UCLA gymnast Ohashi broke the internet with her routine. And she’s from Washington

One of the most talked about performances from the weekend did not occur in a NFL playoff game, on a basketball court or hockey rink. It came from a UCLA gymnast from the Seattle area.

Katelyn Ohashi, performing at the 2019 Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim, blew up social media on Saturday after her floor routine to various songs including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The video has had close to 20 million views on Twitter. Ohashi gained new fans from The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill, 2020 presidential hopeful Kamala Harris and actress Valerie Bertinelli.

There is more to Ohashi’s story than just dance routines and flips. Ohashi has dealt with debilitating back injuries that took her out of elite competitions and veered her onto the collegiate gymnastics path. She’s also been an advocate for body positivity after battling body image issues in her life.

In a time where the sport of gymnastics has been gaining headlines for all the wrong reasons, Ohashi’s routine, which many have described as “beyond perfect” has given the sport some positive news for a change.

This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 11:14 AM.