Alicia Sacramone stands out on the competition floor. She usually has the biggest smile and the biggest tricks. Her spunky personality and dynamic tumbling bring star quality to gymnastics.

Born December 3, 1987 in Boston, Massachusetts, Alicia began gymnastics in 1996. She became an elite in 2000 and has been on the national team since 2003. After missing out on the Olympic Trials in 2004 due to a poor performance at Nationals, Alicia came back with a vengeance to make her mark on U.S. gymnastics. Just months after the 2004 Olympics, Alicia defeated defending Olympic vault champion Monica Rosu at the World Cup Final in Birmingham, England.

Alicia put herself in contention for a 2008 Olympic team berth with her success at the 2005 Visa American Cup, winning vault and placing second on floor. Alicia, who is coached by Mihai and Sylvia Brestyan, continued her winning ways with various World Cup titles on vault and floor.

Although Alicia worked hard to establish herself as an all-around gymnast, she was still just a two-event gymnast in the eyes of National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi. Alicia had her chance to prove she could do more than just jump at the 2005 U.S. Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.

She fell on beam during the first day of competition and struggled on bars, a typically weak event for Alicia, but still finished fourth all-around. She dazzled the audience and judges alike on floor during finals to score a competition-high 9.9—a score virtually unheard of during the last days of the 10.0.

Alicia continued to dazzle during the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, adding two medals to the U.S. team’s nine-medal haul. She won a bronze on vault and a gold on floor exercise.

Alicia went into the 2006 Visa Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota with a more confident attitude toward bars and improved work on balance beam, finishing fifth. She repeated as national vault and floor champion, sharing the former with Randy Stageburg.

She helped lead an injury-ridden U.S. team into the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, where she failed to qualify for the floor exercise final due a 0.5 deduction for not having a leap requirement. Alicia didn’t let that bring her down, however, performing admirably on beam in team finals and winning an individual silver medal in vault finals.

Alicia’s positive attitude and true joy for the sport makes her a role model for all young gymnasts. She has the tenacity and passion to succeed in her goal of pursuing a career in business and/or fashion design. Perhaps someday we’ll be wearing Alicia Sacramone-brand clothing!

Bio by: Splitleap