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United States McKenna Kelley has transitioned from an accomplished collegiate gymnast to a motivational speaker, sharing insights on resilience and dedication.
GK partnered with McKenna Kelley to produce a leotard, an exact replica of the one she wore at the Aurora Games. GK also features her as one of their brand ambassadors alongside other prominent gymnasts. She is also associated with the 'Forever Our Legacy Invitational tour' which provides registered gymnasts with a custom GK leotard.
McKenna Kelley is featured on Bear Mattress's blog as a retired collegiate gymnast who competed for over 20 years, rounding out her career at LSU.
LR Productions hosts gymnastics competitions and features legendary Olympic and NCAA champion gymnasts, including McKenna Kelley, in their events.
Spieth America offers the 'Mary Lou Retton and McKenna Kelley Signature Collection' for Mothers & Daughters under their 'Forever our Legacy' theme, featuring gymnastics-related products.
McKenna Kelley, born on April 15, 1997, in Houston, Texas, is a retired American artistic gymnast whose career spanned over two decades. As the daughter of Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton, Kelley inherited a strong athletic lineage. She began gymnastics at age two and progressed through the sport, training as a Level 10 competitor at Stars Gymnastics under coaches Dan and Ashly Baker. Her early achievements included capturing a share of the all-around title at the prestigious Nastia Liukin Cup in 2014 and winning the national floor title at the 2014 Junior Olympic National Championships. She also placed fifth in the all-around at the 2013 JO National Championships. Kelley briefly pursued elite gymnastics in 2015, attending U.S. National team camps, although stress fractures prevented her from competing at the Pan American Games. She ultimately chose to focus on collegiate gymnastics, committing to Louisiana State University (LSU).
Kelley joined the LSU Tigers gymnastics team in the 2016 season, primarily specializing in the floor exercise. During her freshman year, she competed in 13 of 14 meets, achieving a season-high score of 9.925 on floor at the SEC Championship, earning SEC All-Freshman honors. She contributed a score of 9.9 on floor to help the Tigers achieve a second-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Gymnastics Championship. In her sophomore season (2017), Kelley continued to excel, earning First-Team All-America honors on floor with a 9.95 at the NCAA Championship Semifinal II. She also clinched the 2017 SEC Floor Exercise title with a 9.95, contributing to LSU’s overall SEC Championship win. She set a new career high on floor with a 9.975 against George Washington and Iowa. Unfortunately, her junior season (2018) was sidelined by a ruptured Achilles tendon during pre-season training.
Returning for her senior season in 2019, Kelley demonstrated remarkable resilience. She expanded her repertoire, regularly competing on vault and occasionally on balance beam. A significant achievement came on March 8, 2019, when she scored her first career perfect 10 on the floor exercise against Oregon State, which earned her SEC Specialist of the Week honors. She also set a career high on vault with a 9.925 against Missouri. Kelley contributed to LSU’s third-straight SEC Championship with scores of 9.9 on both vault and floor. She concluded her career with All-America honors on floor at the NCAA Championship Semifinal I and contributed to yet another second-place team finish for the Tigers at the 2019 NCAA Gymnastics Championship. Kelley graduated in May 2019 with a degree in psychology and has since shifted her focus towards motivational speaking.
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