Paris-Bound for Colombia, Luisa Blanco’s Dream Means More Than She Could Have Ever Imagined

Paris-Bound for Colombia, Luisa Blanco’s Dream Means More Than She Could Have Ever Imagined

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  • Dates: July 27 – August 5
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On Sunday, July 28, Colombia’s Luisa Blanco will take the floor in Bercy Arena and fulfill a lifelong dream of competing in the Olympic Games. Inside Gymnastics was thrilled to announce Luisa’s return to Elite on June 8, 2023 and have followed her journey throughout. 

By Christy Sandmaier

In April 2023, then 16-time NCAA All-American and Alabama star Luisa Blanco announced she’d be taking a fifth year for the Crimson Tide. It was a decision that collectively delighted both ‘Bama and NCAA fans around the country. The 2021 NCAA champion on beam and 2023 runner-up on uneven bars (alongside Utah’s Grace McCallum and Maile O’Keefe, Florida’s Trinity Thomas and Michigan’s Abby Heiskell) dedicated herself to taking that extra step and simultaneously elevated her gymnastics and life dreams to yet another new and exciting level. And, less than two months later, she exclusively revealed to Inside Gymnastics her plans to compete for Colombia!

“I’m fulfilling that dream that I had when I was a little girl and I’m going to try to give it my last shot in this last fifth year that I wasn’t even supposed to have and do college, pursue a Master’s and go and compete for Colombia. That’s the ultimate goal,” Blanco told us. Following the announcement, Blanco’s dream quickly took shape and in July 2023, she won the Colombian National Championships.

It officially launched the most exciting and challenging year of her life on and off the gymnastics floor because just as beautiful as the competition and the results, was the opportunity for Blanco to embrace her culture and her family in person. It meant more than she ever even imagined.

“An experience that I thought was going to be once in a lifetime ended up being what I now know will be a constant part of my life forever,” she said following Colombian Championships. “I feel even closer to my Colombian heritage as I get the opportunity to proudly represent my country in the Pan American Games . These next two and half months I want to test my limits and give it my absolute all in hopes to punch my ticket to Paris next year.

“In doing so, it will allow me to achieve a life long goal of representing Colombia at the Olympics Games while simultaneously awarding me the freedom of an uninterrupted final collegiate season. I truly want this fifth and final year to be unforgettable.”

It was the best of both Worlds really, and Blanco’s journey is one we’ve been so excited to follow – because of her drive, her authenticity, her beautiful gymnastics and her ability to see the big picture when it comes to balancing her life and family with her sport.

With her unique background, her story is also certain to provide a spark to the next generation of Colombian gymnasts, or anyone who takes a unique path to fulfill their dreams. With both of her parents native to Colombia, Blanco said she always felt close ties to her culture but never quite knew how to express it. Having the chance to represent Colombia with pride at the sport’s highest level was a dream she has always had, but was discouraged from chasing while competing as an Elite for USA Gymnastics she said.

As she embarked on her new journey, she hopes to inspire young girls to know it’s never too late to chase their dreams.

“You don’t see a lot of girls that look like me doing gymnastics,” Blanco said. “And now that it’s growing and I see Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, it really is empowering! I want to continue that, ultimately … “It’s not something that’s so unreachable or impossible to do. There’s somebody that’s doing it, so [I just want to] be there in any way I can. If that’s the Olympics, that would be amazing … If it’s just competing at a Pan American Games or just a huge international stage, either way, my heart is just so whole.”

In order to pursue the Elite path in addition to her fifth and final season at Alabama, Blanco enlisted the help of Midwest Gymnastics Coach Jess Graba, who coached Suni Lee to Olympic All-Around gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. From the start Graba said he was excited to get to know Blanco better and see where this new dream can take her.

“I’m really happy to see these girls enjoying the sport to the point where they have other options,” Graba said. “They want to take the next step and see what’s possible. I think that says something about the girls, but it also says something, hopefully, about the sport. I think the sport is evolving and being a little bit more forgiving on the athletes. Obviously, the rules are hard, but the equipment, the training methods – everything’s just been more forgiving and more rewarding. I’m happy to see that and hopefully we can capitalize and give her a really good senior season, but then also give her a good chance at a dream.”

With her return to Elite and renewed resolve to compete beyond what the “traditional” time line had been for Elite gymnastics, Blanco became part of a trending list of of NCAA student-athletes who were already competing on the world stage or returning to Elite competition following the conclusion of their NCAA careers including 2020 Olympic All-Around Champion Lee (USA/Auburn), 2020 Olympic floor champion Jade Carey (USA/Oregon State), 2020 Olympic team silver medalist Jordan Chiles (USA/UCLA), 2021 World Championship All-Around silver medalist Leanne Wong (USA/Florida), 2021 World Championship All-Around bronze medalist Kayla DiCello (USA/Florida), 2019 Pan American Games team gold medalist Aleah Finnegan (USA/Philippines/LSU), 2020 Olympic alternate Emma Malabuyo (USA/Philippines/UCLA), Sandra Elsadek (EGY/Georgia), 2023 NCAA co-National Runner-Up on vault, Lynnzee Brown (USA/ Haiti/Denver), and Florida Gator star Trinity Thomas, the 2022 NCAA All-Around Champion who tied the NCAA All-Time Perfect 10 record in 2023. (Lee, Carey, Chiles, Wong (as an alternate), Finnegan, Malabuyo and Brown will all be in Paris competing.)

