Simone Biles might be taking a break from gymnastics after the Paris Olympics. But not her compatriots. Many were pleasantly surprised when her 2023 World Championships teammate Leanne Wong announced her participation in the upcoming Swiss Cup. After acting as a secondary member of the heavily successful Paris Olympics team, Leanne was expected to take a break from Elite Gymnastics to concentrate on her education.
This is because the gymnast and Bow CEO hope to be a doctor and have to go to medical school to pursue her dream. By doing this, Wong’s gymnastics ambitions might take a backseat. However, she isn’t ready to give up on her elite career just yet. Leanne made this clear through her participation in the Swiss Cup. The gymnast, who is also set to start her senior season at the University of Florida, will represent the US for the first time since the World Championships last year. But this has also raised a lot of questions about her future.
Talking to Olympics.com, Leanne Wong tried to give more context on the topic. “I wouldn’t really say I have a plan.” The gymnast said that she’s trying to enjoy her last season of college to the fullest while taking everything day by day. “Med School will always be there,” she added.
Furthermore, she cited the example of another gymnast when she was asked about her plans to leave the sport behind. “I guess, like, you can never just close the door. So we’ll see. I don’t know… like even Gabby Douglas, she never closed the door.” Thus, it seems that Leanne Wong is playing coy about her future. As of now, she is fully concentrated on the tournament on the horizon.
The Swiss Cup is a non-traditional event that doesn’t require the gymnasts to participate in all four events. It pairs a female gymnast of a country with a male counterpart, both of whom act as teammates. For Leanne, University of Oklahoma gymnast Fuzzy Benas will compete alongside her.
The cup acts like a type of tune-in for the female gymnast as she prepares for the upcoming NCAA season, which will be her last. When asked about the reason she chose to compete at the tournament, Leanne Wong said, “It is kind of a fun competition, and I thought it would just be something different that I’ve never one.” said Leanne.“It’s not a typical four-event meet format, so it’s like, ‘Alright, let’s do it.’” It’ll be interesting to see how the Florida Gators gymnasts perform in the tournament. While this will be her first appearance for the country this year, she has also talked about her stint as an alternate member in Paris very fondly.
During the Paris Olympics trials, Leanne Wong finished seventh in the individual all-around and third in the vault category with 28.95 points. Then at the uneven bars, she scored 27.825 points and then 26.875 and 26.775 in the balance beam and the floor exercise. This performance managed to get her an alternative spot on the Paris Olympics team alongside Joscelyn Roberson.
It was her second time performing the role of an alternate, as she had done the same thing at the Tokyo Olympics. Despite being completely mentally prepared to perform, her presence was not needed at the mat. Thus, she spent her time in Paris cheering for her teammates from the stands. After the end of the competition, she uploaded a picture on her Instagram story with her family, expressing how grateful she was for the opportunity.
She said, “I may not have competed here in Paris, but I played an important role. I didn’t get to cheer on Team USA, sightsee, shop, or have my family with me at the last Olympics. So I’m grateful.” When she was the alternate in Tokyo, Leanne couldn’t visit the stands because of the heavily strict COVID regulations at that time.
Thus, instead of dwelling on the fact that she didn’t get to compete, Leanne chose to concentrate on the whole competition itself and how she ended up enjoying the endeavor. But now, her services will be called upon during the Swiss Cup, where she will hope to deliver the third straight gold medal for the US at the competition.
