Texas Olympic hopefuls shifting culture in elite gymnastics

SPRING, Texas (NEXSTAR) — There’s a gym in a Houston suburb that looks unassuming from the outside, but inside dozens of elite gymnasts train in hopes of being the next world champions.

Powerhouse athletes like Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, who have gone on to win Olympic medals, train at the World Champions Centre (WCC).

There’s been a shift in the culture of USA Elite Gymnastics over the past decade, with more athletes of color competing at the highest level than ever before.

Four of those athletes train together at WCC: Biles, Chiles, Zoe Miller and Tiana Sumanasekera.

All have their sights on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Reporter Jala Washington sat down with three of them.

They’re challenging what’s expected of elite gymnasts, in a space that’s predominately white and more conservative.

They train two times a day during the week for hours. But they’re still your average teenage, young adults who like to have fun.

During the interview, the girls gushed over some of their celebrity crushes, like Michael B. Jordan. And they didn’t shy away from talking about their personal lives or singing songs by Latto.

A natural love for the sport

Becoming an Olympian has been a dream that Miller, 18, says she realized early on, as her natural talent shined through.

“They kind of realized that I could do a lot more than the other kids,” Miller said.

Sumanasekera, 17, said she fell in love with the sport after a later start than most others who reach the level she’s competing at. Her talent, too, would become evident.

“I’ve always loved the thrill of flipping,” Sumanasekera said.

Chiles, 22, said gymnastics saved her life, helping her better manage her ADHD. She took home a team silver in the 2020 Tokyo Games and continues to be a frontrunner in the gymnastics world.

Athletes who inspire

Chiles continues to help pave the way for women in her sport. She and her teammates who are coming up behind her also recognize trailblazers who came before them.

That’s champions like Gabby Douglas, the first Black Olympian to win all-around in women’s gymnastics. Plus, Olympian, Dominque Dawes, the first Black athlete to win an individual medal.

“She ran, so we could sprint,” Miller said.

2016 Rio Olympic Gold Medalist, Laurie Hernandez, is another notable athlete of color. She now serves as an Ambassador with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and regularly weighs in on gymnastics topics on NBC.

Hernandez maintains close ties to the sport.

“I think what’s really interesting about WCC is how well-rounded their athletes are,” Hernandez said. “Representation matters. There’s a surge of athletes of color and gymnasts of color who are coming in and seeing this representation on TV.”

Chiles, Miller and Sumanasekera agreed they’re helping inspire a new generation. With that, they want to put not only their sport in the spotlight, but their heritage as well.

‘We’re trying to inspire not only the world, but our culture’

The 2023-2024 women’s senior national gymnastics team is one of the most diverse in the past decade.

“Even at [Gymnastics World Championships, there was] an all-black podium [for the first time],” Chiles said.

And Sumanasekera is the first Sri Lankan American gymnast competing on the team.

“I love representing it and just having such diversity in the sport now,” Sumanasekera said. “Seeing people that you look like is like, ‘Wow, I can really be doing that as well.’”

Miller said there are stigmas placed on sports, that she hopes she and her teammates can help debunk.

“[Sometimes with certain sports, people say] ‘Oh, white kids do that, or that sport is for Black people,'” Miller said. “I feel like bringing diversity into gymnastics and a lot of other sports helps people expand their horizons.”

Chiles said their representation is bigger than just them.

“We’re trying to inspire not only the world, but our culture,” Chiles said.

USA Men’s Gymnastics is also seeing more athletes of color competing at the top level, like Khoi Young and Fred Richard who are both trying to qualify for Paris 2024.

Olympic trials for both women’s and men’s gymnastics will be in June.

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