​Katelyn Ohashi’s gymnastics résumé reads like a highlight reel: a U.S. junior national all-around title at age 14, a fierce head-to-head win over Simone Biles when they were both 15, and an NCAA floor routine that drew in a mind-boggling 253 million views online. Yet, for years she never stepped onto a senior U.S. Championships track. That could be about to change at age 29.
Ohashi is returning to competition after a seven-year hiatus and will compete at the U.S. Classic in Hartford on July 18, starting at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Peacock. Her goal at the Classic is clear: earn a spot at the Xfinity U.S. Championships in Phoenix from August 6 to 9. “Qualifying for championships would be the ultimate goal,” she said Thursday.
To qualify automatically, Ohashi must accumulate a combined 26.80 points on two events—balance beam and floor exercise—at the Classic. By contrast, she posted 24.65 points across those two events at the American Classic on June 28, her first elite competition since the 2019 NCAA Championships. The most daunting aspect of her return, she says, is fear. “I’m actually still terrified to do a back handspring on beam,” she admitted.
The American Classic marked Ohashi’s first elite appearance since the 2013 American Cup, where she famously defeated Biles in their high-stakes senior debut. More than a decade later, Ohashi has even turned to conferring with Biles about her comeback. “I think (Biles) thought I was crazy,” Ohashi recalled, “which most people, I think, might.”
If Ohashi can raise her scores on beam and floor by an average of 1.1 points at the U.S. Classic—which would be a meaningful improvement and would come with her plans to upgrade her difficulty—she could become the oldest woman to make her senior U.S. Championships debut in recent memory, perhaps in modern history. “I’m pretty much a senior citizen,” she joked. “It would be super exciting to compete at championships. This turnaround has been so fast with the three-week window since the American Classic, and I think six weeks from American Classic to the U.S. Championships would give me a little more time and more preparation to actually perform the skills I’d love to showcase this year.”
Ohashi’s journey to this moment started after she claimed the 2013 American Cup, then faced a shoulder injury that forced her to pause her elite career a month later and miss what would have been her first senior U.S. Championships. Rather than return to elite gymnastics immediately, she pivoted to NCAA competition, starring for UCLA from 2016 to 2019.
Her story is as much about resilience as it is about routines. Before her floor routine’s viral moment, Ohashi battled injuries that left her wondering if she would ever compete at the elite level again. She remained connected to the sport in various capacities, including performing on Biles’ Gold Over America Tour following the Tokyo and Paris Games. Then, in a surprising turn, she announced a comeback on June 24, stepping back into elite competition after years away.
As she prepares for the U.S. Classic, Ohashi is balancing ambition with realism. She acknowledges the work ahead, the upgrades she plans to pursue, and the perseverance that has defined her career. If she can translate her potential into consistency at Hartford and Phoenix, she would not only secure a coveted spot at the national championships but also reintroduce a remarkable athlete who has already left an indelible mark on gymnastics history.