Who is Ondine Achampong? Meet the NCAA Gymnast whose comeback from devastating injury was derailed again

| Global Sports Desk | TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Jan 7, 2026, 17:00 IST

Ondine Achampong has emerged as one of the most promising gymnasts at the young age of 21. After working her way up, she had set her sights on competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics; however, her momentum was derailed by an ACL injury in April 2024.

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This led to her missing one of the biggest opportunities. Instead of being disappointed, Achampong put in the effort and had a strong comeback in gymnastics in 2025, setting the tone for the upcoming 2025 NCAA season.

Early days and rise as a promising NCAA Gymnast

Ondine Achampong is an English native who began her tenure in gymnastics at age 7, with her parents being a major contributor to her athletic career. The athlete from England is known to have trained 30 hours a week at the Aylesbury Gymnastics Academy. Moreover, she has also credited her coaches, Molly and Joshua Richardson, for her early rise that led her to make her international senior stage debut in 2020.

Following that, she participated in notable competitions like the Melbourne World Cup, European Championships in Munich, Cairo World Cup, and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In all those competitions, Achampong has clinched bronze, silver, and gold medals. Before her injury in 2024, she rose to prominence in the British championships and became a national champion in all-around, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.

How was Ondine Achampong's tenure in 2025?

Ondine Achampong returned from her injury in early 2025 and competed for Cal on uneven bars and balance beam. She scored a 9.775 on beam, earning her a regular spot on bars and beams, and also became one of the best performances from that team. Following that, Achampong claimed a 9.925 on beam, which was a career record for her and helped her team earn a major finish. Overall, she had an impressive year after coming back from a tough injury.

Did Ondine Achampong suffer the same injury that took away her Olympic dreams in 2024?

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However, during her performance at the University of California, Berkeley, in November 2025, Ondine Achampong had a similar setback that she had gone through in 2024. During the intrasquad training for the four scheduled events, the 21-year-old athlete had a partial tear in her ACL, injuring the same knee as before. Despite her efforts to push through the injury, an examination by her medical team has determined that she needs to undergo surgery. Achampong later stated, “I landed a bar dismount at one of our final control competitions at Lilleshall and following an MRI scan, it was discovered that I’ve torn my ACL.”