How Amelie Morgan did at the English Gymnastics Championships may surprise you

Amelie Morgan’s attempt to represent Great Britain at the Paris Olympics this summer could not have gotten off to a better start.

The standout University of Utah gymnast — a junior this year — starred at the English Gymnastics Championships over the weekend, the first meet of many awaiting her as she attempts to earn a spot on Team Great Britain.

In her first senior elite level meet since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Morgan had herself a competition Saturday. She finished in third place in the all-around behind Ondine Achampong and Alice Kinsella in a competition that included more than 80 gymnasts.

Morgan closed with an all-around score of 52.950, easily the third-best score in the meet, ahead of fourth place finisher Georgia-Mae Fenton (52.250). Morgan also had the third-best score by any gymnast on balance beam and vault (13.100 on beam, 13.750 on vault) the fourth-best score on floor exercise (12.750) and the fifth-best score on uneven bars (13.350).

It was simply a standout performance for the Red Rock.

Some additional perspective: Achampong and Kinsella were both on the British national team that competed at the World Championships last fall and have competed at the senior elite level for England continually since 2020 (Achampong) and 2017 (Kinsella). Moreover, Kinsella was the only other gymnast in the competition with Olympic experience, having been teammates with Morgan at the Tokyo Games and winning a bronze medal.

Morgan, meanwhile, hadn’t competed in elite level gymnastics since Tokyo, electing instead to join Utah’s gymnastics program and compete at the NCAA level for the past three years. And yet, in her first meet back competing at the most difficult level of the sport, Morgan was able to perform at a level near to some of England’s best gymnasts. (Achampong recorded a competition-best 55.600 in the all-around, while Kinsella had a 54.100).

“I’m not surprised she went out and dominated because that is Amelie and she is such a competitor,” Utah head coach Carly Dockendorf said. “She earned this moment to go over there and have a shot at making the Olympic team.”

Morgan probably fared better at the English championships than she had any right to.

In her senior elite career, her best all-around score is 54.032, recorded during the qualifying stage of the European Championships in 2021. In Tokyo, during the Olympic qualifying stage, she registered a 53.190 in the all-around.

After two and a half years away from elite gymnastics, Morgan nearly matched her all-around performance at the Olympics this past weekend, despite having to balance NCAA and elite training for the last six months. And she has competed only two events (bars and beam) for Utah throughout nearly the entirety of her collegiate career.

That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes what she’s had to overcome, though. Leaving school and her collegiate team in the middle of the NCAA season has not been easy. To say the least.

“It has been a real challenge for her,” Dockendorf said. “Since she’s been over there (in England) we’ve been talking to her every single day. Adjusting to the equipment has been really hard, adjusting to the expectations of elite training again, it is like a complete 180 from being at Utah. And being away from her friends and being away from just her home, it really has taken a toll on her.”

With her performance at the English Championships, Morgan earned a berth at the British Gymnastics Championships, which will take place March 14-17 in Liverpool. If she does well there, she could earn a spot on Team Great Britain for the European Championships, slated to be held in early May in Rimini, Italy. After that, the Olympics would beckon.

For now though, Morgan has proved that her elite comeback is legitimate. As are her ambitions to represent Great Britain at another Olympics.

“She hit all of her stuff,” Dockendorf said. “We are just so proud of her.”