African American gymnasts paved the way for an all black podium at U.S. Championships over the weekend

For the first time in history, three African-Americans topped the podium at the United States Gymnastics Championships in Tampa, Florida over the weekend. Konnor McClain took home the gold despite having a rough year in competition and her personal life. The silver went to Shilese Jones and the bronze was awarded to Olympian Jordan Chiles.

Just last year, McClain said she felt like “the most garbage gymnast ever” losing her confidence almost entirely. The nerves before her meets were so great she would end up sick before competing. It didn’t matter what others told her; she just didn’t believe them.

More notable than McClain’s transformation in the last year is the fact, for the first time in history, three black women stood on the podium as the medal winners in the all-around competition. The culture and diversity in gymnastics has been changing over the last 40 years, but for the first time, young girls around the country from all walks of life are seeing women like them not only competing, but winning.

African-American women have not been represented for long in the gymnastics world. In fact, the first African-American to make an Olympic team was Luci Collins when she made the 1980 Olympic team. Unfortunately, she never had the chance to compete because the U.S. boycotted the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.

Dianne Durham was the next black gymnast to burst onto the scene getting hooked on the sport from a very young age when her parents put her and her sister in lessons. By 13, she had moved to Texas to train under Bela Karolyi and by 15, she was the first African-American woman to secure a U.S. Gymnastics title.

Collins and Durham walked so Dominique Dawes, Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles could run. Dawes was the first black female to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics when she helped the U.S. capture their first team title in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.

In 2012, Douglas became the first black female gymnast to win gold in all-around at the London Games. She went on to make the Rio 2016 Olympic team joining only a handful of other gymnasts to make two Olympic teams. Douglas helped her team to a second consecutive gold, making the U.S. a force to be reckoned with in the sport.

Among African-American gymnasts, Simone Biles definitely tops the list as the greatest. She holds the record for most gold medals won by a female gymnast in World Championships history, became the first African-American to become a world all-around champion and has also won seven Olympic medals.

While Biles’ success is undeniable, she also made waves in Tokyo 2020 when she withdrew from the team competition and all-around competition citing mental health issues. Biles received both support and criticism by leaving the competition, but it was a catalyst in starting a conversation about the importance of mental health in elite athletes.

Perhaps Biles’ spotlight on mental health maintenance in the sport helped McClain get to a position to win on Sunday. Aside from dealing with injuries over the last year, she also lost her father to coronavirus and her grandmother shortly thereafter. She had to find a way to manage the emotional pain and anguish she was experiencing and did so by channeling it into gymnastics.

“It’s been really a hell of a year,” McClain’s coach, Anna Liukin, said. “This kid’s matured so much. You don’t wish it on anybody, but she really prevailed.”

Just last year, a spot on the Olympic team seemed out of reach, but now, McClain is considering the possibility. Up first? The World Championships in England. With her stellar performance in Tampa where she only felt, “70, 75 percent” ready, McClain will definitely be one to watch along with her fellow medalists, Jones and Chiles.