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Leanne Wong's return: A bold move towards LA Olympics or a detour from her medical dreams?

Team USA, led by Simone Biles, found a lot of success at the Paris Olympics as they won medals in most of the competitions. In total, they won nine medals in their campaign: 3 gold, 1 silver, and 5 bronze. The men’s team also won a bronze medal in the team final, led by Stephen Nedoroscik, adding to the final tally. Thus, it is sufficient to say that the USA is among the best in the world in this sport.

Many of the gymnasts who competed in Paris have decided to end their seasons, including Simone Biles, who is set to take a break from the sport. This opens up opportunities for other gymnasts to step up and prove their worth to the team. Among them is Leanne Wong, who is gearing up to compete at the upcoming Swiss Cup on November 9th.

The gymnast, who was a part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2022 World Championships, is all set to return after traveling to Paris as an alternate. However, the news surprised many members of the gymnastics Reddit community. This is because many thought that she would be done with elite gymnastics after the Olympics, as she had underlined plans to go to medical school. But this participation puts her into the bracket of possible contenders for the ticket to the LA Olympics four years down the line.

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Leanne, who is a part of the Florida Gators, has won six medals in NCAA competition. In elite gymnastics, she has won four medals in World Championships and two in the Pan American Games. Thus, she can definitely be considered one of the best gymnasts in the US. However, her performance at the Olympic trials didn’t live up to her stature.

She finished seventh in the all-around and balance bars, third on vault, ninth on floor, and fifth on uneven bars. By her standards, this was mediocre, and it meant that she would not be part of the competing team but was named as one of the alternates. However, it now seems like she is all set to return on the mat to get her career back on track. Fans are quite lively about the whole thing.

Gymnastics community delighted to see Leanne Wong’s return to elite level

Many fans expressed their happiness after seeing the news of Leanne Wong competing despite their initial surprise. A lot of them had counted her out of elite gymnastics as they felt that she would not return to competition after failing to compete in Paris. One fan said, “Pleasantly surprised, I thought for sure Leanne was going to be done with Elite after Paris. I know this obviously doesn’t mean that she plans on pursuing another full quad, but it’ll be nice to see her doing elite routines again.” Leanne is currently studying medicine at the University of Florida. She has also underlined her ambitions to become a doctor.

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Leanne Wong's return: A bold move towards LA Olympics or a detour from her medical dreams?

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For this dream to come true, the gymnast will have to go to medical school after completing her undergrad. Juggling the hectic schedule of such types of courses, it is obvious that gymnastics will take the back seat, as it would be very difficult to juggle two of them together.

But, by competing at the Swiss Cup, Leanne Wong has made it clear that she isn’t ready to give up on her sport just yet and still has some competition left in her. “I see you, Ms. CEBow!!! I was thinking her elite career was over, so I’m happy to see this! (I know she never confirmed retirement, but with it being her senior year at Florida and talking about medical school, I incorrectly assumed.)” said one fan.

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via Reuters

 

Throughout her career, Leanne Wong has garnered quite a steady fanbase. This is because of the numerous victories she has had alongside the Florida Gators and Team US. She has established herself as one of the best. Thus, many people adore and support her a lot because of this. This is why so many of them were happy that she hasn’t called it a day from elite gymnastics just yet. “Wonginators all rise!!” said one fan.

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Another fan said, “I predict not one of the major players is done after Paris. Leanne, Kayla, & Skye have unfinished business. I think Jocelyn has said she’s done, but she is free to change her mind.” Kayla DiCello and Skye Blakely are both part of the Florida Gators and have been part of medal-winning teams at the World Championships, establishing themselves as two of the better gymnasts in the country. However, neither could make it to the Paris Olympics owing to injuries.

Fans believe they might still see her try to secure a spot in the LA competition, as she has the skills to compete at the highest level of the sport. Meanwhile, Joscelyn Roberson, who recently signed a letter of intent with the University of Arkansas, has announced her departure from elite gymnastics. However, the future is uncertain; the 18-year-old could still make a return to the sport and compete in LA.

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