When USA Gymnastics introduced its lineup for the 2022 World Championships, one of many compelling storylines that instantly emerged relating to this group was Jordan Chiles. She is a former Olympian who will likely be competing on the World Championships for the primary time in her profession. Chiles has already competed in essentially the most prestigious competitors in all of of gymnastics, however till now the second most prestigious competitors within the sport has eluded her. This led to gymnastics followers reaching out to me and asking what number of different American gymnasts have had a profession like Jordan Chiles the place they reached the Olympics, however not the World Championships?
Mockingly, this isn’t even the primary time I’ve written an article on this topic. When Laurie Hernandez tried a comeback simply earlier than the 2021 Olympics followers requested a really comparable query pondering if Laurie could be the primary 2x Olympian who by no means attended the World Championships. The reply was completely not.
What viewers who learn the Laurie Hernandez article could recall is that the pattern of gymnasts attending the Olympics, however not the World Championships was a extremely frequent incidence earlier than the trendy period. The pattern was so frequent previously that when counting all American gymnasts who competed for Group USA on the World Championships or Olympics, 34% of them made their first look on the Olympics and never the World Championships.
This was additionally frequent amongst non-American gymnasts as properly and one statistic I’d emphasize is that ladies’s gymnastics as soon as had three consecutive Olympic All-Round Championships who received the Olympic All-Round title earlier than they ever appeared on the World Championships.
1976: Nadia Comaneci (Romania)
1980: Elena Davydova (Soviet Union)
1984: Mary Lou Retton (United States)
There was additionally Ludmilla Turischeva who received the Olympic All-Round in 1972, but it surely was the 1968 Olympics the place she made her debut in a significant competitors. As for Jordan Chiles, she is definitely the 59th American gymnast to compete within the Olympics earlier than the World Championships.
On this article I’m going to speak concerning the 58 People who got here earlier than her.
Subjectivity
Earlier than I proceed, I need to stress that as loopy because it sounds, there’s some subjectivity to this query. Usually this might be a easy “sure or no” query as as to if or not a gymnast competed in a selected World Championships. However right here is the place issues get sophisticated:
A) In 1980 4 American gymnasts made the Olympic group who had not beforehand competed on the World Championships. However the Olympics had been boycotted and three of those gymnasts returned for the 1981 World Championships group.
B) In 1992 Dominique Dawes made her debut in a World Championships, however a World Championships that was held in an Olympic 12 months beneath an experimental scheduling format that will later be discontinued. Creating an entry within the information the place it’s of debatable consistency with the remainder of the outcomes.
C) In 2004 Annia Hatch represented Group USA on the Olympics after a nationality change. Annia had beforehand competed for Cuba on the World Championships, however has by no means represented the American program in World Championship competitors.
The pre-1962 period:
One of many causes that is such a typical pattern in American gymnastics historical past is that america didn’t compete within the World Championships earlier than 1962. Which means that of the 30 girls who made an Olympic group for the American program from 1936 to 1960, each single one among them was compelled to make their debut on the Olympics.
Jennie Caputo, Irma Haubold, Margaret Duff, Ada Lunardoni, Adelaide Meyer, Mary Wright, Marie Kibler, Connie Caruccio-Lenz, Laddie Bakanic, Helen Schifano, Anita Simonis, Dorothy Dalton, Marian Barone, Clara Schroth-Lomady, Meta Elste, Doris Kirkman, Ruth Grulkowski, Ruth Topalian, Dorothy Dalton, Marie Hoesly, Joyce Racek, Jackie Klein, Judy Howe, Sandra Ruddick, Sharon Richardson, Teri Montefusco, Muriel Grossfeld, Doris Brause (Fuchs), Gail Sontegrath, and Betty Maycock.
In reality, solely the final 4 gymnasts on this listing (names bolded) ever competed on the World Championships.
On the 1962 World Championships Avis Tibber and Marie McNalther grew to become the primary People ever to compete at a World Championships with out beforehand competing on the Olympics.
The 1962-1988 Period
Now you’ll assume that is the place the “doing the Jordan Chiles” pattern would decline in reputation, however even after america began competing on the World Championships this pattern didn’t come near dying out.
From 1962 to 1988 there have been 64 People who had been formally named to both an Olympic or World Championships group. This determine consists of the members of the 1980 Olympic boycott group. However for 27 of those gymnasts, they made their debut on the Olympics and never the World Championships. Which means that from 1962-1988, a staggering 42% of all American gymnasts who had been named to a beginning lineup had their first such lineup look happen on the Olympics and never the World Championships.
The 27 gymnasts are listed beneath. The primary 4 gymnasts (names bolded) are carried over from the pre-1962 period since they competed into the subsequent period. The 4 gymnasts slated to make their debut on the 1980 Olympics however denied that chance due to a boycott are proven bolded and underlined.
Muriel Grossfeld, Doris Brause (Fuchs), Gail Sontegrath, Betty Maycock, Dale McClements, Linda Metheny, Janie Speaks, Marie Walther, Kathleen Corrigan, Colleen Mulvihill, Wendy Cluff, Cathy Rigby, Roxanne Pierce, Nancy Thies, Kolleen Casey, Carrie Englert, Debbie Willcox, Leslie Wolfsberger, Luci Collins, Amy Koopman, Julianne McNamara, Tracee Talavera, Mary Lou Retton, Michelle Dusserre, Hope Spivey, Brandy Johnson, and Chelle Stack.
1989-present
It’s only once we get to the 1989 World Championships that the pattern successfully begins to die out and pivots to changing into a uncommon incidence. Not one gymnast met the standards on the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. Though as beforehand talked about, Dominique Dawes is an odd instance who fails to fulfill the standards on a technicality the place an apparatus-only World Championships was held shortly earlier than the Olympics in 1992 and 1996.
However in an odd ironic twist, following the Nineties Group USA has had precisely one gymnast on every Olympic group who didn’t compete in a earlier World Championships.
2000: Tasha Schwikert
2004: Courtney McCool
2008: Bridget Sloan
2012: Kyla Ross
2016: Laurie Hernandez
2021: Jordan Chiles
This utterly coincidental sample has held up for six consecutive Olympics and will proceed into Paris-2024.
As for gymnasts who competed on the Olympics however by no means competed on the World Championships at any level of their careers, counting Luci Collins of the 1980 boycott it has occurred 17 instances within the American program from 1964-present. However from 1989-present it has solely occurred on three events.
Janie Speaks, Marie Walther, Kathleen Corrigan, Colleen Mulvihill, Roxanne Pierce, Nancy Thies, Kolleen Casey, Carrie Englert, Debbie Willcox, Leslie Wolfsberger, Luci Collins, Mary Lou Retton, Michelle Dusserre, Hope Spivey, Courtney McCool, Laurie Hernandez, and Jordan Chiles
However now that she has formally been named to a World Championships group, Jordan Chiles is on monitor to have her identify faraway from this listing in lower than two weeks.
