On Saturday (August 9), Asher Hong made history at the Smoothie King Center, scoring 170.020 points to claim his second all-around title at the 2025 Xfinity Gymnastics Championships. But the numbers only tell part of the story. Hong also topped the floor (30.016 over two days), rings (29.286), and vault (29.594) events. His vault victory, paired with meeting the minimum difficulty requirement, secured him an automatic spot on the world team. Joining him on the roster are Brody Malone, Kameron Nelson, Patrick Hopes, and Brandon Dang — along with another gymnastics standout who earned a place on the list and drew attention for entirely different reasons.
Donnell Whittenburg wasn’t about to back down at the Xfinity Gymnastics Championships. Last September, while touring with Simone Biles’s GOAT show, he got hit with an injury and made the tough call to step away. By May, he announced he was coming back — which meant he had just three months to get ready for Xfinity. No wonder fans were on edge about whether he’d make Team USA for the Jakarta World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. But in true Whittenburg fashion, he pulled it off, auto-qualifying on rings. Now, the 30-year-old from Baltimore is gearing up for his fifth Worlds, rocking the Stars and Stripes — and proving along the way that his grit is the real deal.
On Saturday, Donnell Whittenburg was looking set to lock in his spot on the team with the rings. It should’ve been smooth sailing — but things took a wild turn when he had a slip-up on the same event. Still, the way he handled it was pure resilience. Here’s the deal: Donnell brought back his signature move, a piked triple back dismount off the rings. But mid-routine, luck bailed on him. His grip slipped, and for a split second, it looked like he was headed for a nasty fall. Somehow, the veteran fought tooth and nail to save himself — and just about pulled it off.
As the broadcast showed, Whittenburg made a last-ditch grab for the ring mid-air. He almost had it — but gravity wasn’t having it, and down he went. By then, though, gymnastics fans had already seen the whole thing unfold. Over on Instagram, they rallied behind him when Planet of Gymnastics posted the clip. One fan summed it up perfectly: “I legit commend his perseverance to this sport .” And honestly, perseverance is nothing new for the former Pan Am Games champ. Just last June, he even shared a clip on X of himself drilling that same signature move on the rings.
In the caption of that post, Donnell Whittenburg wrote, “Haven’t landing this one in years, “The Whittenburg” is back !” Two months later, he was pulling off the same move at Xfinity — and punching his ticket to Worlds. So, what’s the secret to that kind of resilience? Well, on Saturday, he re-shared the clip of his fall on his Instagram story, writing, “Still upset about that, but I’m perfectly fine after this So too my guardian angel.” That pretty much says it all about the world championship medalist’s grit. And let’s be real — gymnastics fans weren’t shy about getting emotional after watching him pour in that kind of superhuman effort.
The gymnastics fans find it difficult to believe at the Xfinity Championships
“ oh my gosh! So glad he is okay!!” one fan wrote on Instagram — and yes, Donnell Whittenburg is perfectly fine, as he’s confirmed. Thankfully, his Achilles didn’t flare up this time, and we all know why. Still, the comments section turned into a mini masterclass on gymnastics.
One fan broke it down: “The air awareness is unreal for gymnast. I wish there was a way to teach this skill.. from what I gather, they can literally see everything as they’re in the air. They trained their brains to be able to pick out even details mid air and mid rotation. Supernatural so cool.” It’s not just muscle memory; it’s awareness — the kind that can save you on the mat and in real life.
Credit: Instagram/ Donnell Whittenburg
As another fan put it, “Im always glad when we learn to save ourselves in uncomfortable/ insecure moments. Yall sleep on him.” That kind of resilience is exactly what gymnastics legend Kathy Johnson Clarke praised Whittenburg for last year. And then came the jaw-droppers in the comments: “That was intentional?! Holy smokes!” Turns out, Donnell made it look so controlled, some fans thought it was part of the plan.
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