CHAMPLIN, Minn. (KMSP) - Minnesota gymnast Grace McCallum received a big homecoming celebration after she helped Team USA win gold at the World Gymnastics Championships in Qatar last week.
Thursday night, McCallum's home gym, the Twin City Twisters in Champlin, Minn., held a ceremony in her honor. After showing off her gold medal, McCallum signed autographs and posed for photos. McCallum says her training with the Twisters over the years helped her build the confidence to peform at such a high level.
"I definitely knew I had the potential to," said McCallum. "[The Twisters] had Maggie Nichols come through and she you know did some big things here."
McCallum of Isanti, Minn. celebrated her 16th birthday during the World Gymnastics Championships. She performed the vault and floor exercise during the team competition to help USA take first place. She called it a once in a lifetime experience, made more memorable by the connections she made with her fellow Team USA gymnasts.
"Definitely being with the girls they’re all so inspiring and they work hard," said McCallum. "It was just an amazing experience."
Her teammate Simone Biles made history at Worlds by becoming the first American woman to win four all-around titles at the World Championship Gymnastics.
"[Biles] is super fun and uplifting and positive and she really pushes you hard in the gym to be your best," she said.
It's only two years until the Olympics in Tokyo, but McCallum says she's taking it all one step at a time.