When Helen Hu walked away from gymnastics last year, it wasn’t a dramatic farewell with lights and leotards. No press release. No emotional routine. Just… quiet. She packed her bags and left the beam behind, trading chalk dust for hostel beds as she worked in Ecuador. Far from the routines, the roar of crowds, and the sport that once defined her. At the time, it wasn’t just a break from competition. It was a full-on reset. A girl who used to chase perfection had simply walked away from it. But what about now? Is it really over?

Fast forward to 2025, and Hu’s story has flipped in the most poetic way possible. Not only did the 23-year-old return to NCAA gymnastics for a fifth year, but she did it with fire. Three perfect 10s this season. Her first ever, followed by two more, including one on Friday during the NCAA tournament, has rewritten the narrative. What began as a comeback is now a masterclass in resilience. And when Gymnastics Now highlighted her flawless performance, former Olympian and legendary commentator Kathy Johnson Clarke amplified it with a share.

“HU knew!?” Kathy posted on her Instagram story with glee. “Anyone who knows and loves Beam knew! Truly, one of my favorite stories of the season!” The Hall of Famer wasn’t exaggerating. Hu’s brilliant performance this season has been nothing short of cinematic. It all began on January 17. Missouri rolled into the lion’s den. The Sooners’ home turf at Lloyd Noble Center, and nearly pulled off the upset of the season.

While the Tigers fell just short by 1.025 points, the moment that echoed loudest came from Hu. After a year away, she nailed a perfect 10 on the beam, standing in the spotlight with the same quiet grace she once left with. That routine didn’t just mark a personal best. It shook the NCAA gymnastics world. Then came March 14. Final regular season meet. Hostile crowd. No. 16 Arkansas. Pressure is high.

But Hu? Ice cold. She delivered her second perfect 10, becoming the only gymnast in the country to post two flawless beam scores this season. That moment didn’t just cement her comeback. It carved her name into SEC history. Five-time SEC Specialist of the Week. A share of the SEC Beam Championship title. Ranked second nationally on beam. She didn’t just return to the top. She redefined it.

And as if the script couldn’t get any better, it did. April 4 at NCAA Regionals. Hu made it three. Three perfect 10s on beam in a single season. An achievement she’d never touched before this year. Just a year ago, she was off the grid in Ecuador. Now? She’s back in full command of her craft, delivering under the biggest spotlight with even bigger stakes. This isn’t just a comeback. It’s a reminder that sometimes, walking away doesn’t mean giving up. Sometimes, it means coming back stronger and steadier. And ready to stick the landing.

Helen Hu’s unscripted journey back to perfection

When Helen Hu finally clinched her first perfect 10, it wasn’t just a score. It was the culmination of years of craft, character, and quiet ambition. Speaking to Gymnastics Now on April 4, she opened up about the roots of her style, crediting her longtime club coach, Irina Kudina, for shaping her into a gymnast who doesn’t just compete but captivates. “My club coach … drilled into me a strong desire to show off who I am and what I can do,” Hu said.

That drive is visible in every detail of her routine. From the tick-tock out of her mount to the moonwalk, Y-turn, and the rare front aerial to front aerial combo, capped by a split ¾ jump, she landed with total control. As Hu puts it, Kudina never allowed her to settle for basic. “She would say, ‘Why would you do that? If everyone else can do it, why are you even doing it? What’s the point?” That mindset fueled Hu’s standout performance at Oklahoma earlier this season.

After narrowly missing perfection with several 9.975s in the past, her routine, highlighted by a gainer pike dismount, finally earned her that elusive 10.0. And the moment hit harder than she ever imagined. Hu told Gymnastics Now, “I was like, ‘This is not reality.’ Tears were coming out.” Achieving that score in Week 3, on the road and against the top-ranked Sooners, made it even more surreal.

Perfect 10s are a rare gem in today’s scoring climate, and Hu’s, in the wake of her year-long break from competition, felt downright miraculous. That spark she rediscovered didn’t come overnight. It was built country by country, wave by wave. Helen and her sister visited 15 countries over nearly a year, soaking in every ounce of culture, cuisine, and clarity the world had to offer.

In Ecuador, she worked at a hostel and spent two months learning how to surf. In India, she earned her yoga teacher certification. An experience that became much more than just a credential. “It was a really cool time to reflect and meditate and kind of just think about who I am in my life,” she said to insidegymnastics.com. Along the way, Hu also fell in love with Southeast Asia’s food scene. What began as an escape from competition turned into a soul-searching sabbatical that redefined how she saw herself. Not just as a gymnast, but as a person.