By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Although her performance may have been overshadowed by the historic run sophomore Kailin Chio is currently on, LSU junior Konnor McClain delivered a special weekend of her own for the Tigers.
McClain returned to the lineup last Friday after suffering a forearm injury during warmups prior to the Oklahoma meet. The coaching staff gave her the option to sit out and rest, but McClain was determined to compete in LSU’s top three matchup.
“I was going to compete no matter what,” McClain said after Friday’s dual meet against Alabama. “I told the coaches, ‘I do not want to sit out another meet,’ and they were like, ‘You can take a break this week,’ and I was like, ‘I’m ready to go.’ I love just competing for this team and for the girls. So, they were just asking me if I was okay every single day and for them to have my back like that, I knew this is what I wanted to do, no matter the results of any X-ray or any injury.”
McClain dazzled in both LSU’s meet against Alabama at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday and in the Podium Challenge at the Raising Cane’s River Center on Sunday. She scored at least a 9.90 in all six routines she competed in over the weekend, highlighted by a season-high 9.975 on balance beam Friday night.
Konnor. Freakin. McClain.
— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) March 1, 2026
9.950! pic.twitter.com/T7suPEzdAu
The performance marked a significant moment in McClain’s season. She has battled nagging injuries over the past two years and endured a slow start this year. Prior to Friday, she had posted just one beam score of 9.90 or higher. The Las Vegas native was emotional after her beam dismount – a moment that had been a long time coming.
“I just put my head down in the gym and I have worked so hard,” McClain said after the Alabama meet. “And so. finally, to do what I’ve been doing in practice just meant so much to me because I feel like I deserved it and I worked so hard.”
Her teammates have also noticed the effort behind the recent breakthrough.
“The definition of a hard worker is her,” Chio said after Friday’s meet. “I knew she was so frustrated the past couple of weeks and we just heard zero complaints and it was just work, work, work. Just to see her go out there and do that routine, it was just so special.”
LSU head coach Jay Clark said he and the rest of the crew were relieved for McClain after her standout performance.
“I mean, she is one of the most gifted and accomplished gymnasts in the world. And that’s what I’ve been telling her – just remember who you are,” Clark said after Friday’s meet. “Sometimes you can start measuring things and try to be too perfect and just trust the experience that you have and all the great things that you’ve done and just let it come back to life a little bit.”
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