On Thursday, March 12, the NCAA announced that Division 1 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining Winter and Spring collegiate sporting events, were cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health threat. That meant, for gymnastics, the 2020 season came to an abrupt end without a national championship. For seniors in particular, it also meant their careers in the sport were officially over.
Oklahoma’s Maggie Nichols, who won back-to-back national all-around titles and received 22 perfect 10s during her collegiate career, posted a long farewell message on Instagram that read in part, “It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that i will never have the opportunity to compete for OU again with my team….. but knowing i poured my heart & soul into this sport my whole entire career, and ended on a positive note eases my mind knowing i gave it EVERYTHING i had.” UCLA senior and 2012 Olympian Kyla Ross shared on her own page, “These past 20 years have been an absolute dream! Thank you gymnastics for everything and so much more.”
The 2020 season saw a lot of showstopping performances full of stuck landings, personality (on floor especially), and the precision, power, and grace gymnasts are best known for. Ahead, check out some of the greatest perfect-10 routines from this year. These routines are from student athletes across the board, not just seniors, but to those who ended their careers knowing they recorded 10.00s in 2020 — or otherwise — you should be oh-so proud!