At the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the Team USA women won their hard-earned seventh consecutive team gold medal. Among the squad of five, two names shone brightest in the team finals: Simone Biles and Leanne Wong. This year, these two dynamos once again share a similar goal: the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite sharing the same dream, their age gap underscores just how much gymnastics has evolved over the years.

While Simone Biles faced restrictions because of Texas law in her journey, Leanne Wong’s story showcases her seamless balance between her NCAA and Paris Olympics dreams.

Leanne Wong balancing a collegiate career and Paris Olympics dream

According to Olympics.com, in the Olympic year 2024, 20-year-old Leanne Wong is juggling college gymnastics, elite gymnastics, and her studies to become a doctor. She is also the Boss of Bows at Leanne Wong Bowtique. In her first three seasons with Florida, the squad finished as runners-up twice in 2022 and 2023, and most recently secured a fourth-place finish. Leanne made history by becoming the 15th NCAA gymnast to achieve a GYM SLAM, winning an NCAA National Championship on bars, and earning recognition as a finalist for the Honda Award after an exhilarating 2024 NCAA season.

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Leanne Wong, contrary to Biles’ arduous Texas law-hindered childhood, made the most of her time with the Florida Gators. She signed onto the Gator gymnastics iron-forged team in 2022 and has been growing by leaps and bounds since then under the deft tutelage of Jenny Rowland. After her signing, Rowland had stated, “We are thrilled that Leanne made the decision to become a Gator! Leanne’s passionate and caring heart for those around her is visible to all, yet she is a fierce performer on the competition floor. Both Leanne’s power and grace will be an incredible addition for both the Gators and NCAA gymnastics, We look forward to seeing her dreams and goals of becoming an NCAA champion and doctor come to fruition.”

And indeed Wong’s goals at Gators are getting realized. Leanne has also been an integral part of the U.S. squad at the last two World Championships, contributing to Team USA’s historic sixth and seventh consecutive wins in 2022 and 2023, respectively. She shared how she has excelled in both elite and college gymnastics

“I think choosing Florida had a lot to do with keeping that option open and I just feel like I pushed for my coaches to allow me to balance [different] goals.” Leanne designs her collegiate routines to lay the groundwork for her elite routines, making the transition between the two levels smoother.

She has chosen to remain on campus to continue her studies while preparing for the Olympics. By staying on campus, Leanne can attend in-person classes while also training for elite gymnastics “I’ve been incredibly thankful for my coaches here at the University of Florida who have been very supportive of me balancing both college and elite gymnastics and allowing me to be a Gator while pursuing my Paris Olympic dreams,” Wong adds.

This supportive environment provided by the University of Florida shows how Leanne is thriving in both elite and college gymnastics, a path that veteran gymnastics legend Simone Biles did not have.

How is Simone Biles’ journey the antithesis of Wong’s?

On the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast, Simone Biles shared her frustrations as a young girl balancing her education with her gymnastics career. Recalling her high school years, she expressed how she was home-schooled while most of her gymnastics friends balanced high school and gymnastics. Simone explained how Texas law limited her options, stating, “But Texas law states you can only miss X amount before they fail you, even if you do your schoolwork. So that just wasn’t an option for us.” 

To expound on what she meant, the Texas Law moratorium stipulates that one could be a truant to school as long as their schoolwork was done. This was the state of affairs at that time in California, something she brought up on the podcast as well. Eventually, she began to dislike the existing Texas Law because it left her feeling inadequate and missing out on a normal teenage life that others had well within their grasp. Because of this reason, she was at loggerheads with her parents too, being homeschooled and all, augmenting that – “But going into high school, I was mad at my parents, like mad as hell. I was like, ‘You figure it out. Why can’t I do both school and gymnastics?’”

Faced with these challenges, Simone fully committed to gymnastics at the age of 14, leaving public school to be homeschooled and dedicating over 30 hours a week to her training. But that’s not all. Like many athletes, Simone Biles hoped to pursue a collegiate career. In August 2014, she even verbally committed to UCLA and signed a National Letter of Intent.

However, as her career soared, she was faced with a difficult decision, “go to college or go pro.” Simone announced that she would turn professional, forfeiting her NCAA eligibility to compete for UCLA. Although she chose to delay attending college until after the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles eventually opted for an online college experience, enrolling with the University of the People (UoPeople).

This decision allowed her to balance her education and an elite gymnastics career. Sacrificing her collegiate gymnastics career, Simone’s dedication led to a record-breaking total of 37 Olympic and World Championship medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in history. Reflecting on the stark differences between veteran Simone Biles and prodigy Leanne Wong, it’s evident how times have changed.

Gymnasts like Leanne, Jade Carey, and others are paving the way for combining elite and college gymnastics. What are your thoughts about their journeys? Comment below!