In December 2024, LSU freshman Kailin Chio landed a brand deal with Snowflake Design Leotards, who signed her as a Snowflake Signature Athlete. And why wouldn’t they? The Nevada native has proven her mettle over and over again on both national and international stages. A 7-time national champion, Kailin helped Team USA clinch gold in the team final at the 2021 Junior Pan American games. In 2023, the former GymCats pupil not only had multiple perfect scores on the vault but also finished first at the 2023 Nastia Liukin Cup.

Considering all her achievements and her impressive show for LSU in her collegiate debut, it is safe to say that Kailin Chio is an icon in the making. But she probably wouldn’t have reached such glorious heights at such an early age had it not been for her parents, especially her mother.

Kailin Chio’s parents, family support, background, and more

Kailin’s family always supports their daughters’ passion for gymnastics. Her father is Nathan, and her mom is Sara Chio. While not much information is available about her father’s profession, Sara is a prominent athlete–an IFBB figure pro. And it was her mother who took Kailin to a gymnasium for the first time. “My mom put me in Mommy-and-Me classes when I was very young and I have loved it ever since,” said Kailin. From Kailin’s highs to lows, mom Sara is always there. When Kailin had a foot injury, it was an emotional time for Sara, but she took care of Kailin and got her back to 100%. She was proud of Kailin and saw her overcoming the adversity. Sara thinks that the adversity has fueled Kailin both mentally and physically. Sara’s other talented daughter and Kailin’s sister, Nayah, is interested in nursing. Last year, she began pursuing her nursing major at the Orvis School of Nursing. 

While there is little known about Kailin Chio’s specific ethnicity, the fact is that Kailin’s representation in gymnastics is an inspiring tale to tell the Asian community in the US. While many Asian-Americans are taking the places in the NCAA’s other domains last year, gymnastics has not seen such a surge. But Kailin Chio’s stellar performances can reduce that gap. Many from the community must be inspired to see the LSU star’s accomplishments.

Kailin Chio gets going for the Tigers

With her family’s support, Kailin is on the road to becoming a maestro on the mat. She became one of the key gymnasts in the Tigers’ pack. Coming to the first meet of this year, the LSU Tigers brought back the shine with Kailin. The Tigers were competing at their home ground against the Iowa Cyclones in January 2025, and Kailin stole the show. She executed her floor routine with a flash of technical brilliance. Her score of 9.925 raised the bar. While Sierra Bellard led the LSU gymnasts with a 9.850 score, Kailin etched her name in LSU’s top-five floor scores. This was the start of the 2024 freshman year, Kilian Chio.

The Tigers were stung by a loss in the next competition at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad meet against Oklahoma. They were second, below the Oklahoma Sooners. But Kailin was again one of the highlights. She nearly scored a perfect 10–scoring 9.950 on the vault. Her strong performance and technical forms created a heated discussion among the fans that she should have been awarded a 10. That brings pride to the LSU Tiger’s coven. Making that pride public, the LSU IG page wrote, “And she’s just a freshman…9.95.”