Team USA hopeful Konnor McClain has had her sights set on Gold from a young age. When she was just 11 years old, the confident gymnast appeared on Steve Harvey’s “Little Big Shots,” where she assured the host that she would compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Seven years later, the now-18-year-old is close to making that dream, a reality.
McClain, who has been doing gymnastics since she was 18 months old, has had Olympic dreams her entire life.
In 2016, McClain gave the world a preview of her talents when she appeared on “Little Big Shots,” where she was introduced as the “best 11-year-old gymnast in the country.”
“I understand that you are preparing for a big opportunity, what is that?” Harvey asked her on his show.
“Yes, the 2024 Olympics to win the all-around gold medal,” she answered without hesitation. The all-around event is composed of the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor events. Taking gold in the all-around means winning all four events.
“You know what I think, Konnor?” Harvey said. “I think you’re going to make it.”
McClain won’t know if she’s qualified for a spot on the team until next June, after the Olympic team trials. But until then, she’s relishing in how far she’s come, and making history along the way.
“It feels incredible. Oh, my gosh, it feels like I’m almost there,” McClain told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie on June 8, joined by two of her fellow Olympic hopefuls, Shilese Jones and Jordan Chiles.
“I’ve been training 17 years for this,” McClain added. “I said on the Steve Harvey show that I wanted to be here, and I’m one year away, so I’m excited.”
McClain, Jones and Chiles made history last August, becoming the first three Black women to sweep the podium at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.
McClain took home the gold, while Jones won silver and Chiles earned bronze.
“That moment was so unreal,” McClain said.
Her journey to becoming one of the best gymnasts in the country has not come without its trials. In December 2021, McClain lost her father to COVID-19. Just two weeks later her grandmother passed away.
Multiple injuries and a back surgery earlier this year have made it even harder to keep her eyes on the prize. But with just one year until Paris, McClain can almost taste what she’s been working so hard for.
Now, she says she’s “doing it for myself and my family, and for especially my dad, and just making it through, pushing through.”