“When this whole idea came up, I was shocked because I was like, ‘There’s no way that Jess wants to train me,’” Blanco said. “Just the fact that he was so supportive and willing, I could see through him how much USA Gymnastics has changed and is continuing to evolve … From the first phone call, it just felt right. My practice is definitely different now, taking it little by little so that I’m not, you know, breaking myself downI. I’m obviously being way smarter about this than I was when I was younger.”

Graba worked closely throughout the summer with Alabama head coach Ashley Priess Johnston and the Crimson Tide coaching staff to navigate the best possible training plan for Blanco as she embraced her fifth year as an NCAA student-athlete while simultaneously training as an Elite.

“Ashley and I and my wife (Midwest coach Alison Lim), we’ve been going back and forth with some of her skills and some of the stuff when she was still down there training,” Graba said.

“Ashley’s a Brevet-level judge, so it’s a little easier. And we did this when Ashley was at Auburn with Suni, so she has a little bit of experience with some of our training. So, it actually is kind of an easy transition. I think personally, I have a great working relationship with Ashley and Gina (Quinlan). I’ve known Gina for years, and I’m looking forward to just going back and forth. I’m looking forward to a collaboration. We did that with Auburn, and it was really fun, so I’m looking forward to seeing if we can get something like that here too, for Luisa.”

Aside from heading back to Tuscaloosa to attend her graduation ceremony in August of 2023, Blanco remained in Minnesota for the summer to train before returning to campus. At the time, she was uncertain whether she’d do All-Around or become a specialist for her final collegiate season.

“We’re rolling with the punches and I’m letting God take the wheel because that’s all I can do at this point,” Blanco said. “I have nothing but gratitude. Again, this fifth year thing, it wasn’t even possible a couple of years ago.”

The support of her ‘Bama coaches is also unwavering and emblematic of the culture they are creating together inside the program. “As a program, we continue to encourage our ladies to “Be the Change” that they want to see in this world,” Priess Johnston said. “By embarking on a journey to compete internationally, all while balancing a NCAA career and a master’s degree program, Luisa is a beautiful example of that. She pours herself into the Tuscaloosa community by mentoring younger kids so that they, too, can feel empowered to step into, and achieve their own goals and dreams. I am so proud of Luisa for courageously pursuing her dreams, and for using her gymnastics platform to pour into others’ lives.”

As Blanco noted, one thing beyond the competition is always certain – the unwavering support of her family. “My family, they drive me in anything I do,” she said. “They sacrifice so much for me to even get to college. I’m a first generation Latin woman, and that’s probably my biggest accomplishment. It’s not the trophies, it’s not the rings, it’s not the medals. It’s just the fact that I’m making a difference and the fact that so many people told me I couldn’t. And I’m doing it and I’m living it. And I have other people who believe in me too. So it goes beyond just what I do on the competition floor.”

Blanco’s mother in particular, remains an incredible source of inspiration. “I always go back to, ‘it takes a village’ because that’s been my entire life. But I think the person I look up to the most is my mom. I mean, she did it when nobody would have thought she could. She came to this country with nothing. She didn’t know English. She had two kids. She was like, “How am I going to make this work?” And she did. She had faith that it was all going to work out. And she poured everything into her kids, despite what people might have said behind her back, or just the fact that she couldn’t speak the language. Every time I’m at my lowest, I just think of my mom, and [she] just says that there’s a reason for everything. And I always go back to that. So my mom is my biggest inspiration for everything. And… my teammates in college as well – they showed me just the meaning of being selfless and doing it for the person in front of you and what that truly means to somebody. So there’s been so many people, but if I can pinpoint, it’s always going to be my mom.”

As for the beaming Olympic spotlight, when asked if she allowed herself to picture walking into an Olympic Games, whether in 2024 or even 2028, Blanco’s perspective was raw, real and emotional. “I mean, I can’t even fathom what would happen. I’m a very emotional person.” Blanco said. “Like the emotional Latina stereotype. I’m walking, I’m living, I’m breathing. Goodness, I couldn’t even think about it! Like I said, I don’t like thinking too much towards it. But I’m going to keep praying. I’m going to keep staying the course. And I know I have the right people alongside me, so I just know it’s going to be great.”

In October, Blanco’s Olympic dream turned reality when she placed 8th in the All-Around at the 2023 Pan American Games earning her berth via the Continental Championships route. It’s not only a dream come true but a journey certain to inspire the next generation to never let anyone put limits on a career.

“Don’t let anyone confine you to a box,” Blanco said. “I’ve learned that throughout the last couple of months. I’m like, ‘Am I only a college gymnast? Am I only this? Am I only that?’ Don’t stay in that box; get uncomfortable, make that leap, go for it – because you never want to look back and think, ‘What if?’”

Now Paris-bound and days away from the Olympic magic that once seemed so far away, she doesn’t have to.

Blanco will compete in Qualifications in Paris with Mixed Group 6 in Subdivision 3.

Note: The Alabama gymnastics team closed its 2024 season in the NCAA Championships Semifinals at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The final night was highlighted by three gymnasts earning All-America recognition with Blanco picking up second team honors on bars. She finished her NCAA career with 21 total All-America accolades – the most of any UA gymnast in program history.

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