Okay, Seattle, you gotta hear this. Katelyn Ohashi, the gymnast who won a U.S. junior all-around title at 14 and even beat Simone Biles when they were both 15, has *never* competed at a senior U.S. Championships. Let that sink in. This woman's NCAA floor routine racked up 253 million views, but she never made it to the big show as a senior elite. Well, at 29 years old, after a seven-year break from competition, that's about to change. She's going for it, and it's the kind of comeback story that makes you stand up and cheer.
The Grind Is Real: Chasing That Championships Ticket
Ohashi is heading to the U.S. Classic in Hartford on July 18, and it's all on the line. Her ultimate goal there? Earning a spot at the Xfinity U.S. Championships in Phoenix from August 6-9. To qualify automatically, she needs to score a combined 26.80 points on her two events, balance beam and floor exercise. She's already started the comeback journey, hitting 24.65 points on those two events at the American Classic on June 28. That was her first meet since the 2019 NCAA Championships, an incredible return to the elite level for the first time since the 2013 American Cup. This isn't just a casual return, she's putting in the work to make this happen, and every point counts.Battling the Demons: Fear, Age, and the Unexpected Call
What's the hardest part about getting back into the gym after all this time? Ohashi straight up said it: fear. Can you believe it? She's "actually still terrified to do a back handspring" on beam. That's real talk right there, showing just how much courage this takes. She even called up her "double trouble" buddy, Simone Biles, to confide her thoughts about coming back. Biles, like most people, apparently "thought I was crazy." If Ohashi can improve her scores on beam and floor by just an average of 1.1 points at the U.S. Classic, she'd become the oldest woman to make her senior U.S. Championships debut in recent memory, if not modern history. She joked she's "pretty much a senior citizen," but there's nothing funny about what she's trying to accomplish. Her original elite career was cut short by shoulder surgery after the 2013 American Cup, keeping her from her first senior championships then. Talk about unfinished business!Inspired by the 'Golden Girls' and Defying Expectations
So, why now? Ohashi, who competed for UCLA from 2016-19 and even joined Biles' Gold Over America Tour, announced her out-of-the-blue comeback on June 24. She's been "playing with" the idea for years, and what truly lit the fire was the 2024 U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team, the "Golden Girls." That squad was the oldest since 1952, with four women in their 20s. That realization, that "16 isn't the deadline," was huge for Ohashi, who felt her body was "already destroyed" at 19 for the 2016 Olympics and that she "was done when I was 16." She's looking forward to six weeks of preparation for championships if she qualifies at Classic, proving that age is just a number when the heart and will are this strong. Mark your calendars, Seattle sports fans, because Katelyn Ohashi is competing at the U.S. Classic on July 18. Tune in to NBCSN or Peacock at 7 p.m. ET. Every leap, every twist, and especially every back handspring, will be about hitting that 26.80 point mark. This isn't just a comeback; it's a testament to raw grit, and we can't wait to see her make history.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.