BALTIMORE — Kyrstin Johnson started her collegiate gymnastics career at Talladega College, an HBCU in Alabama and only the second HBCU to have a gymnastics program.
The Baltimore gymnast quickly made history.
"I became a four time all American, 2024 USA vault champion, I was the first HBCU gymnast to win an event title," Johnson said.
Kyrstin Johnson: Baltimore gymnast goes viral twice, inspiring young girls to embrace their authentic selves
Despite the team winning awards and making history, the gymnastics program was cut from the university the following year.
"We all thought that we were going to be going back to Talladega and then all of a sudden the rug just got snatched," Johnson said.
Johnson transferred to Temple University in Pennsylvania, and in 2025, not one but two of her floor routines went viral on social media.
"Surreal, mind blowing, just a blessing because like what you just stated, I didn't think it was going to go viral," Johnson said.
"I just really wanted to show my highs and lows, not everything is just perfect but people saw it and they just saw the culture and the love that I really put into that routine and it just went spiraling and I'm just really happy that people enjoyed it," Johnson said.
Her routines showcased her personality and expressed Black culture through music and intentional moves — some even familiar to Baltimoreans.
"You know I had to represent my city, so whether it was doing like little cut cut moves, just grateful that my people like from my city they were able to see everything that I put into my routines, every thought every dance move," Johnson said.
The routines generated so much positive feedback that Johnson was invited to light the torch and perform her routine at the Gotham FC Girls in Sports Day Fun Run, becoming the first gymnast to do so.
"The fact that I was actually able to bring a performance out in the rain and in the cold for people to see it was just really cool like I actually felt the support that I was getting from a different audience," Johnson said.
While receiving support and positivity online, Johnson says she still had to deal with the mental and emotional toll that comes with the sport, making her a strong advocate for mental health.
"Making sure that you check on your athlete, you kid, your teammates whatever it is because I went through twistes, mental blocks and I feel like that is really not talked about enough in mental health because gymnastics is actually more of a mental sport than physical crazy enough," Johnson said.
Johnson is now in the transfer portal, setting her sights on a new team while hoping her authenticity continues to inspire other young gymnasts to be themselves.
"I'm still going to be giving back and helping out these kids because they're one of the reasons why I got to where I am," Johnson said.
Johnson says she also plans to start a nonprofit and share more of her journey with others.
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