Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Rising Stars: Katelyn Ohashi

  Here we are in 2014, 2 years since the Fierce Five won gold. But, with most of them being retired, its time to look at new gymnasts, the gymnasts who have turned senior in the 2013-14 season. In this article of Rising Stars, I have decided to focus on Katelyn Ohashi, who's gymnastics career soared in just the first year that she turned senior. Both her and Simone Biles were alternates for Elizabeth Price and Kyla Ross, at the 2013 American Cup,  who both withdrew from the competition from injuries, so both Simone and Katelyn were called up. Katelyn was behind going into vault and bars, because she didn't throw big enough stunts, but when she went into Balance Beam, where she had the hardest routine out of the whole field, she dominated, also, Simone fell on her back handspring, back handspring layout, giving Ohashi a colossal lead over Simone. Katelyn was first up on floor, and she delivered a routine of beautiful artistry, stuck landings, and dance. Biles however, did not include enough artistry, and all gymnastics fans know that that is a huge requirement in the current COP, and then she also had a stumbled landing on her Double Arabian. So, naturally, gold at the American Cup 2013. And she had the coach: Valeri Liukin, the perfectionist, to guide her towards gold. And we all know Valeri Liukin as Nastia Liukin's coach, and if you haven't caught on from the last name, her father. Nastia made her father, and coach, when she was up on top of the 2008 All-Around Olympic Podium, and thats what Katelyn is trying to do, and did at the American Cup: Win gold and make her coach extremely proud. She has yet to do it at the Olympic Games, but I have a irking feeling that Katelyn can follow in her gym-mate's footsteps and be in some serious contention for the Olympic Team, and if she makes it, we would definitely see her in the All-Around Finals, come the Olympic Games 2016.

No comments:

Post a Comment