Suffering Brutal Fall, LSU’s Konnor McClain Escorted on a Wheelchair at Core Hydration Classic 2024

Nearly a month after making history with LSU, gymnast Konnor McClain faced a devastating setback at the US Core Hydration Gymnastics Classics. The 19-year-old LSU Tigers was forced to bow out of the competition after a brutal fall, which led to her being carried off in a wheelchair. 

Simone Biles emerged as the all-around champion in the Core Hydration Gymnastics Classics 2024 with 59.5 points, followed by Shilese Jones and Jordan Chiles with 57.65 and 55.45 points, respectively. Whereas, Konnor McClain, who was branded as an ‘Olympic hopeful’ by LSU coach, couldn’t make it to the list due to the unfortunate fall during the warm-up.

After helping the Tigers win the first NCAA title in program history, McClain was quite a hopeful and promising contender at Hartford. But after a stunning 14.2 on the beam, she got injured during the floor warm-ups just before her routine. As per the reports she suffered an Achilles tendon injury. Before the unfortunate incident her 14.2 was behind only 2020 Olympic all-around gold medalist Suni Lee (14.6) and 2016 Olympic all-around champion Simone Biles (14.5). However, this wasn’t her first injury that led to her fateful withdrawal.

McClain missed the 2022 World Championship because of her back injury, which was so severe that it required surgery. This shortfall in her health not only affected her physically, but mentally as well. But making her comeback at the 2024 NCAA Championships and leading LSU to glory, she regained her confidence and love for the sport. “I just feel like a completely different person; I have a very different look on life, so I feel like I’ve just changed completely and I feel like I’m brighter now, there’s a light in me.”

After the balance beam, she stood in third position, and there was a high chance of her ending the event on a good note. However, the positive, promising 19-year-old did not get the opportunity to step on the mat. LSU coach Jay Clark has informed that McClain will undergo an MRI on Sunday after she returns to Baton Rouge.

This injury, however, raises a much bigger question: What happens to McClain’s Olympic journey now?

Konnor McClain’s Paris dreams look unsettled 

Back in 2021, the Tokyo Summer Olympics 2020 had to be shifted by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And it allowed McClain to participate in the Olympics. It was officially announced that athletes born in and before 2004 would be eligible to grab a ticket for Tokyo. However, McClain was dissatisfied with her performance in the U.S. Classics in 2020. She announced that she won’t be competing in the Tokyo Olympics Trials. But Paris was on her radar for quite some time.

After missing the Worlds in 2022, she was resolute in her comeback. “Still the goal,” she had written on a social media post about Paris in May last year. Alongside she also posted some clips showcased her return to training. In another interview, her grit came out when she stated, “If they say I can’t do something, I want to come back even better. I want to prove them wrong and show them that I can do it and that I’m better than what they think I am.” So did she, balancing her elite and collegiate gymnastics career. In an interview just a few days ahead of the National Championships, she had revealed how.

Konnor got LSU coach Jay Clark in that journey. She used the team’s days after competitions to focus on her elite skills. “With our college schedule, we usually comeback from a meet and we have a light day. So, then, I’ll just practice my extra elite skills and make sure I still have them and make sure I get the consistency I need with my elite routines,” Konnor had said, explaining the plan. Working on that, she perfectly played her role for the LSU at the national championships.

She recorded three perfect 10s during the 2024 campaign, including a 10.0 score on beam in March at the Southeastern Conference championships at the Smoothie King Center.

On the fateful night in the final, McClain posted the best score of the day on the beam (9.9625). That made her one of five LSU gymnasts with a score of at least 9.95 in the final rotation. Her dazzling performance was the key to LSU’s victory on that occasion. Previously, she had made her senior debut in the 2021 Winter Cup, earning the third-highest score on the vault. She also emerged fourth on the beam.

But now as she was preparing for the Olympics journey she faces an untimely stumble. It remains to be seen whether the budding gymnast will be able to get back to the mat in time for the competition in Paris.