Five surgeries. One foot. Zero excuses. That’s the kind of headline gymnastics star Isabella Cheryl Edralin could put on her autobiography someday, and honestly, we’d all read it cover to cover. If you’ve followed youth gymnastics, you’ve probably heard whispers about this tough-as-nails Virginia Beach athlete. The girl had five metatarsal surgeries on the same foot. Yup, same bone. Five times. Most would’ve retired after the second. Maybe the third. But Isabella? She kept showing up, boot, crutches, ice packs, and all. And now, after years of grinding through pain, setbacks, and comebacks, she just made the announcement fans were hoping for.
And she did it in style. Last night, on 20th June, Isabella hit Instagram with a royal-blue sparkle leotard and a caption that made it official: “I’m beyond excited to announce that I’ll be continuing both my athletic and academic career at the University of Kentucky! A huge thank you to Coach Tim, Coach Rachel, Coach Chad, and Coach Raena for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity… I can’t wait to be a part of the Big Blue Nation! Go Wildcats!! ”
The post came with a graphic from @collegecommitedits_ and a series of photos that looked straight out of a UK media day shoot. Fans? Losing it. Coaches? Celebrating. And Isabella? Beaming, because this moment was a long time coming. She knows it was her love from a very early age. And that’s why she started dancing at age four, then fell in love with rhythmic gymnastics, the ribbons, the hoops, the jump rope.
Then in 2014, a coach spotted her mid-practice and asked, “Have you ever tried artistic gymnastics?” That invitation changed everything. She took one class, had the time of her life, and never looked back. Ever since, she’s trained at Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia, the same legendary gym that helped shape Olympians.
Well, now Isabella Cheryl Edralin is homeschooled, part of the Class of 2025, and has a 3.6667 GPA, all while rebuilding herself through five foot surgeries and a major knee reconstruction. And still, here she is: a Level 10 gymnast, Nationals qualifier, and now, a proud University of Kentucky commit. Her beam is confident and composed, her bars sharp and fluid. Kentucky coaches saw what we all see now, a gymnast who doesn’t quit. Is she 100% okay now after all the injuries? Honestly, maybe…
Gymnastics tested her limits, but she turned every setback into fuel
A bone that breaks like bad deja vu hasn’t broken her spirit. At just 18, Edralin’s fearless standout has shattered and re-shattered the same fifth metatarsal so many times that the operating room practically counts as a second gym. You’d think five-foot surgeries and a full knee reconstruction would make anyone hang up their grips, but she hobbled straight out of her October 2023 procedure, boot and all, and still punched a ticket to Level-10 Nationals, proof that stubbornness can be a superpower in gymnastics.
The medical chart reads like a binge-watch of Edralin’s Anatomy. Early 2023: major knee rebuild. October 3, 2023: a sickening “pop” on a beam dismount, diagnosed as yet another Jones fracture. Three days later: fresh hardware, six months prescribed in a boot. She spent that “downtime” on an Alter-G treadmill and vlogging every setback so younger gymnasts could see exactly what comeback grit looks like.
And the receipts? Date-stamped April 12, 2025. Barely 4½ months post-op, she stormed Region 7 with a 38.050 all-around (9.725 bars, 9.500 beam) to clinch a Nationals berth in Salt Lake City. Next up: finish homeschool finals, relocate to Lexington for summer bridge classes, and aim for an NCAA bars/beam debut in January 2026, vault and floor to follow once that now “fully ossified” fracture line proves bullet-proof through SEC preseason. If surgery No. 6 ever calls? History says she’ll answer…and still stick the landing, which is exactly what gymnastics mats are made for.
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