As Elle Mueller waited in line with her fellow qualifiers to enter the Kentucky International Convention Center for the beginning of the Nastia Liukin Cup, she reminded herself to let go of everything she couldn’t control. The judges’ scores and the other competitors’ performances were beyond her reach, but there were still things within her power. She could release some of her expectations and stay in the moment, focusing on one routine at the time, one skill at the time.
Mueller’s nerves got tested right away. She began her afternoon on beam, an event that she acknowledged could easily be “shaky.” Her routine was solid as a rock. The week prior to the Cup, she had posted a career high of 9.850 on beam and her confidence carried over to Louisville. She started off with a slightly off-balance front somersault, but her skills grew stronger and stronger as the routine progressed. She highlighted it with a stuck double-twist dismount.
Sitting in fifth place after the first rotation but still feeling “hopeful,” she moved to floor, where she showed off a polished and elegantly-choreographed routine. She landed both of her tumbling passes—a full-twisting double back and a front layout to Rudi—confidently, for a career high of 9.825. At the halfway…
