Morgan Hurd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Morgan Hurd
Hurd at the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Personal information
Full name	Morgan Elizabeth Hurd
Country represented	United States
Born	(2001-07-18) July 18, 2001 (age 24) Wuzhou, China
Height	4 ft 9 in (145 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2016–2021
Club	First State Gymnastics
College team	Florida Gators (2022–24)
Head coach(es)	Slava Glazounov
Assistant coach(es)	Brooke Parker
Music	Earth Song (2017) Music World (2018)
Retired	November 5, 2024
Medal record Representing the  United States Women's artistic gymnastics Event 1st 2nd 3rd World Championships 2 2 1 Pan American Games 1 0 0 Pacific Rim Championships 1 0 0 World Championships Gold 2017 Montreal All-Around Gold 2018 Doha Team Silver 2017 Montreal Balance Beam Silver 2018 Doha Floor Exercise Bronze 2018 Doha All-Around Pan American Games Gold 2019 Lima Team Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2018 Medellín Team Silver 2018 Medellín All-Around FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around World Cup 3 0 1

Morgan Elizabeth Hurd (born July 18, 2001) is an American photographer and former artistic gymnast. She was a member of the U.S. national team for five years, from 2016 to 2021.

Morgan is famous for winning the all-around title at the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She also earned a silver medal on the balance beam that year. In 2018, she won a bronze medal in the all-around and a silver medal on floor exercise at the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She has won four medals at the USA Gymnastics National Championships and is a two-time American Cup champion. Morgan was also part of the American teams that won gold at the 2018 World Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games.

Morgan Hurd's Life Story

Morgan Hurd was adopted from Wuzhou, China, when she was 11 months old. She started gymnastics at age 3. When she was in fifth grade, she began training at First State Gymnastics. Morgan lived in Middletown, Delaware, with her mother, Sherri. She is known for being one of the few elite gymnasts who wore glasses during competitions.

Morgan Hurd's Gymnastics Journey

Starting as a Junior Gymnast (2014–2016)

Morgan began her gymnastics career competing at the junior elite level. In 2014, she placed fourteenth at the Nastia Liukin Cup. She then competed at the American Classic, finishing eighth, and the 2014 U.S. Classic, where she placed eighteenth. At her first National Championships, she finished twenty-ninth in the junior all-around.

In 2015, Morgan placed ninth in the all-around at the U.S. Classic and second on uneven bars. At the U.S. National Championships, she finished eighth in the all-around.

Her final year as a junior in 2016 was very successful. She won first place in the all-around at the American Classic. At the 2016 U.S. Classic, she placed fifth in the all-around, first on floor exercise, and second on uneven bars. These results helped her qualify for the junior national team after placing fifth in the all-around at the 2016 National Championships.

Becoming a Senior Gymnast (2017)

In 2017, Morgan became old enough to compete at the senior level. She made her international debut at the Stuttgart World Cup, where she won a bronze medal. In April, she helped the United States team win first place at the City of Jesolo Trophy.

At the P&G National Championships in August, Morgan finished sixth in the all-around. This performance earned her a spot on the national team.

In September, Morgan was chosen to represent the United States at the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montreal. She surprised everyone by winning the all-around gold medal with a score of 55.232. Two days later, she won a silver medal in the balance beam final.

More World Medals (2018)

Morgan started 2018 by winning the American Cup with a score of 56.599. In April, she helped the U.S. team win gold at the 2018 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships. She also won a silver medal in the all-around at that event.

At the 2018 U.S. Classic in July, Morgan finished third in the all-around. In August, she placed second in the all-around at the National Championships behind Simone Biles. She was named to the national team for the third year in a row.

In October, Morgan was selected for the team to compete at the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The U.S. team won the gold medal, setting a new record for the largest margin of victory. In the all-around final, Morgan won the bronze medal. She also won a silver medal on floor exercise, bringing her total World Championship medals to five. This made her one of the most decorated American female gymnasts in World Championship history. In December, Morgan had elbow surgery to remove two bone chips.

Continuing Success (2019)

In February 2019, Morgan was chosen to compete at the Tokyo World Cup in April, where she won the gold medal.

In July, it was announced that Morgan would be part of a documentary series called All Around on the Olympic Channel. This series followed her journey leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

At the 2019 GK US Classic, Morgan finished sixth in the all-around and won first place on uneven bars. She was then named to the team for the 2019 Pan American Games. At the Pan American Games, she helped the United States win the team gold medal.

At the 2019 U.S. National Championships, Morgan finished fourth in the all-around. She also won a silver medal on the uneven bars. In September, she was named as a non-traveling alternate for the World Championships team. In November, Morgan signed to join the Florida Gators college team after the 2021 World Championships.

Injuries and Recovery (2020–2021)

In March 2020, Morgan won the American Cup with a score of 55.832. She showed off new skills and brought back old ones. In August 2020, she had surgery on both of her elbows.

Morgan had another elbow surgery in mid-March 2021. She later announced she would join Simone Biles' Gold Over America Tour. She returned to competition at the 2021 U.S. Classic, but only competed on balance beam and floor exercise. Morgan was also featured in the Peacock docuseries Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts. At the National Championships, she again competed only on balance beam and floor exercise. She did not qualify for the Olympic Trials.

College Gymnastics (NCAA)

Morgan officially joined the Florida Gators team in January 2022. Before she could compete, she had surgery on her right knee for a torn ACL. She took a "redshirt" year, meaning she didn't compete, to recover.

Morgan made her college debut on January 6, 2023. She competed on uneven bars and balance beam. During the 2023–2024 season, she competed only on balance beam and floor exercise. She earned her highest score on floor exercise, a 9.95, in a meet on March 2, 2024.

In September 2024, it was announced that Morgan would no longer be competing for the Florida Gators. Instead, she moved into a creative content role for the team.

Photography Career

Morgan's career in visual media began when she became the official videographer for the Chinese American Student Association at the University of Florida. In the fall of 2024, Morgan interned with the University of Florida’s athletics department. She photographed many of Florida's sports teams at their competitions. In the summer of 2025, Morgan started photographing competitions for USA Gymnastics.

Filmography

Streaming Shows

Music Videos

See also

In Spanish: Morgan Hurd para niños