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FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2019, file photo, Katelyn Ohashi of UCLA competes in the floor exercise during an an NCAA college gymnastics meet in Los Angeles. The former UCLA gymnast has committed to performing in the inaugural Aurora Games, an all-women’s sports and entertainment festival. The Aurora Games will be held Aug. 20-25 in Albany, N.Y., and feature about 150 world-class athletes, including Olympic medalists and national champions. lessFILE - In this Jan. 4, 2019, file photo, Katelyn Ohashi of UCLA competes in the floor exercise during an an NCAA college gymnastics meet in Los Angeles. The former UCLA gymnast has committed to performing in ... morePhoto: Ben Liebenberg, AP
Former UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi and her coach, Valorie Kondos Field, will be part of the Aurora Games on Aug. 20-25 at Times Union Center, officials announced Wednesday morning.
Osashi will perform for Team Americas in the gymnastics competition against Team World at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21. Kondos Field will oversee gymnastics as well as choreograph a group number that will conclude the day's event.
Coming off a stellar senior season in which she posted six perfect scores in floor exercise routine, Ohashi will make her debut at the Aurora Games.
"I'm excited to be participating in the Aurora Games," Ohashi said in a statement. "To be a part of an event that was named after a Roman Goddess and celebrates women in sports is definitely something I wholeheartedly support. Team Americas is going to crush it."
Ohashi, 22, first captured attention Jan. 12 at the Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim, Calif., where she received a perfect score of 10 for her floor routine. Video of that routine soon went viral, amassing nearly 120 million views, and catapulting Ohashi to global stardom.
"Katelyn's joyful athleticism has captured the hearts of millions of people around the world," Aurora Games executive producer Jerry Solomon said. "Now she'll bring her fun-loving, exuberant display of athletic prowess to the Aurora Games, which will mark her first professional competition following a stellar collegiate career."
UCLA finished third in the recent NCAA women's gymnastics championships. Ohashi, a native of Seattle, finished her four-year career with 11 perfect scores — nine on floor and two on balance beam. She earned 10 All-America honors.
Kondos Field, known to many as "Miss Val," will also have a starring role at the Aurora Games as she administers and manages the gymnastics competition. She is a former professional ballet dancer turned gymnastics coach, retiring from UCLA after the 2019 season.
During Kondos Field's 29-year-tenure as coach, the Bruins won 528 meets and claimed seven national championships. She is a 1987 graduate of UCLA and a member of the university's Athletics Hall of Fame.
"For all who know me, I am all about opportunity, inspiration and entertainment," Kondos Field said in a statement. "The Aurora Games provide a platform to bring all of these together on one stage. I am excited to be part of the team putting this together. We are going to put on a 'must see' show in Albany."
Kondos Field also will provide television commentary for ESPNU, which will air all six nights of competition.
pdougherty@timesunion.com ■ 518-454-5416 ■ @Pete_Dougherty
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