Three gymnasts from Collin County placed in the top ten in the all-around at U.S. Championships two weeks ago in Tampa.
Konnor McClain, who trains in Plano, brought home top honors.
Frisco's Skye Blakeley came in sixth.
Allen's Katelyn Jong took ninth in what was only her first senior-level competition.
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“I like to challenge myself and grow and that's my favorite part of gymnastics,” said Jong.
She is a soft-spoken 16-year-old who lets her skills do the talking.
“I love overcoming challenges. Gymnastics is not an easy sport,” she said.
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Jong started gymnastics when she was 4 years old at Metroplex Gym in Allen where she still trains.
“My parents told me I was very energetic when I was young and so they wanted to put me in some class,” said Jong.
She kept going and kept improving, becoming an elite gymnast in early 2020, just as the pandemic hit says Katelyn's coach Marnie Futch.
“She missed a big portion of the beginning of her junior career with the pandemic, a lot of competitions were canceled, things like that,” said Futch.
Jong bounced back in a big way.
At the 2021 U.S. Championships in Fort Worth, she won the all-around and uneven bar competitions, solidifying her spot as the top junior gymnast in the nation.
“It’s honestly like the greatest feeling because you know that you put in the work and it paid off,” she said.
Then she made the leap to senior ranks and rose to the occasion.
Jong placed ninth at the U.S. Championships in Tampa last month in her senior competition debut.
“Now that I’m part of senior division, I'm competing against Olympians and the best people out there so that was a really good experience,” said Jong.
“She went out there and she did her thing and she wasn't intimidated being out there standing next to girls that have more experience than her and she did a great job,” said Futch.
Jong likes playing the guitar when she isn't going to school or at the gym.
She says the 2024 Paris Olympics are in sight.
“That would be my dream come true,” said Jong.
Until then, she’s taking each competition one tumble at a time.
Jong’s next goal is to be selected for the World Challenge in Hungary.
She'll compete for a spot in Katy, outside Houston, next week.
