Katelyn Ohashi
The world fell in love with Katelyn Ohashi 50 million times over when her joyful floor routine at the Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim went viral. Since then, Kate has successfully leveraged the moment into becoming a sought-after voice for the most empowered generation yet. A star in elite gymnastics long before she dominated the internet, Kate had the Olympics in her sightline as she won her first senior elite competition at 15, taking Gold over Simone Biles. A severe back injury sidelined her soon after; but in the adversity, Kate found her voice and discovered her power.
Choosing to enroll at the University of California-Los Angeles and compete for the Bruins under the guidance of legendary coach, Valorie Kondos, Kate returned to gymnastics in a balanced and healthy way, developing a positive relationship with her body, a comfort with success and effectively fueling her inner creative. With a focus on gender studies and exploring a range of art mediums, including photography and poetry, Kate found the confidence to share her story and struggles through writing and performing her poetry at open mic’s around LA.
Now a graduate and ready to take on the world, Katelyn stood on the ESPY stage to accept her award for Best Play and delivered a rousing, original spoken word -calling out body shamers, sexual assault and cyber bullies.
Smart, driven, fun, likable and inspiring, Kate is a creative force and original voice primed to help inspire all people to embrace challenges, love themselves, find their voice and live an authentic, joyful and purpose driven life.
Photo ©ASUCLA