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Luisa Blanco

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Blanco and the second or maternal family name is Saavedra.
Luisa Blanco
Full nameLuisa Fernanda Blanco Saavedra
Country represented Colombia
Former countries represented United States
Born (2001-11-18) 18 November 2001 (age 22)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
HometownDallas, Texas, U.S.
Height1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)[1]
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team2023–present (COL)
ClubMidwest Gymnastics Center
College teamAlabama Crimson Tide (2020–2024)
Head coach(es)Jess Graba
Former coach(es)Yevgeny Marchenko
Medal record
Women's artistic gymnastics
Representing Alabama Crimson Tide
NCAA Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Fort Worth Balance beam
Silver medal – second place 2021 Fort Worth All-around
Silver medal – second place 2023 Fort Worth Uneven bars
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Fort Worth Uneven bars

Luisa Fernanda Blanco Saavedra (born 18 November 2001) is an artistic gymnast. Born in the United States, she represents Colombia internationally. She competed for the Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastic team and is the 2021 NCAA Champion on the balance beam. She represented Colombia at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Early life

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Blanco was born on November 18, 2001, in Los Angeles, California.[2] Her parents, Sandra Saavedra and Mario Blanco, are immigrants from Colombia.[1][3]

Gymnastics career

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2017–2019: Elite

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Blanco made her elite debut at the 2017 WOGA Classic. She did not compete in the all-around, but she posted the highest score of the competition on the balance beam, and she won silver with the WOGA team.[4] Then at the 2017 U.S. Classic, she tied with Kalyany Steele for the all-around bronze medal behind Alyona Shchennikova and Abby Paulson.[5] She then finished 12th all-around at the 2017 U.S. Championships.[6]

Blanco finished ninth all-around at the 2018 WOGA Classic and had the third-highest score on the balance beam.[7] Then at the International Gymnix in Montreal, she finished ninth in the all-around and on uneven bars and eighth on balance beam.[8] She also finished ninth all-around at the 2018 U.S. Classic.[9] She then finished 17th all-around at the 2018 U.S. Championships.[10] At the 2019 WOGA Classic, she competed on the uneven bars where she had the highest score of the meet and on the balance beam where she finished second behind Sloane Blakely.[11]

2020–2023: NCAA

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Blanco graduated from Lebanon Trail High School one semester early and joined the Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team in January 2020.[12] Her freshman season was cut short due the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] At the 2021 SEC Championships, she helped her team win the title, and individually, she won the all-around, vault, uneven bars and balance beam titles. She was named the 2021 SEC Gymnast of the Year.[14] She scored her first perfect 10 at the 2021 Regional semifinal on the balance beam.[15] At the 2021 NCAA Championships, she won the balance beam title with a score of 9.9625, and she finished second in the all-around behind Oklahoma's Anastasia Webb.[16]

At the 2022 SEC Championships, Blanco helped Alabama finish second behind Florida, and she placed second on the uneven bars behind Sunisa Lee. However, she injured her ankle on the balance beam.[17] The injury was minor, and she competed on three events at the 2022 NCAA Championships where Alabama was eliminated in the semifinals.[18] During the 2023 regular season, she scored three perfect 10s on the balance beam.[1] Then at the 2023 SEC Championships, she finished second in the all-around to help Alabama finish second behind Florida. Alabama failed to advance to the 2023 NCAA Championships, but Blanco qualified as an individual on the uneven bars and finished in second place.[19]

2023: Elite return

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In 2023, Blanco announced that she was returning to elite gymnastics and switching nationalities to represent Colombia. She began training at Midwest Gymnastics Center with Sunisa Lee's coach, Jess Graba.[3] She won the all-around and uneven bars titles at the 2023 Colombian Championships.[20] She was selected to represent Colombia at the 2023 Pan American Games where she helped the Colombian team place fifth.[21] Individually, Blanco qualified for the all-around final where she finished eighth with a total score of 50.099.[22] As the highest-placing athlete who was eligible for an Olympic berth, Blanco qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.[23][24]

2024: NCAA and Olympics

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Blanco announced on April 28, 2023, that she would be returning to the Alabama gymnastics team for her fifth and final year.[25] In Blanco's final home meet, which also celebrated senior night, she scored two perfect 10s, her first on vault and floor exercise.[26] She led her team to a second-place finish at the SEC Championships with scores above 9.900 on all four apparatuses.[27] Then at the NCAA Championships, she was one of four Alabama gymnasts who fell off the balance beam, leading to an eighth place finish.[28] She finished her NCAA career with 21 All-America honors, the most of any Alabama gymnast in program history.[29]

