Long before choosing to represent Sri Lanka, Tiana Sumanasekera showed how much wearing the U.S. colors meant to her. At the 2024 U.S. Championships, then 16-year-old finished ninth in the all-around, which was enough to qualify for the Olympic Trials and earn a place on the U.S. Senior National Team. When her selection was announced, she became emotional and broke down in tears. Yet only two years later, she made the surprising decision to switch allegiance. While the move may have raised eyebrows, the reasons behind it seem very genuine based on what she recently revealed.

On June 26, UCLA women’s gymnastics head coach Janelle McDonald shared a video featuring Sumanasekera, in which the 18-year-old opened up about her decision to represent Sri Lanka after spending years with Team USA. “I had been with Team USA for five incredible years and I will never forget the opportunities that I was able to have with them,” Tiana Sumanasekera said.

During those five years, she rose first as a junior international gymnast and later as a member of the senior national team. She represented the United States at major competitions, including the Junior Pan American Games, Pan American Championships, and Pan American Games. Like many young American gymnasts, Sumanasekera also dreamed of competing at the Olympics for Team USA. But before Paris 2024, she had to survive the country’s competitive selection process.

At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Tiana Sumanasekera delivered a strong performance, finishing eighth in the all-around and third on balance beam. Despite those results, she missed out on a place on the five-member Olympic team and was named a non-traveling alternate instead. That disappointment appears to have played a role in her decision to pursue a different path to the Olympic Games.

“At the end of the day, when choosing the Olympic team there’s only five spots and five is so little when you think about it,” she said. “There’s so much depth in the U.S., and they can honestly make two to three Olympic teams with how much talent they have.” Having gone through multiple selection processes, Sumanasekera admitted she did not want to relive the heartbreak of falling short.

“I didn’t really want to go through that again,” Tiana Sumanasekera explained. “It’s so tough not making the team and anyone will understand that… I just wanted to give myself the best chance to make it to the Olympics, and this felt like the route for me.”

Still, the decision was about more than simply improving her LA 28 Olympic chances. Sumanasekera, whose parents, Rajitha and Ruwangi Sumanasekera, are from Sri Lanka, said she was drawn to the opportunity to help grow gymnastics in a country and region where the sport receives little attention. “I’m able to inspire younger generations. I’m able to bring recognition to Sri Lanka and South Asia for the sport of gymnastics that has never really been talked about,” she said.

 Tiana Sumanasekera added that representing Sri Lanka allows her to shine a light on an underrepresented part of the gymnastics world. “There’s so many different doors that open when making this decision, and that’s what I was ultimately really, really excited to do.” But will she be able to pursue that dream without complications after the NCAA’s rule change?

The NCAA’s new eligibility rule could affect Tiana Sumanasekera’s Olympic journey

There is no doubt that Tiana Sumanasekera’s decision is a major boost for Sri Lankan gymnastics. While the country has made progress in recent years, it is still far from being considered a powerhouse in the sport. Milka Gehani de Silva became the first Sri Lankan gymnast to compete at the Olympic Games when she represented the country at Tokyo 2020.

And now with Sumanasekera part of Sri Lanka, we could expect more! But at the same time, Tiana Sumanasekera is not only an international athlete but also a UCLA sophomore who helped the Bruins win the Big Ten championship in 2026. She is expected to graduate in the spring of 2028 while continuing her NCAA career.

But recently, the NCAA Division I Council adopted a new “five-for-five” age-based eligibility model, which gives athletes only five years to use their five seasons of competition. For Tiana Sumanasekera, who is looking to represent Sri Lanka in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, it could limit some of the flexibility that top athletes previously enjoyed.

In the past, gymnasts were eligible to maintain their standing in the program via redshirting or specific exemptions if they required extra time off from college competition to prepare for the Olympics, injuries, or other factors.

With the eligibility clock in play in most instances, she could be faced with a higher expectation of balancing NCAA travel demands with international dreams.