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Donnell Whittenburg

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Donnell Whittenburg
Whittenburg at the 2024 Winter Cup
Personal information
Full nameDonnell Whittenburg
Born (1994-08-18) August 18, 1994 (age 32)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented
Gym
Head coach
Anthony Ingrelli
Former coaches
Vitaly Marinich, Abdul Mammeri
Eponymous skillsWhittenburg (still rings)
Medal record
Men's artistic gymnastics
Representing  United States
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Championships 1 0 2
Pan American Games 3 3 1
Pacific Rim Championships 3 2 0
Pan American Championships 0 1 0
Total 7 6 3
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2025 JakartaRings
Bronze medal – third place2014 NanningTeam
Bronze medal – third place2015 GlasgowVault
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place2015 TorontoTeam
Gold medal – first place2023 SantiagoTeam
Gold medal – first place2023 SantiagoRings
Silver medal – second place2015 TorontoFloor
Silver medal – second place2015 TorontoRings
Silver medal – second place2015 TorontoVault
Bronze medal – third place2023 SantiagoAll-around
Pan American Championships
Silver medal – second place2021 Rio de JaneiroTeam
Pacific Rim Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 EverettTeam
Gold medal – first place2016 EverettRings
Gold medal – first place2016 EverettParallel bars
Silver medal – second place2016 EverettAll-around
Silver medal – second place2016 EverettVault
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
All-Around World Cup 0 2 0
World Challenge Cup 1 3 2
Total 1 5 2

Donnell Whittenburg (born August 18, 1994) is an American artistic gymnast. He is the 2025 World Champion on rings and is a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team.

Early life and education

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Whittenburg was born on August 18, 1994, in Baltimore, Maryland.[1] He attended Edgewood High School and later a local community college and DeVry University.[2] He was coached as a youth by Abdul Mammeri.[2] He decided to pursue gymnastics and moved to Colorado to attend the United States Olympic Training Center under Vitaly Marinich.[2]

Gymnastics career

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Whittenburg's strongest events are rings, vault, and floor.[3]

2014–2016

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Whittenburg was the 2014 U.S. national champion on vault and silver medalist on rings. He won a bronze medal with the team at the 2014 World Championships.[4]

Whittenburg competed at the 2015 Pan American Games where he won gold with the team. Individually he won silver on floor exericse, rings, and vault. The following month he competed at the 2015 National Championships where he won the national title on rings.[5][6] At the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Whittenburg won his first individual World Championships medal, a bronze on vault, with an average combined score of 15.350 behind Ri Se Gwang of North Korea (15.450) and Marian Drăgulescu of Romania (15.400). He also qualified for the still rings final but finished eighth with a score of 15.300.[7]

At the 2016 American Cup Whittenburg placed second behind Ryōhei Katō. He retained his national title on rings at the 2016 National Championships. At the 2016 Olympic trials he placed second on rings and vault and third on parallel bars and horizontal bar. Whittenburg was named as an alternate for the 2016 Olympic team.[8]

2017–2021

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Whittenburg won silver at the 2017 London World Cup behind Oleg Verniaiev. At the 2017 Koper World Challenge Cup he won gold on parallel bars and silver on floor exercise and vault. At the 2017 World Championships he placed sixth on floor exercise.[9]

At the 2021 Pan American Championships Whittenburg won a silver medal with the team.[10] He competed at the postponed 2020 Olympic trials but was ultimately not named to the Olympic team.[11] Whittenburg competed at the 2021 World Championships but did not qualify to any event finals.

2022–2024

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In 2022, Whittenburg placed second at the United States National Championships behind Brody Malone, scoring highest on rings and second highest on vault.[12][3] At the 2022 Paris World Challenge Cup, he won a bronze medal on parallel bars and rings.[13] He competed at the 2022 World Championships where he helped the United States finish fifth. Individually he finished eighth on rings.

Whittenburg competed at the 2023 Pan American Games where he helped the United States win team gold. Individually he won gold on rings and bronze in the all-around behind Félix Dolci and Diogo Soares.

In 2024, Whittenburg placed seventh in the all-around at the 2024 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships and 2024 United States Olympic trials and was named as a non-traveling replacement athlete for the 2024 Olympic team.[14]

2025

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Whittenburg changed gyms to EVO Gymnastics in 2025 and was a member of their delegation at the 2025 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships.[15] There he won bronze on rings and parallel bars. After the competition, he was selected to compete at the 2025 World Championships alongside Brandon Dang, Asher Hong, Patrick Hoopes, Brody Malone, and Kameron Nelson.[16]

At the World Championships, Whittenburg qualified for the rings and parallel bars finals.[17] During the rings final, Whittenburg won gold ahead of 2022 World Champion Adem Asil and 2021 World Champion Lan Xingyu. In doing so, Whittenburg became the first American to win the World title on rings.[18] At age 31 and 61 days, Whittenburg also became the oldest American man to win a World title, surpassing Kurt Thomas, who won two golds in 1979 at age 23 and 254 days, as well as the oldest American man to win a World Championships medal, surpassing Paul O'Neill (28 years and 354 days in 1994).[19]

2026

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On May 11, 2026, he was selected to represent the United States at the 2026 Pan American Championships as a traveling replacement athlete.[20]

