Katelyn Jong wins four of five possible titles during junior session of 2021 GK Classic
Gymcastic’s Jessico O’Beirne described it best: Katelyn Jong absolutely “Simone-d” the junior elite competition at the 2021 GK Classic.
Jong stood atop the podium four times at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis on Friday night, winning four titles and beating the next best all-around competitor by three points – a feat certainly reminiscent of the best gymnast in the world.
“I wasn’t expecting to do so well,” Jong said. “But I’m glad that I did as best as I could today.”
The Metroplex gymnast and current U.S. National Team member dominated the junior field, winning the all-around title (54.750), vault (14.200), bars (13.300), and beam (13.750), and tacking on a silver on floor (13.500).
Known for her consistent difficulty across all four apparatuses, Jong highlighted her beam performance when asked about which routine she was most proud of this meet. That routine included a standing full, stuck front tuck, an incredibly technical layout step-out to two-footed layout flight series, and a clean double pike dismount.
“With quarantine, trying to put in upgrades was a hard experience, but it got easier, and with so much repetition, it’s not too difficult anymore,” Jong said on making skills like her massive double-double on floor look easy.
All-around silver medalist Kailin Chio might have been able to erase some of the three-point deficit between her and Jong had she not fallen off beam while attempting a side aerial in the third rotation.
The 2021 American Classic all-around champion was pleased with her overall performance despite the major error which was a result of “uncharacteristic nerves.”
“I’m most proud of bars because I added a [Ray] release move, and I was so excited that I hit my bar routine,” Chio said of her bronze medal-winning performance on the event. “It’s one thing I’ve been working on in the gym really hard.”
Third-place finisher Gabriella Van Frayen snuck on to the podium in the final hour with her 13.150 on bars during the fourth rotation.
With a stuck full-twisting double back dismount and an 8.350 execution score – the highest execution score of the meet on bars – Van Frayen earned the silver medal on the event, just behind Jong.
Individually, WOGA’s Kaliya Lincoln was the only gymnast able to outmatch Jong on any event all night, earning the top score on floor (13.600) to take the gold on that event.
Lincoln opened with a powerful double layout followed by a punch front through to double back and a full-in dismount.
News & notes from the junior session of the 2021 GK Classic
– 2021 Winter Cup junior all-around champion Ella Kate Parker (Cincinnati Gymnastics) scratched from the meet after posting a solid 13.500 with her double-twisting Yurchenko on vault in the first rotation. No reason was disclosed for her withdrawal from the event.
– 2021 Winter Cup junior all-around silver medalist Joscelyn Roberson (NE Texas Elite) had a solid outing, placing second on vault with her upgraded double-twisting Yurchenko and sticking her double Arabian cold on floor. A fall on beam combined with a low-scoring bars set knocked her out of podium contention.
– Lucy Tobia (Parkettes) notched her best placement of the meet with a sixth-place finish on bars. Her set included a sky-high piked Tkatchev.
– Kaliya Lincoln (WOGA) could’ve also made a good case for the all-around podium but had to count falls on bars and beam, knocking herself out of contention.
– Tiana Sumanasekera (West Valley) placed second on beam thanks to a confident performance on the apparatus that included a cleanly-executed two-footed layout series.
You can relive the 2021 GK Classic – Junior Women’s Session by reading our live blog here. Click here for full results.
All of the junior women’s routines from the 2021 GK Classic can be watched on-demand at FloGymnastics.com.
