Athlete A is introducing many people to the world of women's gymnastics, beyond what they see every four years at the Olympics. While the documentary exposed much of the ugly side of the gymnastics world, and all of the work that needs to be done to correct it, watching the sport in action will remind you why so many athletes fell in love with it in the first place. So, here are 16 gymnastics Instagram accounts to follow if you want to add some magic to your feed.
Some of the accounts are elite and NCAA athletes at the top of the sport today. Other accounts worthy of a follow are of the notable collegiate programs that dominate the national championships year after year. On the different profiles, you'll see astounding videos of competitive routines, snapshots from practice in the gym, and candids of these athletes simply living their lives.
Right now, the spotlight is shining on women's gymnastics, primarily due to the popularity of Athlete A, but of course, there are plenty of stars in the world of men's gymnastics who are worth following as well. A good place to start would be Trevor Howard, Sam Mikulak, Akash Modi, Yul Moldauer, and Shane Wiskus — just a few of the favorites to compete for the U.S. in the Tokyo Olympics next year.
Below, check out the leaders in women's gymnastics who will make your IG feed both more beautiful and more badass:
Biles is basically the queen of U.S. gymnastics. She's won over 25 world medals (19 of them gold), which is the most in gymnastics history. Her Instagram has lots of gymnastics content, but also a bunch of personal pics that give you a more rounded sense of her life. In 2018, she used Instagram to come forward about experiencing abuse from USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Today, her IG continues to inspire others.
Raisman is a retired gymnast, but she's still a great athlete to follow on IG. She's the third-most decorated Olympic gymnast in American history — behind Biles and Shannon Miller. She was another one of the women who came forward about Nassar's abuse, and now uses her social media to advocate for social change.
Nichols was the "Athlete A" in the Netflix documentary about the sex abuse scandal within USA Gymnastics, but her contributions to the sport extend even beyond her bravery displayed in Athlete A. After leaving elite gymnastics, she went on to have an extraordinarily successful gymnastics career at the University of Oklahoma, which led her to become known as "the Michael Jordan of college gymnastics."
Hurd is a Tokyo Olympic hopeful. She has competed in two world championships, and won the American Cup in 2018 and 2020. She documents her breathtaking skill on her IG account often.
McCusker earned team and uneven bars gold medals at the 2019 Pan American Games, and it's no wonder why when you see what she's capable of. She's another Tokyo hopeful, so you could say she's one to watch.
DiCello turned 16 in January, which means she's finally eligible to compete at the Olympics in Tokyo, if she makes the team. She was the only American woman to win individual medals at the 2019 junior world championships, and went on to win the silver medal in her senior debut at the American World Cup. Her IG documents all of the "upgrades" she's making to her skills in the sport.
Carey has a great shot of making it to the Tokyo Olympics, since she's been a member of the U.S. women's national gymnastics team since 2017, and her vault and floor routines are remarkably difficult. She's a current resident of Arizona, but her IG shows she gets to travel the world plenty while competing.
Lee is a 2019 world team champion, floor exercise silver medalist, and uneven bars bronze medalist. Between the videos of her gymnastics routines, pics with her legendary gymnastics friends, and fun selifes, Lee's IG provides an interesting look into her life overall.
Downie is a 28-year-old gymnast from England who competed at both the 2008 and 2016 Sumner Olympics. She's basically a legend in UK gymnastics, and isn't afraid to show off her medals on social media.
Ellie Downie, 20, is the younger sister of Becky. She made history in her career by becoming the first British gymnast to win the all-around at a major international competition when she won the 2017 European Championships.
If Dennis looks familiar, it might be because her Beyoncé-themed floor routine went viral early in 2020. The meet-winning 9.975 floor routine has gotten more than 20 million views in total, and landed her a guest spot on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She's currently a UCLA gymnast, but she previously competed on the U.S. National Team from 2013 to 2015.
Ohahshi is a six-time All-American gymnast, four-time USA National Team member, and UCLA competitor. In college, she set the record by being named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week 10 times in her career. She went viral in January 2019 for her first perfect 10 on the floor at the Collegiate Challenge. Although she's retired from gymnastics, her Insta is def worth a follow because it captures her fun personality. Plus, she's got two books coming out, so her future is looking bright.
Oklahoma Gymnastics was the top-ranked program in the nation in 2020 before the collegiate gymnastics season was cut short due to the coronavirus. This is where Nichols attended, so you know the caliber of their program is high. The organization's IG account features pics of the team's highlights through the years, as well as competition videos that are awe-inspiring.
UCLA has long been another top performing program to keep an eye on. The team won the NCAA Championship in 2018 (after quite the impressive comeback), and is a consistent next step after the Olympics for many gymnasts (such as Madison Kocian, Kyla Ross, and volunteer assistant coach Jordyn Wieber). UCLA gymnasts are known for their entertaining and lighthearted floor routines, and its social profile shows the team has an awful lot of fun during the season.
The University of Florida gymnastics team is another collegiate program that's consistently ranked in the top three nationwide. Their last championship title win was in 2015, but their gymnasts are nothing short of remarkably talented.
In a sport in which most of the star athletes are under 30, Chusovitina serves as an inspiration to many. The 45-year-old has competed in seven Olympic games across three national teams (Soviet Union, Uzbekistan, and Germany), and she's preparing to compete in her eighth Olympics in Tokyo come 2021.
