Gymnastics has undergone a significant transformation over the years, evolving far beyond its earlier perceptions. In the past, rigid standards dictated what every female gymnast needed to achieve, paired with relentless pressure from coaches pushing athletes to their physical and mental limits in the pursuit of perfection. This environment often led to devastating injuries on the sport’s biggest stages, leaving gymnasts in tears and their careers in jeopardy.

Fast forward to the Safe Sport era, and the landscape has changed dramatically. The focus now prioritizes athlete well-being, fostering a safer and more supportive environment that allows gymnasts to thrive without compromising their health or dignity. With Simone Biles speaking up against the ill practices at the infamous Karolyi Ranch, things began to change for good.

With the incorporation of SafeSport in 2017, gymnasts were given enough shields to keep their mental and physical selves at bay. And one of the biggest pioneers in promoting mental wellness in competitive gymnastics is Simone Biles’ ex-coach, Laurent Landi. Now then, with the WCC becoming a live example of a modern-day gymnastics hub, accusations of the SafeSport norms being violated are sure to make heads turn. And that is exactly what Karis German did. 

Hailing from Spring, Texas, German has become one of the most prominent names in the WCC. One of her most notable moments came in 2022 when she competed in the Winter Cup, earning a bronze medal and securing 7th place in the all-around competition. These accomplishments solidified her reputation as a rising star in gymnastics. However, recent revelations from German have brought attention to troubling aspects of her past.

In a TikTok post, she shared shocking details of being physically and mentally pushed by her coach. “You’re so funny’ thanks! I did grew up doing gymnastics before Safe Sport was a thing,” read one of her slides. The subsequent slides were even more distressing. “You’re so funny’ thanks! My coach used to scream at me for not going for a skill on beam while I balled my eyes out because of a mental block,” wrote German. She then revealed another grim experience: “You’re so funny’ thanks! I competed out of the country on a torn ankle.”

Naturally, fans quickly tried to jump to a conclusion. While German was a WCC gymnast, the entire community started to bash Laurent Landi. He came in the firing line as fans accused him of mistreating the gymnasts at the World Champions Center. They also stated that forcing a gymnast to compete under so much stress was utterly inhuman.

Thankfully, Karis German quickly came to the rescue. Following the backlash at Landi, German cleared the air that Landi was not the coach that she was talking about. “I love both of them they’re absolutely amazing and I’ll support them forever… it’s not him… at all,” said German in a comment. However, despite the clarification, the criticisms did not stop coming on social media. 

Fans give Laurent Landi the stick despite Karis German’s clarification 

As soon as the news went viral, fans flocked to the comments section with their theories. One fan comment referred to another WCC gymnast who allegedly shared a post expressing distress about attending practice, alongside a photo of Laurent Landi spotting her on bars. Given Karis German’s revelations about being forced to compete under stress, some fans assumed Landi was involved in similar situations. Despite German clarifying that Landi was not the coach in question, skepticism persisted.

The comment read, “I saw one from another wcc girl wishing she was in an accident on the way to practice and the photo she posted was her on bars with Laurent spotting her so.” Their words highlight how past experiences of WCC gymnasts continue to fuel scrutiny, with some linking Landi to broader concerns about coaching practices, even without direct accusations against him.

Another comment referred to Zoe Miller, another gymnast from WCC, who previously shared similar concerns about being pushed beyond her limits. While Miller never confirmed these experiences occurred at WCC, fans linked her statements to Karis German’s recent accusations. The Reddit user commented, “Zoe Miller (WCC) said some very similar things to Karis, although it was never confirmed those things happened at WCC for her either.” Despite German clarifying that Landi was not involved, the gymnastics community remains skeptical, recalling Miller’s past remarks. 

Another netizen shared their concern for German’s well-being, acknowledging her history of struggles in gymnastics. Their words suggested that German had been frequently sharing distressing experiences, implying a need for professional mental health support. While the commenter supports her speaking out for awareness and future athlete safety, they find it disheartening that she consistently appears to be in distress.

This aligns with German’s TikTok revelations about past coaching mistreatment. The fan’s words went, “Honestly this is so sad. But also not an unexpected kind of post from her. If you’ve followed her for a while you’ll know that girl needs a sports psychologist or something yesterday. It’s awful. I support venting this way as maybe it’s the only way she feels she can, and it’s good to get it out there, for herself and others’ future safety, but it’s just so sad. I want her to get some help and be happy. She is always sad and going through it 😔” 

Such a comment further underscores the broader challenges that athletes often have to face, even in the SafeSport era. Another fan tried to highlight the timeline to which the 20-year-old gymnast has been referring. German’s claim about competing internationally on a torn ankle likely refers to her time at WCC, as her USA Gymnastics profile lists only one international result.

This led fans to speculate that Laurent Landi or WCC staff were responsible, despite German’s clarification that Landi was not the coach in question. “Her USAG profile only lists one international competition result, which would have been when she was at WCC, so time probably lines up for the torn ankle one,” commented another user.

The timeline of her competition history aligns with her WCC tenure, fueling continued criticism of the gym’s coaching practices. Another commenter also tried to provide more context mentioning, “Karis was with two clubs Premier Gymnastics (until 2016) and WCC (2017 to Present) Safe Sport started in 2017.”

Thus, it is evident that Karis German’s revelation has riled up the community. However, it remains to be seen whether German reveals her coach’s name in the long run or not. What do you think about athlete safety and stress regulation and German’s revelation? Tell us in the comment section below!