Thomas wins state gymnastics championship, qualifies for regionals

May is state championship season for high school athletes, but one local gymnast got a head start by winning her state title in mid-April...and she’s only 10-years-old.

Kaylee Thomas, a fifth grader at Jones Intermediate School, competed against more than 400 gymnasts in the National Gymnastics Association’s North Carolina State Championship meet on April 13-14.

Thomas finished first in vault and balance beam with scores of 9.475 and 9.625 respectively. She also finished second in the floor competition with a score of 9.600, and third in uneven bars with a score of 9.475. Thomas was the only gymnast in the Junior B division to finish in the top-3 of all four events.

Her total score of 38.175 earned the Junior B Division All-Around State Title.

Thomas’ team, Revive Elite Gymnastics, finished third overall at the state competition. Her individual performance qualified her for the NGA Southern Regional Competition in Louisiana on May 17-19.

Thomas is no stranger to winning awards despite being in just her second season of competitive gymnastics. Earlier this season she had two first-place finishes in all-around competition. In 2023, Thomas won first all-around at regionals, then placed first on the floor exercise and third all-around at nationals.