“Thank you all for your hard work day in and out to make this tour special. Until next time, my friends, take care and enjoy your next adventure” was the message Simone Biles got on her GOAT tour from a man who had to make an early exit after his injury. In the images that came out later, he could be seen using arm crutches during his recovery period. It turns out that he had suffered an Achilles tendon injury. It has been around 8 months now, and he has recovered enough to perform. And as fans continue to wait for his victory comeback, the government, too, has a message for him.
The athlete at the center of the story is Donnell Whittenburg, the US powerhouse gymnast who has been changing the narrative for almost a decade now. His accolades include a bronze medal on vault at the 2015 World Championships and a team bronze at the 2014 World Championships. Back home, he won the U.S. national title on rings in 2015, 2016, 2022, and 2023, and secured the vault title in 2024.
“GETTING AFTER IT!“, big bold words with an exclamation, that is how excited USA gymnastics was too, one of their gymnasts back in his old form. In a video posted by Donnell Whittenburg on X on May 20, 2025, the man could be seen entering the frame, not traditionally, but in true gymnast fashion. He front-flipped into it, landing on the padding of foam.
He captioned, “It’s about time #recovery #achilles #gym #gymnastics,” and it wasn’t just one video; it was many. The man ad posted a compilation of videos, with SUPER-Hi’s Feeling Good in the background of doing multiple of those flips, attempting to perfect them. In some, he landed well enough, and in some, he did end up with a little rough landing. All that to check how far his Achilles can let him go.
The injury occurred during the Salt Lake City stop of the tour. In his statement, he expressed the difficulty of stepping away, but emphasized that “health comes first.” At the time, fellow gymnast Jade Carey commented, “you’re the best don don!!” while Katelyn Ohashi promised to keep Whittenburg in their thoughts whenever they stepped on stage, saying, “you are such a bright light don! thinking of you every time we step on the floor!”
Even Simone Biles stepped in. She responded to Whittenburg’s heartfelt Instagram post with white heart emojis. These two have been representing the USA for a long time now and have been great teammates.
Donnell Whittenburg and Simone Biles together
In April 2016, Simone Biles and Donnell Whittenburg showcased their exceptional talents at the Pacific Rim Championships in Everett, Washington. Simone dominated the women’s all-around competition with a score of 62.450, clinching gold in the vault (15.800), balance beam (15.550), and floor exercise (16.050), while securing third on uneven bars (15.050). Donnell contributed significantly to the U.S. men’s team’s success, which earned a total score of 355.950. Individually, he secured silver in the all-around with a score of 87.200, highlighted by top scores on rings (15.700) and parallel bars (15.600).
in 2024 and Simone Biles walked out of the Paris Olympics as the most decorated gymnast ever, she started the Gold Over America Tour (GOAT), an exhibition celebrating gymnastics. An exhibition that brought together America’s top Olympians to celebrate gymnastics in a fresh, electrifying way. The tour gave fans a chance to see Simone’s gravity-defying skills and Donnell’s raw power in a more relaxed, exciting setting, proving that gymnastics was not only about medals but also about joy, creativity, and connection.
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