Who is Leanne Wong? USA Gymnast set to return for World Gymnastics Championship 2022

US gymnast Leanne Wong is probably the missing piece for USA Gymnastics and the national gymnastics team.

She recently bagged an all-around silver medal and floor bronze at the Worlds. She won the 2019 American Cup in her senior international debut. Wong also served as the replacement athlete at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

The 19-year-old is now preparing for the World Gymnastics Championships selection camp. After a year of collegiate career, she's now looking for glory in the professional world.

In an interview with Olympics.com, she said:

"I've only competed on the world stage once, so I'm just like getting started, so, I really want to get out there more."

Wong suffered an injury to her ankle at the US Nationals in August. That limited her participation in the two events, but she focussed on recovery and recuperation. Her ankle is now doing much better. She said:

"At (U.S.) Championships, I obviously didn’t do all-around and compete to my fullest that I wanted to. So, I’ve been just resting the ankle and getting that better. It’s feeling better."

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"I’m kind of focused on that part" - Leanne Wong on balancing collegiate and professional career

Leanne Wong at the 2022 U.S. Classic (Image via Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

Leanne Wong is a world-class gymnast, but she's also a student at the University of Florida.

Usually handling both collegiate and professional career is a Herculean task, but the tumbling sophomore has taken on the challenge. She says:

"The biggest difference here is the college classes, doing college classes and elite gymnastics is a lot, but just managing my time well and being able to manage everything. So right now, it's obviously off-season for college, and I’m getting ready for world selection. Right now, I’m kind of focused on that part."

Sh explains how she manages the time required for both meets:

"After world selection, I kind of switch my gears and get ready for the college season."

Wong actually likes college and wants to be a medical doctor. She's inching close to her goal and the pre-med requirements one class at a time. She elaborated on how collegiate seasons have taught her something very important"

"During last season, I really learned what it takes to do well myself, because it's not only an individual competition but also a team competition."

Wong has never thought of forgoing college to reach the Olympics and is currently pursuing both dreams. She explains that college has made her feel more confident.

"College has helped me feel more confident when I'm competing because I just competed so much during the season. So, just getting in front of judges kind of brings you those butterflies. It was just really good practice for bigger meets too."

Leanne Wong will be a valuable asset to the shifty US national gymnastics team. No wonder she's touted to do wonders in the Olympic arena at the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris.