“The whole year last year, it just felt so unreal for me.” Everything was indeed looking good for Konnor McClain until May 2024. She’d just helped the LSU Tigers soar to their first gymnastics national title in April, wrapped up her freshman year final exams, and was ready to take the Paris Olympics stage by storm soon. But that bid ended before she could even have a fair chance. A devastating injury left her agonizingly close to the Olympic stage. Naturally, she was crestfallen. So what gave her the impetus to come back?

Konnor McClain has had a horrid past with injuries. In 2023, a bothersome back injury pushed her into surgery. And led her to LSU a year early. But little did she know that 2024 would be worse. After her collegiate season was over, she quickly advanced to the Paris berth. Only when she ended up hitting a roadblock. In May, Konnor McClain was at the Core Hydration Classic when she ended up tearing her Achilles Tendon while performing a double layout on the floor exercise mats in the warm-up. That’s it. That was it for her.

As a result, Konnor McClain couldn’t compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, and the final spot went to Hezly Rivera. This was a blow to McClain’s face. As documented by ESPN on April 13, 2025, she now revealed that, “I could’ve gone into a deep, dark hole, and I didn’t want to do that.” However, McClain was motivated by the memory of her father. With him always cheering for her, McClain always thrived in the gym. In fact, after he passed away from COVID, she remained absent from the gym for 2 months. “But he was the one who wanted me in the gym,” she realized when she came back. Those memories must have pushed her.

The second reason? Well, she took a different approach. “I had such a great season. I was so happy throughout the whole semester. There was no reason for me to do that again, just because of a torn Achilles.” Koonor McClain even revealed at the start of 2025 that during this phase, she told herself, “Let me change my attitude. I didn’t want to be sad.” This is a goal that her team also helped her with. “Having the team to support me helped me change my mindset.” No wonder, in 7 months, Konnor McClain nailed her time in rehab and was all ready to get back. In December 2024, she showed up for the LSU Gymnastics 101 exhibition meet. No, she wasn’t competing on all apparatuses. Just the beam and the bars. But this in itself was the sign of her rapid recovery.

And ever since, 2025 has been quite an eventful season for her. Remember the March 7 LSU meet against Georgia? Well, that’s when Konnor McClain soared to a season-high 9.975 on the uneven bars. Yes, she took the uneven bars title home that day. But well, the mark made a proud contribution in helping the Tigers set a new program record at 198.575. It showed a new and confident McClain, who doesn’t feel restricted by her limited apparatuses but is working to ace whatever’s at hand. Need more examples of how this comeback has imbued a newfound energy in her this season?

Konnor McClain’s climbing back slowly but surely

On March 22, the LSU Tigers claimed their sixth SEC Championship title in program history. This time, again, with a record-breaking score. And that night inside the Legacy Arena, it’s safe to say that Konnor McClain proved to be an integral support in the LSU machine. She performed at par with the LSU super senior Haeleigh Bryant, both rounding out the bars rotation with 9.900 scores. Next, she was also selected for her second back-to-back All-SEC team and was named an All-American on the bars!

But what in the regionals next stunned everyone. On April 5, the crowd in Rec Hall witnessed Konnor McClain show up on the floor event for the first time in nearly a year. Ever since her Achilles injury in 2024, she’d steered clear of it, but not anymore. She scored a 9.900 in her first floor routine of the 2025 season, which is quite incredible. So yes, Konnor McClain’s teammates, her optimism, and the memories of her father have helped her bounce back, and how!