HERRIMAN, Utah — 20-year-old Kaden Brown has been participating in competitive gymnastics and the associated "power tumbling" training for half of his life.
This past weekend, all of that hard work paid off at the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.
“The event I just went to, World Games, basically serves as the Olympics for non-Olympic disciplines,” said Brown, who qualified for the event previously. “I still can’t believe that I actually did that, so it’s insane.”
On the final pass of the final competition at the World Games, Brown made a pass that won him a gold medal.
“After I landed my pass, I knew that it probably would be enough to get the gold,” said Brown. “I kind of wanted to wait until it was official, and once that score popped up and the crowd went crazy, it was amazing.”
Visibly emotional after landing his pass, Brown recalls the support from the Team U.S.A. fans cheering him on at the event.
“An incredible athlete indeed,” a commentator for the World Games remarked.
READ: Utah's Kaden Brown brings home tumbling gold from World Cup
Brown came back home to Utah a gold medalist. Initially, he thought he would consider retiring from competition after the sole achievement of competing in the World Games.
“I don’t think I’m going to be done yet. I have a lot more to give to the sport; I’m not quite ready to be done,” said Brown, who coaches at Wasatch Trampoline and Tumbling in Draper. “I love passing down what I’ve learned on to the younger generation, and hopefully they can get to where I’m at one day.”
According to U.S.A. Gymnastics, Brown’s gold is the first in men’s tumbling for the United States at the World Games since 1993.
