Chippewa Valley Times

Jessie DeZiel, head gymnastics coach at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, is actively following the U.S. gymnastics team’s performance at the Paris Olympic Games. As a member of the Team USA Gymnastics Athletes' Council/Selection Committee, DeZiel played a crucial role in selecting the women's team, which includes five members and two alternates.

"I will be watching every single women's gymnastics competition, cheering my heart out for these incredible people and athletes that have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are now," DeZiel stated. "I got up at 4:30 a.m. Sunday to watch the qualification round. They did awesome and I am looking forward to team finals on Tuesday."

DeZiel also participated in selecting the team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where the U.S. team secured two individual gold medals and an overall silver medal despite pandemic-related restrictions. Four members of this year's team also competed in Tokyo.

"After having to compete at the Olympics during the pandemic, it is so incredible that they will get the full Olympic experience; it is well deserved for them all," DeZiel remarked.

In her fourth year as UW-Eau Claire's head gymnastics coach, DeZiel brings extensive experience from her time as a nine-time All-American at the University of Nebraska and as a gold medalist at the 2011 Pan American Games. She has been involved with USA Gymnastics since 2019 and noted that selecting this year’s Olympic team was challenging due to the high level of talent displayed during June's Olympic Trials in Minneapolis.

"Selecting any team is always hard," she said. "All these athletes work so hard for a spot, and it is absolutely heartbreaking when we only get to choose five athletes."

Under DeZiel's leadership, UW-Eau Claire’s gymnastics teams have achieved significant success, including producing a national champion and three All-Americans while setting multiple program records.

Jason Verdugo, UW-Eau Claire director of athletics, praised DeZiel's contributions: "The quality of our coaches is undoubtedly one of our greatest strengths in our department, and Jessie certainly falls into that category. The gymnastics program experienced some tremendous growth last year, and I anticipate we will continue to see that moving forward."