As a four-star recruit and Stanford commit in the class of 2026, Raeya Linton has overcome significant challenges to reach the highest levels of the sport. She is a two-time Nastia Liukin Cup qualifier and boasts impressive career highs of 10.0 on vault (she’s had four of them!), 9.900 on beam, and 9.950 on floor. Off the mat, Linton is equally driven, aspiring to become a principal concept design engineer in Formula 1 or with Porsche. Her unique commitment reveal featured a revved-up mix of engines, anime, and extra flair—just like her! Linton is built to break the mold, whether on the mat or behind the wheel.
Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Full name: Raeya Linton
Club gym: United Gymnastix
College team: Stanford University (‘26)
Hometown: Columbia, Maryland
How did you first fall in love with gymnastics? What sparked your passion, and how did your journey begin?
I have Congenital Generalized Lipodystrophy (CGL), a rare genetic disorder characterized by a near-complete lack of adipose (fat) tissue from birth, which causes metabolic complications later in life. In other words, I have no fat and lots of muscles. My mom looked for activities that would help me achieve a normal standard of life despite my condition.
I tried a few different sports when I was younger—soccer, karate, ballet, tennis, swimming—but when I was five, we gave gymnastics a try. Within the first five minutes of my first rec class, one of the coaches (now my choreographer), Lisa Lee, pulled me out and had me try a bunch of skills. After that evaluation, they invited me to join the training team, and the rest is history. I don’t think there was ever a sudden shift in my love for gymnastics; I’ve always loved and enjoyed it from that very first class.
What has been the highlight of your gymnastics career so far?
The highlight of my gymnastics career has been committing to Stanford University. Every good and bad competition, every gym switch, all the sacrifices my family and I have had to make, and all the ups and downs in my medical journey led me to this point. I’m in one of the best places imaginable, and I’ll be forever grateful.
What goals are you most excited about this season?
I already achieved one of my big goals: making it back to the Nastia Liukin Cup for the second year in a row. Now, I’m most excited about making it to DP nationals—and hopefully placing.
Who has made the biggest impact on your gymnastics career, and how have they inspired or shaped your journey?
My mom has had the biggest impact on my gymnastics career. She made the decision to commit to me and to my gymnastics, and I couldn’t be more grateful. She didn’t just focus on my athletic growth—she fought for a lifestyle that would give me a shot at a standard of life that may not be possible due to CGL.
She’s my biggest advocate and my strongest supporter. I run to her first for everything, and she’s always the one to give me the honest truth. She always reassures my self-doubt and has taught me the confidence I have now. She may not have coached me physically in gymnastics, but without her, I wouldn’t be doing level 10—or even be the person I am today.
Was there a specific moment or competition when you realized college gymnastics was within your reach?
DP nationals in 2023 was when I realized I could do it in college. We were browsing through photos after the competition, and for vault, there was a crowd of college students, coaches, and spectators just staring up at me in the air. My coach later told me how many college coaches had talked to him afterward.
At the time, we weren’t super tuned in to college gymnastics, but once we started watching and getting into that level of the sport, my mom and I agreed that I could be on one of those stages someday. From then on, my focus shifted from the Olympics to college. While the Olympics is still a goal for me, getting into a good college will help me get where I want to be in my career.
We loved your creativity in presenting your recruiting visits and the season finale/reveal. Can you tell us a little about how you came up with the idea and why you chose to share your recruiting journey like that?
For the visits, I just wanted to do a fun little photo dump to show my appreciation to the schools that expressed interest in me. Turning it into a whole show-like structure was just me being extra, honestly.
The finale and reveal? Same energy—just me being extra again. One day, on the way home from practice, I was talking with my mom about doing something car-related. I thought it would be cool if a car revved its engine or drifted, and the smoke and dust it kicked up was my committed school’s colors. Since we don’t have a drift car, we tried the engine route, but the smoke didn’t do what I needed it to. So, with trial and error, it led us to the final product.
I had also shared with Stanford head coach Tabitha Yim that my favorite anime is Soul Eater and showed her the cover of its first manga volume. A few weeks later, I got a custom-edited version of the cover in the mail with me as the main character. So, we decided to go all in for the reveal with cosplay and make it a cool insider scoop for those who knew the reference.
What’s one of the toughest challenges you’ve faced in gymnastics, and how has overcoming it shaped you as both an athlete and a person?
One of the toughest challenges I’ve faced in gymnastics was getting injured. I’ve had two major injuries, but I’ll focus on the first: when I broke my toe in 2021. I was training a new beam series—back handspring to layout—when my big toe got stuck between the panel mats. My momentum carried me backward, and a piece of my big toe joint broke off. I had to undergo surgery to repair it. During the surgery, doctors also discovered a fracture.
This happened right before my first year at level 10. Fortunately, I was able to recover enough to compete at an extreme bare minimum in December. By May 2022, with hard work and dedication, I qualified for nationals. That injury shaped me both as an athlete and a person. I learned never to take anything for granted—everything can be taken away in an instant—and to always be grateful for what I have. Being bedridden and out of gymnastics for months put me in one of the lowest places I’ve ever been mentally, especially since the injury was something as seemingly small as a toe.
When I was finally able to return to gymnastics, I worked harder than ever. I didn’t want to be out of gymnastics that long ever again. Unfortunately, it did happen again last year when I hyperextended my knee, but that setback only solidified my resolve even more.
What’s a personal gymnastics achievement you’re especially proud of that might surprise people?
I’m proud of how much I’ve grown as a person through gymnastics. When I was younger, I was super sensitive and an extreme perfectionist. I constantly struggled to fit in with older teammates, perfect my gymnastics, grow my skill set, and please everyone. As my gymnastics improved and my environment evolved, I matured and became more secure and confident in myself and my abilities.
I learned not to focus so much on comparing myself to others and to focus instead on my own progress. Now, I don’t just do gymnastics for myself—I represent the Lipodystrophy community, the Caribbean community, and the United Gymnastix community. My influence on others motivates me to be the best version of myself.
Looking ahead to your college career, what are you most excited to experience, both as a gymnast and in your personal life?
I’m excited to move across the country and experience all the new opportunities Stanford has to offer. From meeting a diverse range of people to making meaningful connections that could help advance my career in the automotive industry, the opportunities are endless. I’ll be in an environment that will push me to grow both personally and athletically, and I’m really looking forward to that.
I’m also looking forward to fully expressing myself through gymnastics. I already break traditional molds of gymnastics with my appearance alone—from my hair to my muscles to my personality—and in college, I’ll be able to push those boundaries and break that traditional limit even further.
What’s something on your college gymnastics bucket list?
One goal on my college gymnastics bucket list is to help Stanford break every previous record. I want us to win nationals, win the ACC, and break a 198 score—all that good stuff! I want to elevate my gymnastics, clean up my routines, and contribute to the team in a way that makes everyone—including myself—proud. (And I need a couple of rings; my outfits have been kinda bare lately!)
Rapid-Fire Questions
Vault, bars, beam, or floor? Floor
Which four gymnasts would be on your college gymnastics Mount Rushmore?
Jordan Chiles, Trinity Thomas, Skye Blakely, Victoria Nyugen
What’s your most-used emoji?
The smiley cat emoji
What’s one of your gymnastics pet peeves?
People with no rhythm
What’s one of your pre-meet rituals or superstitions?
Listening to my pre-meet hype playlist, dancing, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe (island green sub banana with coconut and BBQ sliders)
What’s a hidden talent people may not know about?
I’m a decent artist
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Principal concept design engineer (either in Formula 1 or with Porsche)
What’s your favorite leotard Stanford wears?
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Article by Katie Couldrey
