(KRON) — A San Jose teen gymnast is getting ready for the 2024 Olympics in France. There hasn’t been a gymnast from the Bay Space on the U.S. Olympic crew for the reason that Nineties. Nola Matthews want to change that.
Meet 16-year-old gymnast Nola Matthews from Gilroy. She spends 30 hours per week at Airborne Gymnastics in San Jose, and her arduous work is paying off.
Matthews competed in opposition to seven-time Olymipic Gold Medalist Simone Biles. Simply final week on the U.S. Classics, Matthews got here in fourth place. Biles got here in first.
“It’s simply such an honor to have the ability to compete on such an enormous stage like that. So it’s simply actually cool,” Nola advised KRON4.
Nola says her aim has at all times been to make it to the Olympics and feels the strongest on the bar occasion. She says her weak point is on the vault.
In fact, progress comes with good teaching.
“She is, as of this second, on observe to creating Olympic trials after which hopefully the Olympics subsequent yr,” stated Nola’s coach Cleo Washington.
Washington says there will not be many African American coaches within the gymnast world.
“So “I bear in mind after I was an athlete and I didn’t see any coaches actually that appeared like me,” Washington stated. “It’s arduous to to not be in all various kinds of areas or be represented in that approach. And so I feel for me, it’s actually cool.”
She’s been teaching Nola for 4 years after shifting from Delware. Washington is aware of the dedication Nola has to make to get to the Olympics.
“I’ve been homeschooled since fifth grade, so I’ve been on this path for a very long time, and it will get arduous mentally and bodily,” Nola stated
Nola will compete in opposition to Biles once more in two weeks in San Jose on the U.S. Championships — on the trail to the 2024 Olympics.
