Kiya Johnson

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Kiya Johnson
Regions represented3
Born (2002-02-27) February 27, 2002 (age 22)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
HometownCoppell, Texas, U.S,
ResidenceBaton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelNCAA
ClubTexas Dreams Gymnastics
College teamLSU Tigers
(2020–24)
Head coach(es)Jay Clark
Assistant coach(es)Ashleigh Gnat
Former coach(es)Kim Zmeskal-Burdette
ChoreographerCourtney McCool Griffeth
Medal record
Representing Texas Dreams
Nastia Liukin Cup
Gold medal – first place 2015 Arlington All-Around (Jr.)
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Greensboro All-Around
Representing Louisiana State Tigers
NCAA Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Fort Worth Team

Kiya Johnson (born February 27, 2002)[1] is an American artistic gymnast. She currently competes for the LSU Tigers gymnastics team.[2]

Early life[edit]

Johnson was born on February 27, 2002, in Dallas, Texas, to Carl and Kyesha Johnson. She grew up in Coppell, Texas, where she attended Coppell High School, graduating a year early in 2019.[3]

Level 10/elite career[edit]

Johnson trained at Texas Dreams Gymnastics under coaches Kim Zmeskal Burdette and Chris Burdette. She was the junior Nastia Liukin Cup all-around, vault, and beam champion in 2015;[4] she earned 2nd place on the vault and 5th place in the all-around at the Junior Olympic National Championships that same year.[5]

In 2016, Johnson briefly trained as a junior elite gymnast; she earned a berth to the Secret U.S. Classic, placing 17th in the all-around and tying for 7th place on floor exercise.[6]

Johnson returned to level 10 competition for the 2018 season. She placed 5th in the all-around at the Nastia Liukin Cup.[7] She tied for first place in the all-around and won the floor exercise title at the J.O. National Championships.[8]

In 2019, Johnson earned the bronze medal in the all-around at the Nastia Liukin Cup, and successfully defended her J.O. National Championship all-around and floor exercise titles, adding another title on the balance beam.[3][9]

College career[edit]

2020[edit]

Johnson began competing for the LSU Tigers gymnastics team in the 2020 season. She competed all-around in 9 of 11 meets. On January 24, she earned her first career perfect 10 on the balance beam at Florida, and on February 14 added a perfect 10 on the vault at the GymQuarters invitational. She also posted season-high scores of 9.95 on the uneven bars, 9.975 on the floor exercise, and 39.75 in the all-around.[10] She was named SEC Freshman of the Week for four consecutive weeks beginning in January,[11] and also earned the SEC Gymnast of the Week honor following an all-around win against Auburn on January 17.

At the conclusion of the (prematurely terminated) season, Johnson was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. She also earned first team All-America honors on vault, floor exercise, and the all-around.[12]

2021[edit]

On January 8, Johnson earned her third career perfect 10 on floor exercise in a meet against Arkansas. On March 5, she scored another perfect 10 on the event against Missouri.[10] At the SEC Championships, Jonnson scored her third perfect 10 of the season on floor exercise, winning the SEC title on the event. She also placed second in the all-around behind Luisa Blanco of Alabama.[13] During the NCAA Championship semifinals, Johnson competed in the all-around, however LSU failed to advance to the final.[14] At the conclusion of the season, Johnson was named SEC Specialist of the Year.[8]

2022[edit]

On February 5, Johnson scored her sixth career perfect 10 on floor exercise against Auburn. On February 18, she scored another perfect 10 on the balance beam against Alabama.[10] At the NCAA regional semifinals, she contributed scores on all four events, however LSU suffered two uncharacteristic falls on balance beam and as a result was eliminated from the postseason during the first round of regionals, failing to qualify for the national championship as a team.[15] Johnson qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual competitor on vault. She finished sixth on the event with a score of 9.9125.[8]

2023[edit]

During the second meet of the 2023 season, Johnson suffered an Achilles tendon rupture on floor exercise, which ruled her out for the remainder of the season.[8][16]

2024[edit]

Johnson returned for the 2024 season for her fifth year of eligibility. On January 19, she scored a perfect 10 on floor exercise in a meet against Kentucky, one year after she tore her Achilles competing on the same event against the same team.[16] At the SEC Championships, Johnson competed in the all-around, helping LSU win the SEC conference title. She also tied for the SEC floor exercise title with Kentucky's Raena Worley and teammate KJ Johnson, all posting 9.975s.[17] During the NCAA Championships, Johnson once again competed in the all-around, helping LSU win their first national championship title in program history.[18][19]

Competitive history[edit]

Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
2021 SEC Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 15 8 7 1st place, gold medalist(s)
NCAA Championships SF 8 4 32 17 20
2022 SEC Championships 5 13 8 47 9 8
NCAA Championships 6
2024 SEC Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 36 39 1st place, gold medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 17 18 19 10

Career perfect 10.0[edit]

Season Date Event Meet
2020 January 24, 2020 Balance beam LSU vs Florida
February 14, 2020 Vault GymQuarters Invite
2021 January 8, 2021 Floor exercise LSU vs Arkansas
March 5, 2021 LSU vs Missouri
March 20, 2021 SEC Championships
2022 February 5, 2022 LSU vs Auburn
February 18, 2022 Balance beam LSU vs Alabama
2024 January 19, 2024 Floor exercise LSU vs Kentucky

References[edit]

  1. ^ "GymDivas.Us - Online Resource for Gymnasts in the United States". www.gymdivas.us. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Gymnastics Announces Signature Signing Class". LSUsports.net. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b Rabalais, Scott (July 21, 2018). "Two-time gymnastics junior national champion Kiya Johnson flips her commitment to LSU". The Advocate. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  4. ^ "2015 Nastia Liukin Cup" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  5. ^ "2015 JO National Championships" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "2016 U.S. Classic results". The Gymternet. June 7, 2016.
  7. ^ "2018 Nastia Liukin Cup" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Kiya Johnson". LSU Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "USA Gymnastics | Kiya Johnson". usagym.org. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  10. ^ a b c "Teams". Road to Nationals. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  11. ^ "Johnson Crowned SEC Freshman of the Week". LSU Tigers. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  12. ^ "Johnson Named SEC Freshman of the Year". LSU Tigers. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  13. ^ "2021 SEC Gymnastics Championships". SEC Sports. March 21, 2021.
  14. ^ "LSU gym suffers heartbreaking, frustrating loss in NCAA Semifinals". The Daily Reveille. April 19, 2021. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  15. ^ "A puzzling end to a stellar season: What's next for LSU gymnastics?". LSUReveille. May 4, 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Kiya Johnson says laser-focused LSU is ready for regionals "…we know that we're going to do our gymnastics when we need to."". Inside Gymnastics Magazine. April 3, 2024.
  17. ^ "2024 SEC Gymnastics Championships Recap: LSU wins it all". Gymnastics Now. March 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "LSU women take home NCAA gymnastics title for first time". ESPN. April 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "2024 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships: LSU wins first title in program history". Gymnastics Now. April 21, 2024.
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