2022 U.S. Gymnastics Championships
When she was just 11, gymnast Konnor McClain predicted she would compete in the 2024 Olympics — and now, at 18, she is closer than ever to making that dream a reality.
McClain, who started doing gymnastics at just 18 months old, has had her sights set on the Olympics for years.
In 2016, appearing on Steve Harvey’s talent show, “Little Big Shots,” she confidently predicted that she would make it to the 2024 Summer Games — and not only that, she knew exactly which medals she planned to sweep.
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“I understand that you are preparing for a big opportunity, what is that?” Harvey asked her on his show.
“Yes, the 2024 Olympics to win the all-around gold medal,” she answered without missing a beat, meaning she planned to win the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor events.
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“You know what I think, Konnor?” Harvey said. “I think you’re going to make it.”
Fast forward seven years, and McClain is closer than ever to her Olympic dreams.
She won’t know whether she has qualified for a spot on Team USA until next June after the Olympic team trials, but in the meantime, she is proud of how far she has come.
“It feels incredible. Oh, my gosh, it feels like I’m almost there,” McClain told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie on June 8, joined by two of her fellow Olympic hopefuls, Shilese Jones and Jordan Chiles.
“I’ve been training 17 years for this,” McClain added. “I said on the Steve Harvey show that I wanted to be here, and I’m one year away, so I’m excited.”
McClain, Jones and Chiles made history last August, becoming the first three Black women to sweep the podium at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.
McClain took home the gold, while Jones won silver and Chiles earned bronze.
“That moment was so unreal,” McClain said.
McClain has experienced personal tragedies in recent years. She lost her father in December 2021 due to COVID-19, and her grandmother passed away a week later.
She also suffered multiple injuries and underwent back surgery earlier this year.
Throughout these difficult times, McClain says she came close to quitting gymnastics.
Now, however, she says she feels motivated again to compete, telling Savannah she is “doing it for myself and my family, and for especially my dad, and just making it through, pushing through.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