Eponymous skills

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Whittenburg has one named element on the rings.[21][22]

Gymnastics elements named after Donnell Whittenburg
Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[a] Added to Code of Points
Rings Whittenburg Triple salto backward piked I, 0.9 2017 Koper World Challenge Cup[23]
  1. ↑ Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points

Competitive history

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Competitive history of Donnell Whittenburg at the junior level[5]
Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
2010 U.S. Championships (14–15)10112063rd place, bronze medalist(s)125
2011 U.S. Championships (16–18)611172nd place, silver medalist(s)464
2012 Winter Cup2193513253228
U.S. Championships (16–18)1st place, gold medalist(s)561st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Mexican Open6
Competitive history of Donnell Whittenburg at the senior level[5]
Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
2013 Winter Cup111730761625
National Qualifier2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)112nd place, silver medalist(s)7
U.S. Championships13241767824
DTB Pokal Team Cup5
2014 Winter Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)6202nd place, silver medalist(s)4710
Doha World Challenge Cup4
National Qualifier1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)53rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)2113
U.S. Championships47142nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)611
World Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)177
Stuttgart World Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2015 Winter Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)5214142nd place, silver medalist(s)13
American Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Pan American Games1st place, gold medalist(s)42nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
U.S. Championships2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)81st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)926
World Championships5883rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2016 Winter Cup632171st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1012
American Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Pacific Rim Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)6
U.S. Championships511251st place, gold medalist(s)4512
Olympic Trials48142nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)12
2017 Winter Cup44143rd place, bronze medalist(s)1357
London World Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Koper World Challenge Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)42nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
U.S. Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)11103rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1
World Championships6R2R1
2018 U.S. Championships59
2019 National Qualifier121st place, gold medalist(s)622
U.S. Championships77143rd place, bronze medalist(s)71116
2021 Winter Cup114212nd place, silver medalist(s)1110
Pan American Championships2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Olympic Trials143rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships3012
2022 U.S. Classic3rd place, bronze medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)201st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1323
U.S. Championships2nd place, silver medalist(s)5141st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)108
Paris World Challenge Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
World Championships58
2023 U.S. Classic710652nd place, silver medalist(s)13916
U.S. Championships73rd place, bronze medalist(s)251st place, gold medalist(s)1813
Pan American Games1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)61st place, gold medalist(s)
2024 Winter Cup54192nd place, silver medalist(s)616
U.S. Championships771341st place, gold medalist(s)822
Olympic Trials75153rd place, bronze medalist(s)1112
2025 U.S. National Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)8
World ChampionshipsN/a1st place, gold medalist(s)5
2026 Osijek World Cup52nd place, silver medalist(s)

References

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  1. ↑ "Donnell Whittenburg closes in on stardom, one vault at a time". Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Cheng, Brittany (August 19, 2019). "Gymnast Donnell Whittenburg's tough call helps him to international stage". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Donnell Whittenburg, still chasing an Olympic spot, in hunt at nationals". Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ Nick; Zaccardi (October 7, 2014). "China stuns Japan at World Gymnastics Championships; U.S. wins bronze (video)". NBC Sports. NBC. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Donnell Whittenburg". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ Graves, Will (June 25, 2021). "Whittenburg making one last stand at US gymnastics trials". Associated Press.
  7. ↑ "Biles wins record 10th gold medal at World Championships". USA Gymnastics. November 1, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Leyva, Modi, Whittenburg named replacement athletes for 2016 U.S. Olympic Men's Gymnastics Team". USA Gymnastics. June 26, 2016.
  9. ↑ "USA wins two event medals at 2017 World Championships". USA Gymnastics. October 7, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Juda finishes second all-around at 2021 Senior Pan American Championships, earns additional quota spot for U.S. men at Tokyo Olympic Games". USA Gymnastics. June 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ "USA Gymnastics announces men's Olympic team roster for artistic gymnastics". USA Gymnastics. June 27, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Donnell Whittenburg wins second at 2022 U.S. Gymnastics Championships". August 21, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  13. ↑ "U.S. gymnasts capture 10 medals, including four gold, as Paris World Challenge Cup concludes". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  14. ↑ Crumlish, John (July 3, 2024). "Frederick Richard on topping U.S. Olympic Trials: 'I was pretty cool on the inside'". International Gymnast Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  15. ↑ Campbell, Dylan (August 7, 2025). "EVO Gymnastics Sends Team Members to U.S. Championships". srqmagazine.com. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Hong commands all-around; Senior National Team and World Champs roster named at Xfinity U.S. Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 9, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Quartet of American men advance to Artistic World Championships finals". USA Gymnastics. October 20, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Donnell Whittenburg claims first gymnastics world title on 3-medal day for U.S." NBC. October 24, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Whittenburg wins first-ever U.S. rings gold; Hoopes, Roberson take bronze on pommel horse and vault at 2025 Artistic Worlds". USA Gymnastics. October 24, 2025.
  20. ↑ "2026 Pan American Championships men's team announced". USA Gymnastics. May 11, 2026. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Table of Named Elements Men's Artistic Gymnastics" (PDF). World Gymnastics. December 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Men's Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points 2025–2028" (PDF). World Gymnastics. July 3, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  23. ↑ "FIG Men's Technical Committee approves 'The Whittenburg'". World Gymnastics. June 2, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
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