl Classic in Chicago in July, Kyla finished first in the all-around and on uneven bars. She placed second on vault and third on floor exercise.

She entered the Visa Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota in August. She was the two-time defending junior champion. She finished with the all-around silver medal. She also placed second on uneven bars and balance beam.

Kyla's Senior Elite Gymnastics Career

2012: Becoming an Olympian

Kyla became a senior elite gymnast in 2012, making her old enough for the Olympics. In March, she competed at the 2012 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships. The U.S. team easily won the competition. Kyla placed second in the all-around. In the event finals, she won gold on balance beam, silver on uneven bars, and bronze on floor exercise.

Kyla Ross giving an interview after finishing second in the all-around at the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic.

Kyla Ross on the uneven bars at the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic.

Later that month, Kyla competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy. The U.S. team won easily. Kyla also won the all-around competition. She claimed titles on uneven bars and balance beam, and a bronze medal on vault.

In May, Kyla competed at the Secret U.S. Classic in Chicago. She placed second in the all-around and on uneven bars.

The next month, Kyla competed at the Visa Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. She placed fourth overall. In the event finals, she earned the silver medal on uneven bars.

At the beginning of July, Kyla competed at the Olympic Trials. She placed fifth in the all-around. She also tied for first on uneven bars. Afterward, she was chosen for the team going to the 2012 Summer Olympics. She said it was a "surreal feeling."

Kyla was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the rest of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team. This was the first time an entire Olympic gymnastics team was featured on the cover.

London Olympics: Gold Medalist

Kyla Ross and the rest of the Fierce Five meeting President Barack Obama.

In July, Kyla competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. She helped the American team, called the "Fierce Five", qualify first for the team final. In the team final, she helped the American team win the gold medal.

2013: World Championships Success

Kyla was supposed to compete at the 2013 American Cup but had to withdraw due to an ankle injury.

In March, she was part of the U.S. team for a European tour. At Jesolo, she won gold medals in the team and uneven bars events. She also won silver in the all-around and on balance beam. At a meet in Germany, she helped the U.S. win first place. She also won the all-around competition.

At the Secret U.S. Classic in July, Kyla won gold medals in the all-around and on uneven bars. She also got a silver medal on balance beam. At the P&G Championships in August, she finished second in the all-around. She won gold on uneven bars and balance beam. She was then chosen for the team going to the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

The World Championships took place in October in Antwerp, Belgium. In the all-around final, Kyla won the silver medal. She also won silver medals in the uneven bars final and the balance beam final. She was given the Longines Prize for Elegance. This award goes to gymnasts who show great charm and elegance.

2014: Another World Gold

Kyla was chosen for the 2014 American Cup but withdrew due to a back injury. In March, she competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy. She won gold medals with the team and in the all-around. She also won silver on uneven bars and floor exercise. The next month, she competed at the Pacific Rim Championships in Richmond, Canada. She won gold medals with the team and on balance beam. She also took silver in the all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise.

The all-around podium at the 2014 City of Jesolo Trophy (Kyla Ross center).

In August, Kyla competed at the Secret U.S. Classic. She finished first on beam and second in the all-around. Later that month, she competed at the P&G Championships. She finished second in the all-around and first on balance beam. She was named to her third senior national team.

On September 17, Kyla was chosen for the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China. She and her teammates won gold in the team final. Kyla won the bronze medal in the all-around. She also placed sixth in the balance beam final.

2015: Preparing for College

On February 22, 2015, Kyla announced she would join the University of California, Los Angeles's gymnastics team. Her former Fierce Five teammate, Jordyn Wieber, was a team manager there. Kyla signed with the Bruins on April 15, 2015.

On July 25, she competed at the Secret U.S. Classic. She only competed on uneven bars and balance beam because of a bruised heel. She had some falls on uneven bars but performed better on beam. She hoped to improve her routines for the P&G Championships.

On August 13 and 15, Kyla competed at the 2015 P&G Championships. She competed in the all-around with a new floor routine. She had some mistakes, but she still placed 10th in the All-Around. She was named to the Senior National Team for the fourth year in a row. However, she later withdrew from the World Championships selection camp.

2016: Retirement from Elite Gymnastics

On February 22, 2016, Kyla announced on Twitter that she was retiring from elite gymnastics. She decided not to try for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Instead, she wanted to focus on competing in collegiate gymnastics for the Bruins program at UCLA. She started at UCLA that September.

Kyla's NCAA Gymnastics Career

2016–2017 Season: College Debut

Kyla started at UCLA in the fall of 2016 and joined the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team. Her first college competition was on January 7, 2017. She placed first on uneven bars. Kyla and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Madison Kocian made history. They were the first Olympic gold medalists to compete as NCAA gymnasts.

