Leanne Wong Withdraws from U.S. Gymnastics Championships with Knee Injury
Former Gator Leanne Wong’s elite season came to an abrupt end Tuesday due to another injury.
Wong announced on Instagram Wednesday that she hyperextended her knee during podium training, forcing her to withdraw from Friday and Sunday’s 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Phoenix.
“This isn’t how I wanted this week to go, but I trust that God’s plan is greater than my own,” Wong wrote. “I’m grateful for a strong week of training leading up to this competition. Unfortunately, I hyperextended my knee during yesterday’s podium training and will need to rest and recover.”
Wong made every World Championships team since 2021, and barring a successful petition to participate in selection camp, this will be the first year she will miss October’s event.
Before this latest setback, Wong was still recovering from a wrist injury that limited her to beam at the U.S. Classic on July 18. She worked to recover her skills each day but did not confirm which U.S. Gymnastics Championships events she would compete in. Training for all four events before injuring her wrist, she felt good until she had to limit weight on the joint.
At the Classic, Wong fell off the beam during an aerial back layout — a skill she had not practiced recently. She said she felt pressure about the skill, as it was her only option, and she wished she had longer to train it.
“I decided just to go out there, just compete for the first time since worlds in October, so I decided it’s a good experience to compete, get in front of the audience, and there’s always something to learn from when you’re competing,” Wong said last Thursday.
Before Tuesday’s injury, Rowland said that the work Wong put in on the front end did not keep her out a long period.
“She was a bit, I would say, devastated that she was not able to compete [in the all-around event] at the [U.S. Classic],” Rowland said. “And yet, it allowed her to take a step back and just be mindful of the process and learn a little bit more about herself and learn a little bit more about resilience, which she has been put in front of a lot.”
Despite falling at the U.S. Classic, Wong automatically qualified for the U.S. Championships as a member of the 2025 World Championships team, finishing second in the all-around competition in Jakarta, Indonesia and fueling her to make the 2028 Olympic team.
While Wong will not participate, Florida junior Skye Blakely and future Gators Simone Rose, Dulcy Caylor and Jayla Hang will compete in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in hopes of making the 2026 U.S. Senior National Team.
“Thank you all for the love and support,” Wong posted on Instagram. “I’m looking forward to what’s ahead and trusting the process. Wishing all the competitors the very best this week.”
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Gymnastics
