On November 14, after days of intense speculation, Leanne Wong announced her commitment to the University of Florida.
The excitement about Wong’s collegiate choice was understandable. As College Gym News’ top-rated gymnast in the class of 2021, as well as the only athlete to score over 90 points out of 100, fans were aware that her gymnastics would have a decisive impact on any collegiate roster.
Additionally, as a top elite gymnast, Wong’s commitment came late. Comparatively, by the time of her collegiate choice most of her fellow elites had already been committed to their dream schools for years.
Wong nevertheless preferred to take things slow. “I thoroughly thought about my decision because I knew I would be far away from my family,” she said.
“I also had a very intense training schedule as I [was training] for the 2020 Olympics,” she added.
The postponement of the Olympics and the COVID-19 crisis contributed to her final decision. Although in the end Wong was certain of her collegiate choice, she was unable to visit any other college due to the pandemic.
“I was offered full-ride scholarships to Stanford, UCLA and Alabama,” she said. “They were under my consideration, but I didn’t get to visit them. Luckily, I was able to visit Florida and loved it.”
What did she love about Florida? On top of the academic and athletic programs, the warm weather, palm trees, coaches and future teammates were the biggest draw.
She and her future teammates will form one of the best freshman classes collegiate gymnastics has ever seen. Together with Wong, in the fall of 2021 the Gators will also welcome world champions Morgan Hurd and Riley McCusker, as well as fellow U.S. elite Sloane Blakely.
The competition for lineup spots will be fierce, but Wong is confident that she will be able to compete in the all around. “I consider myself a strong all around gymnast, and I hope to contribute to all four events.”
Among the aspects of collegiate gymnastics that Wong is most excited about are competing as a team, as well as travelling and having fun with her teammates.
She also looks forward to the academic side of her collegiate experience. She is planning to study biology or chemistry for her bachelor’s degree and later apply to medical school. She hopes to become a doctor once her gymnastics career is over.
The best of her athletic career, however, is still to come. Not only does Wong has four years of collegiate gymnastics ahead of her, but she is also a contender for the U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo next summer.
Concerning her preparation for 2021, Wong said, “I am training hard, staying healthy, getting strong and hoping that our competitions will proceed as planned [next year].”
The pandemic disrupted Wong’s plans, as those of all Olympic hopefuls, but she managed to keep a positive attitude and to look at the bright side. “An additional year will give me more time to upgrade and to perfect my skills,” she said. “I am definitely taking advantage of the extra time to improve even more.”
She is hoping to unveil upgrades on all four apparatuses, and is training both an Amanar and a Cheng on vault, a double-twisting double layout dismount off bars, new connections on beam and some new tumbling passes on floor, including a Silivas.
Her ultimate goal in 2021? Wong has no doubt: “I want to compete and get more international experience, but my ultimate goal is to be one of the four members of the Tokyo 2020NE team.”
The interview was conducted in writing. Answers were subject to minor modifications for clarity.
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Article by Talitha Ilacqua
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