The prognosis is about as good as can be expected for LSU gymnast Konnor McClain after a devasting Achilles tendon injury in May ended her dreams of making the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
McClain suffered the injury May 18 while warming up on floor exercise in a pre-Olympic meet in Hartford, Connecticut. She immediately returned to Baton Rouge, where according to LSU coach Jay Clark she underwent surgery on May 21.
Clark said if McClain’s rehabilitation goes as expected, she will be able to compete in two events when the reigning NCAA champion Tigers begin their 2025 season in January.
“The surgery went well,” Clark said Tuesday. “If the rehab goes the way we think she could be ready on bars and beam to start the season and we’ll see how the rest goes. It takes six months to be released to begin high-impact stuff again.”
Floor and vault, so-called “leg events” because of the physical demands on the lower body, will take longer.
“Lower leg injuries are difficult to come back from on vault and floor because of the sprinting necessary and punching off the board or floor when tumbling,” said Clark, who hopes McClain will be able to compete on all four events at some point during the 2025 season.
The 2022 U.S. national all-around champion, McClain stepped away from international gymnastics after a back injury that year. She did not compete again until she took the floor for LSU in January to begin her freshman season.
It was a stellar campaign for the Las Vegas native. She won the Southeastern Conference beam championship in March at the Smoothie King Center with a perfect 10, one of three 10.0 scores for her in 2024. Her 9.9625 on beam was the highest individual score during in the NCAA final in April.