“Thank you so much @uncgymnastics for an incredible official visit! I had so much fun visiting the gorgeous campus and meeting everyone! Thank you…” – Dressed in the official UNC leo, tees, wearing a big smile, this is what the 17-year-old wrote in September 2023 as she posted her picture from her official visit to the University of North Carolina. This was just the beginning of her collegiate visits that would go on to many big names. But now it has all come to an end…

It has come to an end not because Leah Fontaine has finally opted for her college, but because she has decided to end her gymnastics career. All Things Gymnastics Podcast took to their official X account on July 2nd, to announce, “After going on 6 official visits & receiving offers to compete in collegiate gymnastics, Leah Fontaine made the difficult decision to step away from the sport….” Leah Fontaine, in addition to UNC, visited Yale, Illinois, Brown University, Penn State, and Maryland. But in the end, she decided otherwise!

Talking with All Things Gymnastics Podcast, she said,  “[My journey] started on June 15th. I was getting calls, getting ready to go on visits, and it was super exciting. I had a lot of different options, and I was keeping my mind pretty open. I knew that I wanted to go to an academically strong school because academics have always been the priority for me, so I tried to go on visits to schools that represented that goal.” Yale and Brown stand out with Ivy League prestige and academic excellence, while Illinois, Penn State, Maryland, and UNC shine as top public universities known for strong research, STEM, and well-rounded education. She had visited the colleges she deemed perfect, but her next step was drastically different.

Leah Fontaine further mentioned in the podcast, “I definitely did have some offers … I ended up turning them down, which was tricky. I was like, ‘This is a great opportunity – am I going to get this back?’ But I ended up turning them down and then, obviously, walked away from gymnastics and chose a completely different school that has no gymnastics.” While the details of her new school are not known. The ICL academy student was supposed to graduate from high school in 2025.

The former gymnast confessed, “Gymnastics was my favorite thing ever- I absolutely loved it – but at the same time, I knew that coming back (from injury), it wouldn’t be the same. I knew the environment with my gym and with the sport wasn’t the place that I wanted to put myself every day. I also knew I’d have to let go of a lot of the other stuff, like my nonprofit that I built and internships.”  The details of her injury in not known, but on November 31, 2023, she did make a post on her Instagram after surgery, where she mentioned rolling her ankle while landing on a ripped mat in the gym a few months ago, the damage required surgery. Leah Fontaine originally thought it was just a sprain, but then it stopped improving, so surgery was needed to fix everything. She is not the only one to have struggled with surgeries, but for her, it was end of her career.

Also, when young, she experienced knee pain from intensive training, and underwent physical therapy at ACE Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Institute. Further speaking, she added, “So I ended up stepping away, which was so hard but also the right decision. I’ve made so many fun memories and experiences this past year and a half away from gymnastics, and I don’t regret a single moment of my gymnastics journey. I feel like everything really led to where I’m supposed to be.”

Seeing the end of a promising gymnastics career because of injury is not new to the gymnastics community. But like she said, she regrets no part of her gymnastics journey, and that should be the spirit. That being said, let’s have a look at her gymnastics career.

Leah Fontaine had a promising gymnastics career

Fontaine started gymnastics when she was just 18 months old and began competing at age 6. Leah was quick with her progress through levels, moving into Hopes by age 10 and into Level 10 by age 11, qualifying for Nationals that same year. She competed in Hopes and Level 10, including the 2019 Hopes Championships and training camps on the USA Gymnastics Developmental Team. Training at Capital Gymnastics National Training Center and attending ICL Academy, she balanced academics with elite gymnastics.

Her 2022 Level 10 season highlighted her talent, with high scores including 9.6 on bars, 9.575 on beam, 9.65 on floor, and 9.475 on vault , earning her a all-around score of 37.825. Beyond the gym, Leah launched the “Flippin’ Out” podcast, where she shared insights on training, recovery, and the mental side of gymnastics. And she also gives virtual gymnastics lessons. But with her gymnastics career ending, what are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments down below!