At the 2017 Pac-12 Championship, Kyla won the Balance Beam title. She scored the first-ever Perfect 10 on beam at that championship. She was also named the 2017 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

Kyla finished the 2017 season ranked first nationally on uneven bars. She was also fourth on balance beam. At the 2017 NCAA championships, she won the national balance beam title. She also shared the uneven bars title. By winning these two titles, Kyla became the first female gymnast to be an Olympic, World, and NCAA Champion.

2017–2018 Season: Team Champion

Before the 2018 season, Kyla trained harder to compete in the all-around more often. She earned All-American honors in the all-around and on uneven bars. She tied for first in uneven bars rankings for the second year. Before the NCAA championships, she won PAC 12 titles on bars and the all-around. She also won regional titles on bars and beam.

At the NCAA championships, Kyla competed all-around for UCLA. She helped UCLA qualify for the Super Six finals. She finished second on Beam, third on Bars, and fourth in the all-around individually. In the Super Six Finals, she helped UCLA win their first team championship in eight years.

2018–2019 Season: Gym Slam Record

On February 10, Kyla earned her first perfect 10 on vault. On March 16, she completed a "Gym Slam" by getting her first perfect 10 on floor exercise. At the PAC-12 Championships, Kyla scored a 10 on both uneven bars and floor exercise.

With a second perfect 10 on floor, Kyla became the second gymnast to record two Gym Slams. She was also the first to do it in one season! On April 6, Kyla tied the record for most career perfect 10s on uneven bars with nine. During the 2019 season, Kyla set the NCAA record for most perfect 10s in one season with 14. She also set a record for 10 straight meets with a perfect 10.

At the NCAA Championships, Kyla scored 9.95 on vault and floor. This made her co-champion on each event. She is the second NCAA gymnast to be a national champion on every event. She finished second in the all-around. Her scores helped UCLA finish third in the team finals.

2019–2020 Season: Undefeated All-Around

Kyla helped UCLA finish second in the first meet of the season. Individually, she finished first in the all-around. She also had the highest scores on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise. On January 12, Kyla earned a perfect 10 on uneven bars. This was her first of the 2020 season. She finished first in the all-around for the second week in a row.

On January 18, Kyla received a second perfect 10 on uneven bars. She also won titles for vault, beam, and all-around. On March 8, Kyla recorded her first perfect 10 on vault for the season. The 2019–20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, Kyla won the Honda Sports Award for gymnastics. She was also named Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year for the second season in a row. She finished the season undefeated in the all-around.

Kyla Ross' Perfect 10 Scores

Kyla's Coaching Career

For the 2020–21 season, Kyla stayed at UCLA to finish her degree. She studied molecular, cell, and developmental biology. She joined the UCLA coaching staff as an Undergraduate Assistant Coach.

On August 13, 2021, the University of Arkansas announced that Kyla would join their coaching staff. She became the volunteer assistant coach for the 2021–22 season. She coached alongside her 2012 Olympic teammate Jordyn Wieber. In July 2022, she was promoted to assistant coach.

Kyla's Personal Life

On June 29, 2024, Kyla Ross married Justin Rittman. He was a former UCLA Bruins football player.

Kyla's Competitive History

Kyla Ross on beam at the 2012 Secret US Classic

Competitive history of Kyla Ross

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
2009	U.S. Classic				5		5
	U.S. National Championships				12
	Pan American Championships
2010	City of Jesolo Trophy
	Pacific Rim Championships
	U.S. Classic			4	4		8
	U.S. National Championships				7
	Pan American Championships				6
2011	City of Jesolo Trophy						7
	U.S. Classic					4
	U.S. National Championships						6
Senior
2012	Pacific Rim Championships
	City of Jesolo Trophy
	Secret U.S. Classic			4		5	5
	U.S. National Championships		4			4	6
	U.S. Olympic Trials		5				9
	Olympic Games
2013	City of Jesolo Trophy
	Secret U.S. Classic						12
	U.S. National Championships						7
	World Championships						5
2014	City of Jesolo Trophy					6
	Pacific Rim Championships
	Secret U.S. Classic
	U.S. National Championships				6		5
	World Championships					6
2015	City of Jesolo Trophy
	Secret U.S. Classic				15	4
	U.S. National Championships		10		12		12
NCAA
2017	PAC-12 Championships			12	6
	NCAA Championships	4	6
2018	PAC-12 Championships						10
	NCAA Championships		4
2019	PAC-12 Championships
	NCAA Championships				26	6
2020	PAC-12 Championships	Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA
	NCAA Championships

Awards and Honors

See also

In Spanish: Kyla Ross para niños