Apart from their jaw-dropping skills and steely mental toughness, gymnasts have one thing they hold above all else—their physical health. The fear of injury or the challenge of keeping their bodies in top shape for the long run is always looming. And for one Team USA men’s gymnastics star, this fear became all too real. While half his squad is off dazzling crowds on the Gold Over America Tour or twirling on Dancing with the Stars, Khoi Young found himself facing a much tougher battle—still on crutches post-Olympics.

Khoi Young, a two-time Pan Am gold medalist, had a solid showing at the Olympic trials, racking up a score of 151.200 in the all-around. He didn’t make the main squad for Paris but locked down an alternate spot, training right alongside Tokyo vet Shane Wiskus. Even though his backup role wasn’t needed due to no injuries or setbacks on the team, Khoi didn’t take any breaks.

He was showing up hard at practice and training. But sharp-eyed fans noticed his knee taped up in one of his training vlogs, which seemed like a precaution at the time. Fast forward two months post-Olympics, and boom—Khoi dropped a bombshell on Instagram: he had knee surgery! Now, you’d expect that kind of surgery to slow him down, right? Not Khoi.

With the LA Olympics on his future horizon, he’s already back in the gym, even though he admitted he’s still struggling to walk. On October 14th, he shared an Instagram reel of himself trying gymnastics for the first time since surgery. The kicker? His teammates had to lift him onto the parallel bars, but once up there, Khoi nailed a handstand like a pro. When he was done, they helped him off again—it was the kind of teammate support that gives you all the feels. And Khoi knows he’s got the best crew around. In his caption, he gave a shoutout: “I’ve got the best teammates around.”

Khoi Young first revealed his surgery on September 21st with an Instagram post captioned, “Had to make some changes.” In true Khoi style, he shared a series of photos—including one of him in a wheelchair with his leg in a knee brace and crutches by his side. But it wasn’t just his knee that got a reset; Khoi also chopped off his signature locs, debuting a fresh new hairstyle. Clearly, he is all about embracing change right now.

With the LA Olympics on the horizon, Khoi is hoping to put his physical setbacks behind him and lock down a spot on the 2028 team. He narrowly missed out on competing in Paris, but stronger performances in the future could very well punch his ticket to the biggest stage right in his home country.

And it’s not like the talent is in question—Khoi’s already a decorated gymnast, winning multiple titles for both Team USA and his college squad. But there’s no denying that injuries have been a hurdle for him. While this latest surgery hasn’t been fully explained, we do know that Khoi’s dealt with setbacks before.

Khoi Young’s previous injury following the college gymnastics season

Khoi Young seems to be no stranger to injuries. The gymnast had suffered from another huge one after the 2022 season with Stanford University. As the season was quite tiring, his ankle had gotten sprained during the NCAA competition, which needed quite some time to recover. He uploaded a post on Instagram announcing his injury, saying, “Unfortunately, I suffered a sprained ankle while warming up for day two of competition. Unfortunately, I’ll be forced to take considerable time off to heal multiple injuries sustained this season.”

Despite suffering from an ankle injury on day two, Khoi still helped Stanford to their historic three-peat in the NCAA Championships. He only decided to start his recovery from the injury after the competition. This is a testament to his mentality, which also led to his training in crutches.

If he can channel that same energy into his Olympic journey, the future looks incredibly bright. With the LA Games being a homecoming of sorts, you know he’ll be pushing even harder to make that dream a reality. So, could he do it? Share in the comments!