Madison Kocian facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Madison Kocian
Kocian at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Madison Taylor Kocian
Nickname(s)	Maddie
Country represented	United States
Born	(1997-06-15) June 15, 1997 (age 28) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Residence	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height	5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Junior Elite (2009–12) Senior Elite (2013–16) NCAA (2017–20)
Years on national team	2009–11, 2013–16 (USA)
Club	WOGA
College team	UCLA Bruins
Former coach(es)	Laurent Landi and Cecile Canqueteau-Landi Valorie Kondos Field Chris Waller
Retired	March 12, 2020
Medal record Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Uneven bars World Championships Gold 2014 Nanning Team Gold 2015 Glasgow Team Gold 2015 Glasgow Uneven bars Pan American Championships Gold 2014 Mississauga Team Silver 2014 Mississauga Uneven bars Representing UCLA Bruins NCAA Championships Gold 2018 St. Louis Team Bronze 2019 Fort Worth Team

Madison Taylor Kocian (born June 15, 1997) is a retired American artistic gymnast. She was a very strong competitor on the uneven bars. In 2015, she was one of four gymnasts who shared the gold medal at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She also won a silver medal on the uneven bars at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Madison was part of the gold medal-winning team called the "Final Five" at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She also helped the American team win first place at the 2014 and 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. After her elite career, she competed for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She helped the UCLA Bruins win the 2018 NCAA Championships.

Early Life and Training

Madison Kocian was born and grew up in Dallas, Texas. Her parents, Thomas and Cindy Kocian, introduced her to gymnastics when she was very young. When she was five, she started training at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA). This gym is in Plano, Texas.

WOGA is famous because Olympic champions Carly Patterson and Nastia Liukin also trained there. These gymnasts inspired Madison. She especially looked up to Nastia Liukin, seeing her like an older sister. Madison has one younger brother. She attended Spring Creek Academy and finished school in 2015.

Junior Elite Gymnastics

Starting Out (2009–2010)

Madison first competed as an elite gymnast in 2009. She took part in the U.S. Classic and the U.S. Championships. At the U.S. Championships, she finished sixth overall. This earned her a spot on the U.S. Junior National Team.

Later in 2009, Madison competed internationally for the first time. She went to the Top Gym Invitational in Belgium. There, she won a bronze medal in the all-around competition. She also won a gold medal on the vault and a silver medal on the balance beam. In 2010, she won a bronze medal on the uneven bars at the U.S. Championships.

Injuries and Comebacks (2011–2012)

In 2011, Madison continued to do well. She won a silver medal in the all-around at the WOGA Classic. She also helped the American team win a gold medal at the City of Jesolo Trophy.

In 2012, Madison had to take a break from gymnastics. She broke a growth plate in her wrist. This injury kept her from competing for the rest of the season.

Senior Elite Gymnastics

Becoming a Senior (2013)

In 2013, Madison was old enough to compete as a senior gymnast. She returned to competition at the WOGA Classic. She then won the all-around title at the American Classic. At the U.S. Classic, she earned a silver medal on the uneven bars.

During the U.S. Championships, Madison was doing very well. However, she injured her ankle during her floor exercise routine. She had to stop competing and missed the rest of the year.

World Champion (2014)

Madison came back strong in 2014. She won gold on the uneven bars at the WOGA Classic. She also won gold on the uneven bars at the City of Jesolo Trophy. At the U.S. Championships, she won a silver medal on the uneven bars.

She competed at the 2014 Pan American Gymnastics Championships in Canada. There, she helped the American team win first place. She also won a silver medal on the uneven bars. In September, Madison was chosen for the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in China. She helped the U.S. team win a gold medal. After the World Championships, Madison had wrist surgery to fix an old injury.

More World Titles (2015)

Madison returned to competition in 2015. She won first place on the uneven bars at the U.S. Classic. At the U.S. Championships, she won her first national title on the uneven bars.

She was then chosen for the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Scotland. Madison helped the U.S. team win the gold medal. In the uneven bars final, she made history. She tied for the gold medal with three other gymnasts! This was the first time four gymnasts shared a gold medal at the World Championships.

Olympic Glory (2016)

Kocian (right) at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Madison started the 2016 Olympic season by winning gold medals on both uneven bars and balance beam at the WOGA Classic. In March, she fractured her tibia, which meant she missed six weeks of training.

She returned to compete at the U.S. Classic and the U.S. Championships. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars. On July 10, 2016, Madison was named to the U.S. team for the 2016 Olympic Games. Her teammates were Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, and Laurie Hernandez.

Rio de Janeiro Olympics

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Madison competed only on the uneven bars. Her score was the highest in the qualification round. The American team also qualified for the team final in first place.

In the team final, Madison again performed on the uneven bars. She helped the team win its second straight Olympic gold medal. Her uneven bars score was one of the highest in the team final. On August 14, Madison won a silver medal in the uneven bars event final. She finished very close behind Russia's Aliya Mustafina.

College Gymnastics Career

Starting at UCLA (2017)

Madison began attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the fall of 2016. She joined the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team. Her first college competition was on January 7, 2017. She won three individual event titles and the all-around title. At this meet, Madison and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Kyla Ross became the first Olympic gold medalists to compete as NCAA gymnasts. In February 2017, Madison scored a perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars!

She helped UCLA finish fourth at the 2017 NCAA National Championship. Madison also received honors for her strong performances.

NCAA Champion (2018)

In August 2017, Madison had surgery on her shoulder. She had been dealing with this injury since 2016. She returned to college competition in January 2018, competing on balance beam. She slowly added floor exercise and uneven bars back into her routines.

Madison helped UCLA reach the Super Six at the 2018 NCAA National Championship. Even with a fall on the balance beam, her strong performances on uneven bars and floor helped UCLA win their first NCAA Gymnastics title since 2010!

Continued Success (2019)

On January 21, 2019, Madison earned her second perfect 10 on uneven bars. This happened in a meet against Arizona State. She also received several awards after the season. These included Pac-12 First Team honors for uneven bars. She was also named to the Pac-12 All-Academic team for her excellent grades.

Final Season (2020)

Madison started the 2020 season with shoulder soreness. She returned to compete on bars and floor. In March, Madison was named the Pac-12 Conference scholar-athlete of the year for gymnastics. She also received other academic honors from UCLA. Her college career ended early when the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perfect 10.0 Scores

Madison earned two perfect 10.0 scores during her college career:

Personal Life

In July 2022, Madison Kocian began studying at the Baylor College of Medicine. She is training to become a Physician Assistant.

Images for kids

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  Kocian (center) with her teammates at the 2016 Summer Olympics

See also

In Spanish: Madison Kocian para niños