NCAA Gymnastics Update: LSU Coach Unveils KJ Johnson’s ‘Fearless’ Strategy Ahead of Showdown with Florida

Published 02/20/2024, 6:45 AM EST

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LSU Gymnastics continues to astonish its fans by securing ecstatic triumphs during the NCAA Gymnastics season 2024. After notching the victory over the No. 12 Auburn, the Tigers have achieved another milestone in this season by securing the top 3 spot in the NCAA Gymnastics Week 5’s national rankings.

In front of a sold-out PMAC crowd, the Tigers of LSU exhibited their gymnastics prowess and KJ Johnson was the one, who took all the spotlight of the impressive match-up by leading the team to win in their 7th meet of the season on vault. Receiving admiration from the gymnastic arena, LSU Gymnastics Head Coach Jay Clark also could not stop himself from praising KJ Johnson for her notable performance just a few days before the showdown with Florida.

Jay Clark applauds KJ Johnson

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Ahead of the LSU gymnastics clash against Florida which is scheduled on Friday, February 23, Jay Clark – the third head coach in program history – took to admire LSU’s junior KJ Johnson’s great strength and ability. In front of the media, when he was asked about KJ Johnson’s ability and his experience with her in three years, Jay Clark expressed great admiration for her, revealing her fearless strategy plans for the coming matchup.

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“She’s at her best when she just lets, she’s powerful. If you think of a word that describes her gymnastics, it’s explosive, powerful, those kinds of words. She’s better off if she just lets her, I tell her all the time, your body knows how to do the gymnastics. Don’t let the brain get in the way and trip you up, just cut loose, be free, be fearless,” he said.

Apart from that, Jay Clark also admired her bewitching gymnastics skills by saying KJ Johnson demonstrated the greatest moments with her excellent gymnastic qualities and skills as a legendary gymnast. “Just encouraging her not to overanalyze or be hypercritical of herself, she has a tendency to do that. She’s done a good job on beam. We’ve taken her off bars on and off,” he added further.

KJ Johnson nailed the NCAA Gymnastics season week 5, looking forward to showcasing her gymnastics spirits in the upcoming match against  Florida.

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KJ Johnson prepares for clash against Florida

With the extraordinary efforts and great enthusiasm of the team, LSU has emerged as the most powerful team throughout the ongoing NCAA season. On 16th February, LSU achieved the victory over No. 12 Auburn with a score of 198.300-197.100. LSU star gymnast KJ Johnson shined brightly in Pete Maravich Assembly Center, leading the team with the highest score of 9.775 on vault.

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Apart from that, in every meet this NCAA season, KJ Johnson managed to score high points on vault with a 9.825 or higher and established herself as the LSU’s rock on vault. With her formidable performance, KJ Johnson sprang up her fans’ expectations as they are now eagerly waiting to see her lead the team in the upcoming matchup against Florida on February 23.

Watch this story: LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne Pulls Off a Stunning Vault Routine to Pay Tribute to the Sport of Gymnastics

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Written by:

Shivangi Agrawal

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Shivangi Agrawal is an Olympic Sports writer at EssentiallySports who specializes in NCAA wrestling and swimming. She stepped into ES with 7 years of journalistic experience, having worked with prominent media entities like Network 18, where she worked as a Senior Copy Editor. With her coverage of icons like Kayla Miracle and A.
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Edited by:

Suman Varandani