After setting numerous records at University of Denver, the International Gymnastics Federation announced Thursday that DU alumna Lynnzee Brown will become the first female gymnast to represent Haiti at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Brown received a universality spot, a position reserved for athletes representing countries that have sent an average of eight or fewer athletes to the past two Olympics.
She competed for the U.S. and DU before representing Haiti at the World Championships in 2023. She is also an assistant coach at Penn State.
"I'm trying to think of what to say but I honestly have nothing that feels good enough," Brown told Penn State on Thursday. "I'm grateful for this journey and those that have supported me through it. I am honored that the Haitian federation is supporting me through this process, and I look forward to seeing what the next generation of athletes will do."
Brown will be the fourth DU gymnast to compete at the Olympics.
“(I'm feeling) just a lot of pride, a lot of excitement, a lot of thankfulness,” said Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart, head coach for DU gymnastics.
Kutcher-Rinehard emphasized Brown’s resilience throughout her career. Brown lost her mother when she was in college. She came back from tearing her Achilles tendon to win an NCAA floor title — only to tear her other Achilles tendon a few years later. She recoverd from that injury, too, and competed in 2023 for DU and on the world stage.
“The first real thought that came to my mind is, this I know was something she had discussed with her mom,” Kutcher-Rinehart said about Brown making the Olympics. “I know her mom is smiling down [at] her from heaven and just so proud of Lynnzee. And this was a goal of Lynnzee’s forever, and it also makes me think of Lynnzee and her incredible perseverance.”
What's next for Lynnzee Brown? And how does that universality spot work exactly?
The universality spot goes to one male and one female Olympic gymnast each cycle.
To receive the spot, athletes needed to meet a number of criteria including attempting to qualify through other competitions first and meeting certain competitive scores.
Brown failed to qualify for Olympic spots at the World Championships and other competitions in the past year, but her performance made her eligible for the universality spot.
She will compete in the qualifications round, the first Olympic gymnastics event, on July 28, in an attempt to qualify for event and all-around finals.
Denverite has reached out to Brown for comment.
