Typically, when athletes get injuries that cause them to stop their season prematurely, they usually lie about their houses and watch reruns of America’s Next Top Model.
This, however, isn’t the case for gymnast Kianna Lujan, who recently broke her arm, an accident that prevented her from competing in the remainder of the season, and caused her to lose her place at the State Championships. She asked her mom to take her to the competition anyway, regardless of her condition, so she could cheer on her teammates. What makes this even more amazing is that Lujan is only 6 years old.
Due to her injury, she wasn’t able to practice for several months, which made it very difficult for her to prepare for any upcoming competition.
Then, for her first event after a long stretch, she entered the Snowflake competition. Though she faced intimidating adversity, she placed third on the floor, and fourth overall, helping her team to gain the gold at the competition.
“I’m not surprised,” said Lee Pledger, program director of VAFB Jets Gymnastics team. “He work ethic is exemplary for such a young child—less than a year ago, she was a ‘hot-shot,’ a pre-competitive athlete. But I am impressed and very proud of her.”
This article appears in Feb 18-25, 2010.
