At the U.S. worlds trials in September, Tiana Sumanasekera scored over 13.0 points on bars for the first time in her career. She was ecstatic. After years of struggling on her weakest event, she felt that all her hard work was starting to pay off.
One year earlier, Sumanasekera was one of the most successful junior elites with major potential on beam and floor. She won four gold medals, including the all around, at the Jesolo Trophy, three golds and a silver medal at the Pan American Championships, as well as gold on floor at the U.S. championships.
The brilliant results, though, failed to mask an issue that jeopardized her all-around scores: she consistently failed to hit 12.0 points on bars.
At the end of her last junior season in the summer of 2022, Sumanasekera realized that if she wanted to make a real run to achieve her Olympic dreams, she needed a coaching change. That September, she moved from West Valley, California, to World Champions Centre, in Texas, where she started training with Laurent and Cécile Landi.
She had a successful first senior season in 2023. She won three medals at the Pan American Championships, including gold in the all around, won gold with the team at the Pan American Games, and was named to the U.S. national team.
Given…
