I’m no judge (I leave that to Rhiannon), but I wanted to take a look back at the Olympic routines performed at the Games by past or present NCAA gymnasts and rank the top ones. I started in 1984, as far back as I personally remember, and watched NCAA athletes up through the 2020 Tokyo Games for inspiration. Some of these gymnasts are Americans, some are international athletes, still others are Americans who competed for another country. Now that more gymnasts are combining elite and NCAA competition and staying in the sport longer, we’ll be seeing more incredible routines like these well into the future!
10. Kathy Johnson Clarke, beam, 1984
It’s the queen! Johnson Clarke won a bronze with this routine, the second American woman (after teammate Julianne McNamara, who got a bronze on bars the day prior) to medal at both Worlds and the Olympics. There’s more dance here than a modern routine, but it’s all connected beautifully and with few pauses. Stunning. Six years before the Los Angeles Games, Johnson Clarke won a national title for Centenary College.
9. Courtney Kupets Carter, bars, 2004
Future Georgia superstar Kupets Carter won a bronze…