Blanco represented Colombia at the 2024 Summer Olympics. In the qualification round, she finished 30th in the all-around, but after applying the two-per-country rule, she took the 24th and final spot in the all-around final. She is the first Colombian artistic gymnast to reach an Olympic final.[30][31]

Competitive history

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Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Elite United States
2017 WOGA Classic 1st place, gold medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
U.S. Classic 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 13 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 12
U.S. National Championships 12 17 7 11
2018 WOGA Classic 9 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
International Gymnix 9 9 8
U.S. Classic 9 12 6 11
U.S. National Championships 17 19 17 14
2019 WOGA Classic 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
NCAA
2020 SEC Championships Canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the USA [13]
NCAA Championships
2021 SEC Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 5 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2022 SEC Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 12 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 7
NCAA & Elite Colombia
2023 SEC Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Colombian Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Pan American Games 5 8 7
2024 SEC Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 8 23 17 5 52 18
Olympic Games 23

Career perfect 10.0

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Season Date Event Meet
2021 April 2, 2021 Balance beam Regional semifinal
2023 February 4, 2023 Alabama vs Auburn
February 24, 2023 Alabama vs LSU
March 3, 2023 Alabama @ Missouri
2024 March 8, 2024 Vault & Floor exercise Alabama quad

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Luisa Blanco". Alabama Crimson Tide. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Blanco Luisa". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b Sandmaier, Christy (8 June 2023). "Alabama star Luisa Blanco Announces Plans to Compete for Colombia". Inside Gymnastics Magazine. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (20 February 2017). "2017 WOGA Classic Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  5. ^ "2017 U.S. Classic Meet Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 29 July 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  6. ^ "2017 P&G Championships – Women Day 2 Meet Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  7. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (18 February 2018). "2018 WOGA Classic Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  8. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (11 March 2018). "2018 International Gymnix Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  9. ^ "2018 GK U.S. Classic Meet Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  10. ^ "2018 U.S. Championships – Women Day 2 Meet Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  11. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (11 February 2019). "2019 WOGA Classic Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Luisa Blanco and Ella Burgess Sign with Alabama Gymnastics and Will Join the Crimson Tide in January". Alabama Crimson Tide. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  13. ^ a b "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships due to coronavirus concerns". NCAA. 13 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Alabama's Luisa Blanco Named 2021 SEC Gymnast of the Year". Sports Illustrated. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  15. ^ DiLullo (2 April 2021). "Luisa Blanco, Makarri Doggette score perfect 10s as Alabama gymnastics opens NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Alabama's Luisa Blanco and Lexi Graber Win NCAA Titles; Alabama Finishes 2021 Season in Fifth". Alabama Crimson Tide. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  17. ^ Rankin, Kim (19 March 2022). "Alabama Finishes Second in 2022 SEC Championship". Tide 100.9. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  18. ^ DiLullo, Mike (14 April 2022). "Alabama gymnastics season ends in NCAA Championships semifinals". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  19. ^ DiLullo, Mike (13 April 2023). "Alabama gymnastics star Luisa Blanco scores 9.95, falls short of individual national title". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  20. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (17 July 2023). "2023 2nd Colombian Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  21. ^ "XIX Juegos Panamericanos Santiago 2023 Women's Artistic Gymnastics Teams" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Santiago 2023. 22 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  22. ^ "XIX Juegos Panamericanos Santiago 2023 Women's Artistic Gymnastics All-Around Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Santiago 2023. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Luisa Blanco Earns Olympic Berth as Part of Team Colombia". Alabama Crimson Tide. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  24. ^ Walsh, Christopher (23 October 2023). "Alabama Gymnast Luisa Blanco Earns Spot in Summer Olympics". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Not Done Yet with Luisa Blanco". Alabama Crimson Tide. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Luisa Blanco Cements Legend Status With Two Perfect 10s in Final Home Meet". Sports Illustrated. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  27. ^ "No. 7 Alabama Finishes Second at 2024 SEC Championships". Alabama Crimson Tide. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  28. ^ "No. 8 Alabama Closes Season in NCAA Championships Semifinals". Alabama Crimson Tide. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  29. ^ Sandmaier, Christy (13 July 2024). "Paris-Bound for Colombia, Luisa Blanco's Dream Means More Than She Could Have Ever Imagined". Inside Gymnastics Magazine. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  30. ^ Windham, Katie (28 July 2024). "Luisa Blanco Earns Spot in Olympic Gymnastics All-Around Finals". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Former Alabama gymnast Luisa Blanco clinches spot in all-around final". AL.com. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
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