Kiya Johnson

Kiya Johnson (born February 27, 2002)[1] is an American artistic gymnast. She currently competes for the LSU Tigers gymnastics team.[2]

Kiya Johnson
Regions represented3
Born (2002-02-27) February 27, 2002
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
ResidenceCoppell, Texas, U.S.
Height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelNCAA
ClubTexas Dreams Gymnastics
College teamLSU Tigers
(2020–23)
Head coach(es)D-D Breaux
Assistant coach(es)Jay Clark
Former coach(es)Kim Zmeskal-Burdette
ChoreographerAshleigh Clare-Kearney
Medal record
Representing Texas Dreams
Nastia Liukin Cup
2015 Arlington All-Around (Jr.)
2015 Arlington Vault (Jr.)
2015 Arlington Balance Beam (Jr.)
2015 Arlington Uneven Bars (Jr.)
2019 Greensboro All-Around

Early life

Johnson was born on February 27, 2002 in Dallas, Texas to Carl and Kyesha Johnson. She grew up in Coppell, Texas where she attended Coppell High School, graduating a year early in 2019.[3]

Level 10/elite career

Johnson trained at Texas Dreams Gymnastics under coaches Kim Zmeskal Burdette and Chris Burdette. She was the junior Nastia Liukin Cup all-around, vault, and beam champion in 2015; she earned 2nd place on the vault and 5th place in the all-around at the Junior Olympic National Championships that same year.

In 2016, Johnson briefly trained as a junior elite gymnast; she earned a berth to the Secret U.S. Classic, placing 17th in the all-around and tying for 7th place on floor exercise.

Johnson returned to level 10 competition for the 2018 season. She placed 5th in the all-around at the Nastia Liukin Cup. She tied for first place in the all-around and won the floor exercise title at the J.O. National Championships.

In 2019, Johnson earned the bronze medal in the all-around at the Nastia Liukin Cup, and successfully defended her J.O. National Championship all-around and floor exercise titles, adding another title on the balance beam.[4]

College career

2020

Johnson began competing for the LSU Tigers gymnastics team in the 2020 season. She competed all-around in 9 of 11 meets. On January 24, she earned her first career perfect 10 on the balance beam at Florida, and on February 14 added a perfect 10 on the vault at the GymQuarters invitational. She also posted season-high scores of 9.95 on the uneven bars, 9.975 on the floor exercise, and 39.75 in the all-around. She was named SEC Freshman of the Week for four consecutive weeks beginning in January[5], and also earned the SEC Gymnast of the Week honor following an all-around win against Auburn on January 17.

At the conclusion of the (prematurely terminated) season, Johnson was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. She also earned first team All-America honors on vault, floor exercise, and the all-around.[6]

References
  1. "GymDivas.Us - Online Resource for Gymnasts in the United States". www.gymdivas.us. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  2. "Gymnastics Announces Signature Signing Class". LSUsports.net. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  3. srabalais@theadvocate.com, SCOTT RABALAIS. "Two-time gymnastics junior national champion Kiya Johnson flips her commitment to LSU". The Advocate. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  4. "USA Gymnastics | Kiya Johnson". usagym.org. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  5. "Johnson Crowned SEC Freshman of the Week". LSU Tigers. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  6. "Johnson Named SEC Freshman of the Year". LSU Tigers. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
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