'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
"I was just crying" - Helen Hu makes feelings known about coming out of retirement and being shocked on becoming NCAA Champion
Helen Hu has had a dream run at the current NCAA Championships being held at Fort Worth in Texas. The 23-year-old gymnast missed a chance to score a near perfect score in the balance beam category.
Hu's performance was not only enough to win her the NCAA championship in balance beam, but also catapulted her team, the Missouri Tigers, to the finals.
In an interview with ESPN after the astounding performance, Hu opened up about coming out of retirement, and her disbelief on becoming the NCAA champion in balance beam. Notably, 2025 is Hu's final year of eligibilty as a collegiate gymnast, and she wasn't expecting a grand comeback like this.
"If someone had told me last year I would be back on the team, I probably would have laughed in their face. I was done, I was happy with my life. I had accomplished enough and closed that chapter. I missed it, but not in a 'I wish I could go back' kind of way. I had moved on... But now, I'm here and my motto all season has just been to have fun," Hu said.
The gymnast further talked about her reaction when she achieved a perfect 10 a couple of months ago.
"I just was in complete shock," Hu said. "My knees buckled a little bit and I started crying, and I'm not an easily emotional person, but I was just so shocked that it was happening and I was so grateful."
Helen Hu and her team i.e. the Missouri Tigers will now be competing for the top honors tonight at the finals of the NCAA Championships.
Helen Hu reveals why she missed a chance at scoring the Perfect 10 at the NCAA Championships 2025
![Helen Hu in action at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships [Semifinals] 2025 [Image Source: Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/badfa-17450239339690-1920.jpg)
Helen Hu left everyone stunned with her brilliant performance in the balance beam category at the NCAA Championships [Semifinals]. However, she missed the perfect 10 by a whisker, scoring 9.9875 in the balance beam out of a total of 10 points.
In the post-match interview, Hu reflected on her performance as she said,
"Gymnastics is subjective, subjective. So I mean, my dismount was really close. I think my toes might have scraped the edge of the beam before I landed. My split 3/4 sometimes doesn't hit a full 180 long enough. You could even argue my turn that when I put my foot down is a little bit to the side today, Stuff like that. I'm proud of it. But like you could, you could take off any of those things. And those are all things that I work on and I focus on and I feel it when I do it. And so, you know, it's I don't, I'm not entitled to a 10 from every judge. So I'm OK with that."
The finals of the NCAA Championships will be broadcast tonight on the ABC channel. Missouri Tigers, UCLA Bruins, Utah Red Rocks, and Oklahoma Sooners will be competing for the top honors.
Trending
