12-year-old gymnast from Gray rebounds from back injury, places fourth in regionals

A 12-year-old gymnast from Gray rebounded from a back injury in October to beat all her personal bests and place fourth for Louisiana in regionals.

Brianna Pittman represented Louisiana at the 2024 USA Gymnastics Region 8 Xcel Regional Championships over the weekend at the Greenville Convention Center 1 in South Carolina. Pittman placed fourth overall with a score of 38.1, and Louisiana placed third with a score of 153.

"It felt pretty good. I got the highest scores of the season," she said. "And there was really good people out there, so it feels really good to get fourth place out of a lot of people."

Her total score was a combination of her individual score from each event. She placed second overall in vault with a score of 9.45, fourth in the uneven bars with a 9.6, fifth in the balance beam with a 9.6, and scored a 9.45 in floor. There were eight states competing in the event: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

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Pittman had fractured a bone in her lower back in October, which forced her to change up her routines to go easier on it. Thankfully, she said, it held up just fine for the event.

She's looking forward to the next season, which starts in December. She'll move up a division, pitting her against older opponents. It also means she could go to national championships if she qualifies. It will involve learning new techniques, such as how to perform a back handspring on the balance beam.

She hasn't learned the technique yet, but she's already set a goal for herself.

"I'm ready for it. It might take a little bit, but my goal is to get it before my birthday on July 6," she said.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: 12-year-old gymnast from Gray rebounds from back injury, places fourth in regionals