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Madison Kocian became well known to the world during the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio. She was the uneven bars specialist of the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s artistic gymnastics team known as the “Final Five.”
In addition to contributing to Team USA’s top finish in the team competition, Kocian also medaled on uneven bars, earning silver.
Five years since the gymnast became an Olympic medalist, she is now retired from the sport, making the announcement in an Instagram post. But it hasn’t been too long since she last donned a leotard and competed in the sport.
Kocian is a UCLA Alumna
After competing for the U.S. at the 2016 Games, Kocian enrolled at UCLA, where she was also a member of the gymnastics team. She competed for the Bruins for four seasons — her final season in 2020 being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two-time Olympic medalist retired from gymnastics afterward.
During her time as a student-athlete at UCLA, Kocian struggled with injuries. But she earned two perfect 10s on uneven bars and contributed to the Bruins’ 2018 national title.
Kocian’s athlete page on UCLA Athletics notes that she became the second-ever female gymnast to win an NCAA, World and Olympic championship — the first to accomplish such a feat was her teammate Kyla Ross, a member of the 2012 “Fierce Five” gymnastics team. Jordyn Wieber, another member of the “Fierce Five,” was also a part of the UCLA gymnastics program at the time; Wieber was a volunteer assistant coach tasked with coaching floor.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Kocian graduated from the university in 2020, majoring in psychology and pre-medicine. Her profile also includes a mention of her orthopedic medicine interest.
A Los Angeles Daily News article mentioned that the Olympian “enjoys the problem-solving aspect of working with injured athletes” and has plans to become a physician assistant.
She Has a Line of Gymnastics Leotards
While Kocian is no longer spending a significant amount of her time wearing, working out and training in a leotard now that she is retired, she has channeled her creativity to design leotards of her own.
Kocian has collaborated with the youth sportswear company Sylvia P on a line of gymnastics leotards. Her newest collection debuted earlier this summer.
In an Instagram post, Kocian revealed that one of the inspirations behind her leotard design was the way she can help empower the next generation of gymnasts and other girls in sports.
Kocian Remains Involved with Gymnastics as a Summer Camp Coach
Kocian has been using her experience and expertise to help train young gymnasts across the country. On Instagram, she shared a set of photos from various gymnastics camps she has helped out at this summer.
Among the camps Kocian has visited this summer include Beam Queen Bootcamp, created by 2008 Olympian and UCLA gymnastics alumna Samantha Peszek, and Camp Woodward, whose gymnastics program was recently re-designed by 2012 and 2016 Olympian Aly Raisman.
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