John Orozco switches from Team USA to Puerto Rico
Former U.S. Olympian and World medalist John Orozco is now representing Puerto Rico.
The change of nationality was approved and confirmed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) on March 2 in the FIG Executive Committee (EC) minutes.
After discussing topics such as gender equality, the 2021-2024 Code of Points, and more, nationality changes were last on the docket.
Orozco requested a change of nationality from the United States of America to Puerto Rico. He is the son of Puerto Rican parents, William and Damaris.
The last time Orozco competed for Team USA was back in 2016. He was a standout for the men’s team at the time, helping the team win gold at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships and earning individual high bar gold as well as silver on the still rings. He went on to win bronze on high bar at the 2016 U.S. Championships and was ultimately named to the 2016 Olympic Team.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck when he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee while doing a high bar dismount during the men’s Olympic Team Training Camp. As a result, Orozco had to withdraw from the 2016 team. Danell Levya replaced him.
Orozco previously dealt with the same injury to his left knee in October 2012, right after representing the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games.
In his appearance at the London Olympics, Orozco helped the U.S. men to a fifth-place finish in the team final. He also competed in the individual all-around final, finishing eighth overall.
In 2017, at the age of 24, Orozco announced his retirement from gymnastics and left the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where he trained for seven years. He moved to Los Angeles and began a career in music and acting. He released a single called “What Goes Up” in late 2018.
Orozco’s plans for returning to competition are currently unclear. He’s hinted at a comeback on social media, sharing posts of him training and joining GymCrew Talent Management in November.
Orozco hasn’t directly commented on the nationality change. However, he did share a tweet announcing the change from another account and responded, “Thanks!” to a fan when they retweeted the news.
If the 27-year-old has his sights set on Tokyo, he could qualify via the 2020 Senior Pan American Championships.
There, the top two gymnasts for both men and women in the all-around rankings, with a max of one per country, will qualify Olympic spots for their countries in the all-around.
Pan Ams will take place May 7-10 in Utah.
