“I had fully decided that I was not going to do gymnastics again.” That’s how Helen Hu closed the door on a sport she once danced through like poetry in motion. Back pain, the kind that doesn’t go away with a few stretches or some Advil, had left her limping emotionally more than physically. Spondylolisthesis, that word alone sounds like a full stop, doesn’t it? And for Hu, in 2023, it almost was. But let’s rewind, shall we?
Hu, who debuted for Missouri Gymnastics in 2020, had beam routines that were less performance and more performance art. Even with an ACL tear in her past and burnout knocking loudly, Hu still dazzled in 2023, earning WCGA Second Team All-American honors, hitting 9.900+ in 10 out of 13 meets, peaking with a radiant 9.975 at Ball State. Like it was her swan song!
But life, as they say, ‘writes straight with crooked lines,’ and Helen Hu was back in 2025, and she has something to say now. When Missouri gymnastics secured third place at the NCAA Championship Final—the program’s best-ever finish—it would have been a nostalgic moment for Hu, who was not even in contention to compete.
Last year at this point, Helen and her sister Elaine were on an 11-month backpacking trip around the world. From surfing in Ecuador and yoga in India to street food in Vietnam and culture in Finland, Helen embraced the adventure fully. Ten weeks in the beach town of Las Tunas, Ecuador, was one of her favorites. She was sipping coconuts, working at a hostel, and posting moments like this. That’s where her flashback post came from: “Surfing and coconuts = perfect day.” That was April 20, 2024. Fast forward exactly one year!
365 days ago vs yesterday pic.twitter.com/zLyjXEnE8y
— Helen Hu (@hu_dat_gymnast) April 20, 2025
And her new post was her beaming with the NCAA third-place trophy. She made sure to post both these pics on X and captioned: “365 days ago vs yesterday :)”
Last summer, she returned to the U.S., moved into an apartment in Chicago with her brother, and planned to coach locally. But then came a bridesmaid gig at her old teammate Adalayna Hufendiek’s wedding in Columbia. Staying with current gymnast Jocelyn Moore, Hu tagged along to a casual gym session. Just for fun. Just to stretch. She said in an interview: “I hopped on and was like, ‘Hey, I still have an aerial.’ Then I thought, ‘Let me try two in a row.’ And I did it.”
By October 2024, she was back on the team. “I couldn’t shake the feeling that I have more to give, and that belief that I could do more,” Helen said during her return. And she gave it, culminating in that third-place finish on a floor she never thought she’d compete on again.
Helen Hu’s return has a bit of history for Mizzou Gymnastics
Honestly, Helen Hu wasn’t supposed to be here. She’d made peace with her retirement—had even backpacked around the world, living the kind of life that didn’t include leotards or landings.
But here we are, talking about a return that not only has added stars to her career but also elevated Missouri gymnastics to a place it’s never been before. Third in the nation. That’s not just a solid season. That’s history for Mizzou gymnastics, and frankly, for any women’s program the school has ever had. The Tigers didn’t just sneak into the final. They owned their spot. And Helen?
She was the heartbeat. After scoring a 9.965 on beam in her final routine, Helen capped off her career as a national champion on the event. She also became the first Mizzou gymnast to score three 10s in the same season on the same apparatus. That’s stellar. That’s Helen Hu.
And her return? It wasn’t even planned. A visit, a gym session, and a casual “let me try an aerial” turned into a full-blown comeback. “It’s kind of shocking, but also not,” she said with a smile. “I knew what this team could do. That’s a huge reason I came back.”
The Tigers put up a 197.2500 in their first-ever NCAA Championship Final appearance—eclipsing their previous best of fifth place. Along the way, stars like Kennedy Griffin and Amari Celestine rose to the moment, too, but there’s no doubt Helen’s comeback anchored it all.
The post Retired From Gymnastics at 22, Missouri Star’s One Feeling Changed Her Entire NCAA Career appeared first on EssentiallySports.