Checking in with Junior Elite Nia Dennis

May 5, 2013 by Anne Phillips

Nia Dennis is a U.S. junior elite gymnast on the rise. After tying for 7th all around in her first Visa Championships in 2012, Dennis will be one to watch this summer with a clear shot of making the U.S. Junior National team.

She trains at Buckeye Gymnastics in Ohio amongst a group of promising young athletes coached by Kittia Carpenter, Li Li, Sasha Timchenko, Philip Todorov, and Christian Gallardo. Click here to watch them train in Workout Wednesday.

Dennis recently showed us one of her upgrades in progress for the 2013 season, a unique front layout step out through to a double back! Check it out:

Dennis is a balanced all around gymnast, however an injury during the fall meant increased time to polish and work upgrades on uneven bars. In a recent training video posted by coach Carpenter, Dennis shows Gabby Douglas-like amplitude in her tkatchev releases:

She's eyeing the 2016 Rio Games and her hard work is already paying off. Despite not being an official member of the National Team, she still attends training camps. According to USAG, at the recent U.S. National Team training camp, Dennis finished second overall out of 26 gymnasts - both junior and senior level elites - in physical abilities testing. The only gymnast ahead of Nia was Olympic Champion Kyla Ross.

At just 14 years old, Nia Dennis looks ready to make a splash on the U.S. elite scene this summer.

During a visit to Buckeye Gymnastics in December, Gymnastike contributor Jason MacDonald profiled the personal life of Nia in our series "Off the Mat". If you haven't seen it yet, you should definitely check it out. It provides a terrific, behind the scenes glimpse into the life of an elite gymnast and the importance of a strong, supportive family. You will probably fall in love with Nia and her family as you watch! Check out episode 1 here.