Eastside News

UCLA gymnast from Bellevue scores perfect 10 with floor routine

You've likely seen it by now - UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi’s jaw-dropping "perfect 10" floor routine that has broken the internet.

Her incredible athleticism impressed the judges and wowed the crowd.

But it was no surprise to Kim Thomson, her former coach and owner of Gymnastics East in Bellevue where Ohashi first got her start at just 3 years old.

“For somebody to be that age and to be able to do some of the tricks, like a back handspring when she was 3 on a mat was just, we had never seen that before,” explained Thomson.

Ohashi trained at the gym until she was eight. That's when she moved out of state to pursue her Olympic dreams.

But she never forgot where she came from.

“She would always come in and make time at the gym to talk to the other team kids and encourage them to follow their dreams, too,” said Thomson.

In fact, it was here at Gymnastics East during Christmas break that she practiced her now famous floor routine and inspired these young gymnasts.

“She just works hard, she's an inspiration,” said Sammy Smith, a 12-year-old gymnast hoping to train on the elite circuit.

“I think it was, like, really good. Everything was just, like, perfect,” added Hailey Pellegrini, a 10-year-old gymnast also aiming to go elite soon.

But Ohashi's journey hasn't always been perfect.

In a video for The Player's Tribune last summer, Ohashi shared how the world of elite gymnastics left her broken - physically and emotionally.

She dropped down to the collegiate level and is competing in the sport on her own terms.

And as you can clearly see, with her infectious smile, her love for the sport has come full circle.

“I get a little teary eyed myself thinking about that. Just everything she's come through and went through and the person she’s become now because of it and that she's found joy in the sport of gymnastics again,” said Thomson.

She’s also helping others find joy in it.

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