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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty
“No group track. It was hard to find a team.” Those words, quietly spoken, held the weight of an athlete’s early days navigating the American track and field system alone. Well, she had arrived in the U.S. at just 12 years old, leaving behind not just a home but a legacy in the making. Back in Kingston, Jamaica, she ran the tracks of Vaz Preparatory School, even getting the rare thrill of competing at the iconic National Stadium. For most kids, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty
“When producers randomly pair you together but you end up truly enjoying every second of it.” That was the caption Ilona Maher dropped on Instagram last year — and looking back, it summed up the unexpected magic of her journey on Dancing with the Stars Season 33 perfectly. How? In a season packed with surprises, it was Ilona and her pro partner Alan Bersten who quietly became the fan favorites.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty
Olivia Dunne is still at the top. Despite spending time away from gymnastics because of injury, the LSU star hasn’t lost her shine. She’s currently ranked No. 4 on On3’s NIL Valuation list, with an eye-popping brand worth of $4.1 million. That makes her not only the top-ranked female athlete in NIL but also the only college gymnast to crack the top 10.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty
Jordan Chiles is all about making statements, not only with her performance but also with her fashion. However, there’s someone who thoroughly helps Jordan to maintain everything. Actually, she’s Jordan’s elder sister, Jazmine. She is someone who often remains in the background, doing her work silently. But today is a special day. For Jazmine, it was the day when she saw her sister for the first time 24 years ago. So, emotions should be there, and it was visible. How?
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty
Just outside of Oregon State University’s home arena, there’s a giant-size banner of Jade Carey celebrating her achievement in gymnastics. “3-time Olympic medalist” is all it has. A few hours before the NCAA gymnastics championships, the presence of the banner in Jade’s gymnastics home may make her fans elated. However, those fans now have another reason to feel over Cloud 9. How? On April 15, the authorities announced the name of the 2025 AAI Award winner, Jade Carey.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty
“Let’s Geaux to Fort Worth.” Five words and so many emotions. On April 15, that’s how LSU Tigers gymnastics’ X-handle celebrated the program’s journey to Texas for competing in yet another NCAA semifinal. Surely, the Tiger Ladies had a memorable journey to the venue, but will it be the same for them on the mat? Well, Aly Raisman has something to remind the gymnastics fans. The three-time Olympic champion has been playing the commentator role in the NCAA gymnastics contest.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty |Deepanjan Mitra
“Dalilah, you truly did just change the game for all of us.” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s voice trembled ever so slightly, filled with sincerity and awe. “Seeing you break that world record after so long of it being there just inspired all of us.” She spoke those words in front of cameras and mics before taking the stage in the Jamaican chapter of Grand Slam Track. It wasn’t for the headlines, though—it was heart speaking to heart, one great saluting another.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty |Ayushi Dutta
“Sanya, a champion.” That’s what they used to call her at Vaz Preparatory School in Kingston. Long before the world knew her name. Long before the gold medals and the Olympic glory, Sanya Richards-Ross was just a little girl with a dream scribbled in a note to her teacher at age nine: “I want to be an Olympic gold medalist” (as recalled by her later). For years, it was something she and her mother would laugh about. A dream preserved like a keepsake.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty |Himanshi Garg
There’s only one rule you have to obey if you play from Jordan Chiles’s side. It is about pure aggression. A freshman from the UCLA Bruins gymnastics program knows this fact. That’s why after landing a huge team score of 198.45 in the Big Ten Conference final this year. The freshman left some big words on her social media handle. And what was that? “Just the warmup. #B1GCHAMPS.” A pure threat to the opponents before the mega NCAA final? You can decide.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Prasun Chakrabarty |Himanshi Garg
“Like Beyoncé, but with an F.” On April 9, 2022, someone wrote these words as the caption of an Instagram post. However, can you guess what the post was about? It had Simone Biles sitting beside her special friend, Kayla Simone, flaunting their engagement rings with smiles on their faces. Now, three years later, things are different. On April 13 this year, Simone Biles shared several photos on her Instagram story, celebrating Kayla’s big day. Yes. Kayla is now pregnant with her baby boy.
