2024-07-30 00:00:04
PARIS – Former University of Denver gymnast and alumna Lynnzee Brown went four-for-four at the 2024 Paris Olympics after competing in women’s artistic gymnastics qualification on Sunday.
Brown officially became the first gymnast to represent Haiti at an Olympic Games with her appearance in Subdivision 4 at Bercy Arena.
She hit all four of her routines and finished with an all-around score of 48.832, the highest mark of her elite career by about seven tenths – improving upon her previous best of 48.133 set during the all-around final at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Additionally, all four of her scores on Sunday ranked among the top two in her elite career, starting with a 12.233 that equaled her personal best on floor (first set in qualification at the 2024 Pan American Championships).
She followed with her single-best elite score, tallying a 13.566 for a clean Yurchenko 1.5 with a small hop. On bars in the third rotation, she added an 11.500 that was just .133 from her career high (set in qualification at the 2023 Pan American Championships).
To end her Olympic competition, she hit a sturdy beam set that earned an 11.533, matching her score from the all-around final at the 2023 Pan American Games for her second-highest mark on the event.
In the final individual standings, she ranked No. 53 in the all-around, No. 64 on floor, No. 70 on beam and No. 74 on bars. Because she did not attempt two vaults in an attempt to qualify for the vault event final, she did not receive a final ranking on that event.
Brown joins fellow Denver Gymnastics alumnae Jessica Lopez (represented Venezuela in 2008, 2012 and 2016) and Simona Castro (represented Chile in 2012, 2016 and 2020) in competing at an Olympic Games. A fourth DU gymnast, Annamari Maaranen, qualified to represent Finland in 2008 but was unable to compete due to injury.
With Brown’s appearance in Paris, Denver extended its streak with at least one gymnast at the Summer Olympics to five.
Before competition got underway, Brown served as the female flag bearer for Haiti during the Opening Ceremony on July 26. She is one of seven Haitian athletes to compete in Paris.
Another Denver Gymnastics alumna, Kristina Coccia (2008-11), served as Brown’s coach for the Games after the duo had previously teamed up at international competitions during Brown’s qualification process for the 2024 Games.
The Raytown, Missouri, native concluded her six-year career at the University of Denver with a program-record fourth-place finish in the all-around at the 2023 NCAA National Championships. She left DU as one of the most decorated gymnasts in program history, winning an NCAA national title on floor in 2019 and four Big 12 Conference championships including in the all-around in 2021. In total, she accumulated 20 WCGA All-American honors during her collegiate career and set Denver records for all-around score (39.825) and most career perfect 10.0s (five).
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