History of Wittenberg
Just two years before her 10th anniversary, Whittenburg competed at her first Olympic Trials with a shot at a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He was named an alternate for the Olympic tour when the Olympic team was announced at the end of those games eight years ago, and remembering that moment, he told Olympics.com he felt “humbled” as he left St. Louis.
This came as a shock to the then 21-year-old, as he had believed his performance in the year leading up to the qualifiers had put him in a “sure position to be selected” for the Rio team.
The year before, he won a bronze medal on vault at the World Championships and silver medals on floor exercise, rings and vault at the Pan American Games.
“That moment really humbled me. So I think it kind of reset my mind and made me be like, ‘Yo, even if I’m one of the best players in the country, anything can happen.'”
At the second round of the 2021 Olympic Trials, Wittenberg received more bad news: She had failed to finish in the top eight by the end of the tournament and had not been selected for the Tokyo 2020 national team.
However, with her tenacity and perseverance, Wittenberg has continued to excel on the international stage for 10 years since her first appearance at the World Championships in 2014.
Over the next few days the world will see if his Olympic dream finally comes true.
