Joscelyn Roberson created her moment at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, despite injury: "I thought it was impossible."

In her final performance at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics on Sunday (30 June), inside Minneapolis’ Target Center, Joscelyn Roberson brought the house down.

Her floor exercise in the fourth rotation was captivating, powerful and capped two-days of eight-for-eight performances.

As Roberson hit her final pose – her head thrown back and arms raised – the tears started to flow, and the crowd erupted.

The 18-year-old’s emotions were still on full display as she was greeted by coach Cecile Landi, and the duo shared an extended embrace.

She hadn’t just met the moment, she had made one.

And it was one that earlier this year seemed like a dream that might have to wait four more years.

“My ankle was still really hurt, it hurt bad still in February,” Roberson, one of two traveling Team USA alternates for Paris 2024, told reporters less than 24 hours later, referring to an injury sustained during the final warm-ups for the team final at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. “It definitely was, ‘24’s not happening. You’re not going to get to the Olympic trials even’ because our team this year has so much depth.

“It was either you’re perfect or you’re not going to make it,” she concluded.

Roberson responded.

Shaking off tough performances at the American Classic and U.S. Classic in late April and mid-May, respectively, to finish 10th at the U.S. Championships and earn her a spot at the trials.

It was a fight that was as much mental as it was physical, she says.

“It was hard to battle mentally because it was hard for me to be like, ‘You’re fine. It’s just achy,’” she explained. “When January and February hit, and I was still having a lot of pain, I was really down on myself. My support team really pulled me back out of that and we figured it out.”

"I wantd to embrace whatever role I was put in."

Roberson’s last-minute injury in Antwerp threw Leanne Wong into the vault and floor lineups unexpectedly.

That – coupled with devastating injuries her teammates Shilese Jones, Skye Blakely and Kayla DiCello – gave her an up-close look at the importance of her role on the Paris squad.

“I have to be ready, I have to be ready to go in at any point and support them and make sure I’m physically ok and mentally ready to compete, even if they’re all looking seemingly perfect, happy, healthy,” Roberson said. “Because anything can happen at any point.”

And though it could be easy to be frustrated to come so close to her Olympic dream and missing out, Roberson doesn’t feel that way.

“I wanted to really embrace whatever role I was put in,” she said. “Being put in an alternate spot is hard, but I don’t want people to look at me and be like, ‘Oh, she was so close.’ I want them to look at me like, ‘She’s going to be their biggest supporter, she’s going to be ready if they need her, and she’s going to be screaming from the rooftops.’”

Possibilities abound

She’ll also be targeting the 2025 World Championships set Jakarta next October.

There could also be another, bigger goal down the road, too.

“I already wanted to do worlds next year,” says Roberson, who is set to compete for the University of Arkansas when the season starts in January. “I think LA28 is definitely on the table. I’m excited to see how college and elite rolls, I’m not putting anything for sure, but it’s definitely in the air.”

So is possibility, it seems.

“That I can do anything,” Roberson said of what the last eight months since her injury had taught her. “This was… I thought it was impossible. I want to stress how much I didn’t think this year would happen.

“It was hard mentally, but being able to keep pushing and keep going,” she continued, “it really showed me how strong I actually am.”