Career
Hong qualified to Junior Elite status in 2004 and made the United States Junior National Championships at age eleven. While she was not successful in making the national team, she had nonetheless made her mark on the United States gymnastics scene. A year later, she qualified to the national team. She did so again in 2006, earning a solid 5th place in the all-around and a bronze medal on beam.
Hong became a Senior International Elite in 2007. She was part of the American team which won gold in the Pan-American Games in Brazil. Hong also won a bronze medal in the all-around at this competition. Hong's strong showing at this competition and the U.S. Nationals qualified her to the World Championships team where she again won gold as a member of the United States team.
Hong earned a spot on the 2008–2009 U.S. Senior National team, and competed for a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. Hong offered clean lines and tremendous form throughout the selection process, but did not earn a particularly high mark on any of the four pieces of apparatus, making it difficult for her to contribute in the team finals format where only the top three gymnasts on each event compete. Hong's skill as an all-around athlete without a weak event enabled her to be named, along with Jana Bieger and Corrie Lothrop, as one of three alternates for the U.S. Olympic team.
Following the Olympics, Hong left her former gym and moved to WOGA to train with Valeri Liukin.
Hong finished second in the all-around at the 2009 U. S. National Championships with a total score of 117.250 in Dallas, Texas. Ivana also won the national title on balance beam with a total score of 30.350 (15.150 on Day 1 and 15.200 on Day 2.) She also won the vault, scoring 14.700 on Day 1 and 15.250 on Day 2 (total 29.950) to edge out Bridget Sloan by a 0.05 margin.
At the 2009 World Championships in London, Ivana scored a 14.550 on balance beam to win the bronze medal on the event. This accomplishment made medalists of all four American gymnasts (Bridget Sloan, Kayla Williams and Rebecca Bross in addition to Hong) in the women's competition.
In early March 2010, Hong suffered a torn ACL in her right knee. The injury occurred at the national team training camp as she was landing a vault. She had surgery and was out for several months.
As of 2012, Hong has retired from international and senior competition. She now competes at NCAA level for Stanford University.
Read more about this topic: Ivana Hong
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