A gymnast who competed in the Arnold Gymnastics Challenge in March 2009 and won a Columbus Rotary Scholarship has become the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in vault at the World Gymnastics Championships.
Kayla Williams, 16, of Huntington, W.Va., dominated the vault at the World Gymnastics Championships in London in October with a composite score of 15.087, besting European vault champion Ariella Kareslin by more than half a point and Olympic champion Hong Un-jong by more than a point.
“It’s the biggest success in gymnastics – not just in West Virginia, but in the United States,” Bozhidar Russev, who trains Williams, told the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. “The United States has never had a female champion – world champion, Olympic champion – on the vault. I am so happy it happened.
Williams trains at Bozhi’s Gym Nest in Huntington. Coach Russev has brought a team to the Arnold Gymnastics Challenge every year since the competition was established in 2000.
“We have had just a handful of elite gymnasts over the years and they compete with the Level 10s,” said Tim Willson, promoter of the Arnold Gymnastics Challenge. “And every once in awhile we will get an athlete who will go on to bigger things, but nothing to this extent. Kayla is one of those girls who suddenly popped up on the national scene and has done very, very well.”
Since competing in Columbus, has qualified for the Visa Championships and the USA Gymnastics national championships, where she took gold in the vault and earned a spot on the national team.
Williams, a junior at Huntington High School, now has her sights set on a return to London where she hopes to represent the United States in the Summer Olympics in 2012.
The 2010 Arnold Gymnastics Challenge will be held March 5-7 as part of the Arnold Sports Festival. Up to 3,000 gymnasts are expected to compete.
Kayla Williams, 16, of Huntington, W.Va., dominated the vault at the World Gymnastics Championships in London in October with a composite score of 15.087, besting European vault champion Ariella Kareslin by more than half a point and Olympic champion Hong Un-jong by more than a point.
“It’s the biggest success in gymnastics – not just in West Virginia, but in the United States,” Bozhidar Russev, who trains Williams, told the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. “The United States has never had a female champion – world champion, Olympic champion – on the vault. I am so happy it happened.
Williams trains at Bozhi’s Gym Nest in Huntington. Coach Russev has brought a team to the Arnold Gymnastics Challenge every year since the competition was established in 2000.
“We have had just a handful of elite gymnasts over the years and they compete with the Level 10s,” said Tim Willson, promoter of the Arnold Gymnastics Challenge. “And every once in awhile we will get an athlete who will go on to bigger things, but nothing to this extent. Kayla is one of those girls who suddenly popped up on the national scene and has done very, very well.”
Since competing in Columbus, has qualified for the Visa Championships and the USA Gymnastics national championships, where she took gold in the vault and earned a spot on the national team.
Williams, a junior at Huntington High School, now has her sights set on a return to London where she hopes to represent the United States in the Summer Olympics in 2012.
The 2010 Arnold Gymnastics Challenge will be held March 5-7 as part of the Arnold Sports Festival. Up to 3,000 gymnasts are expected to compete.
Last modified: 2009-11-19 @ 12:00 am
