U.S. gymnast Donnell Whittenburg on his continuing quest for the Olympic Games
The 28-year-old American, who will make his 2023 season debut this week in Cairo, has dreams of Paris 2024, helping lead the U.S. squad.
Artistic Gymnastics
U.S. gymnast Donnell Whittenburg’s quest to become an Olympian continues this week as his 2023 season kicks off at the International Gymnastics Federation World Cup in Cairo, Egypt.
It’s a journey that could have ended years ago. It could have ended after he was named a U.S. alternate to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio or after he missed out on the team for Tokyo 2020 in 2021.
But Whittenburg, 28, still wants to be here, still wants to be fighting for that ultimate dream of his.
“I wanna obviously make the Olympic Games,” Whittenburg told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview prior to leaving for the World Cup. “That’s still something I haven’t crossed off the check list.
“But also, there was something that my mom told me,” he continued, “She was like, ‘As long as you're healthy and you can still do it, you might as well keep going as long as you can.’ I kind of really took that to heart.”
Donnell Whittenburg: Resetting, again
In 2022, Whittenburg was resurgent. He made it to the all-around podium at the U.S. Championships for the first time since 2017, finishing second to Tokyo 2020 Olympian Brody Malone.
“For me, I was really helped by competing at the Bundesliga in Germany,” Whittenburg said of his 2022 success that included making the still rings final at the World Championships, in addition to his domestic triumphs. “That was just good to go out there and go to stressless competitions and kind of see where I stand, and also get those necessary reps in that helped me prepare for the season.
“I feel like that played a big part,” he concluded.
His friendship with Dutch gymnast Casimir Schmidt also played a big part. Whittenburg and Schmidt have been on the world stage together nearly their whole careers with Schmidt making his Worlds debut in 2013 and Whittenburg a year later in 2014.
But both are yet to compete at the Olympic Games. Their dream, now, is to do it together at Paris 2024.
“That’s my guy,” Whittenburg said of Schmidt, who recently finished 15th in the all-around at the European Championships. “Various friends told me to keep going, but after he told me and we had a conversation about 'we both haven’t made the Olympics Games', that was the big goal for us.
“I was like, ‘Man, that’ll be really cool if we both go there and go compete for our country,” he concluded.
Donnell Whittenburg: A changed perspective
With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games some 15 months away, Whittenburg begins his 2023 season Thursday (27 April). It’s the first time he’s competed since the World Championships in November 2022.
His goals in Egypt are modest. Whittenburg says he’s using the event as part of his trial for the U.S. squad at the upcoming Pan Am Championships next month.
“Just hit routines, that’s all I can ever ask for,” he told us.
He also wants to be a leader for a young U.S. team after the retirement of veterans like Sam Mikulak in recent years. It’s part of what motivates him to continue.
“I have a lot to give to the sport. Not just the gymnastics, but wisdom, as well,” Whittenburg said. “Being able to be a leader for the U.S. men’s team, try to guide these young guys coming up as best as I can. I feel like I can give so much value to them to help better the program.”
He laughs when asked how he’s changed over his three different Olympic cycles.
“Certain things aren’t as important as they were when you’re younger and when you’re growing up, you realise you have different values that you really cherish,” he explained. “[I used to be] trying to be the cool kid and stuff like that, having all these flashy clothes. But now, that’s the stuff that doesn’t really matter to me.
“It’s more about the connections you make,” continued Whittenburg, “and spending time with your family and really cherishing every moment that you get to have an opportunity to do something like this. So, I never really take those for granted.”