Gators gymnast Victoria Nguyen spent the offseason working hard toward her age-24 season. (Photo: Trenton Bardi/UAA Communications)
Nguyen Savors Final Birthday and Season as a Gators Gymnast
Friday, January 24, 2025 | Gymnastics, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — She moves gracefully, her performances buoyed by the poise of an athlete at the top of her game.
Gators gymnast Victoria Nguyen turned 24 on Tuesday, and coupled with 16-year-old freshman Ly Bui (she turns 17 next month), offers an unusual dynamic in veteran head coach Jenny Rowland's career.
"One hundred percent. Without a doubt," Rowland said when asked if that's the most significant age gap between any members of her teams over the years. "When they are all together, you would never know the difference."
As the senior member of this year's Gators, Nguyen hardly stands out because of age. We're not talking about 45-year-old Tom Brady in his final NFL season or Nolan Ryan throwing 90-mph fastballs as a 46-year-old in his last season in the majors.
In the real world, Nguyen is a young, educated woman with unlimited possibilities. She is earning her master's degree in management at UF and hopes to one day help her parents open their own restaurant in Houston.
But in the world of top-level gymnastics, Nguyen continues to grind in a sport that often relegates 20-somethings not named Simone Biles to the history bin. Few in the sport compete at a high level past Nguyen's age. When they do, it usually draws attention. Marie Margaret Hoesly competed for the U.S. at age 35 in the 1952 Helsinki Games, and ageless Uzbekistan Oksana Chusovitina was 46 at the 2020 Tokyo Games. She attempted to qualify for the Paris Games last summer at 48 before an injury derailed her bid.
Nguyen returned for her final season of eligibility, uncertain of her place on a team that included talented underclassmen and high-profile newcomers such as Skye Blakely and Bui. She always knew what she wanted as she pondered her future a season ago.
Nguyen desired to continue on a journey she began as an 8-year-old.
Still, she had concerns about Rowland's plans. During last year's Alumni Night, Nguyen recalled a moment when Rowland casually said she would soon be part of that group.
The comment prompted Nguyen to reflect.
"But what if I want to come back?" Nguyen said. "I didn't say that."
Unbeknownst to her at the time, she didn't have to. Rowland wanted the same but left the decision to Nguyen.
"I would say there was never a doubt in our mind. However, I never want to force or make anybody do something they don't want to do," Rowland said. "We were truly waiting on her to make that decision.
"I don't think she had the same thought process. I didn't think she knew how that process was to play out. I don't like that she was second-guessing herself, but at the same time, I think it shows a lot that we want our athletes to make that decision on their own."
Victoria Nguyen performs on the beam during last week's meet at LSU. (Photo: Morgan Hurd/UAA Communications)
Soon after the season ended, Nguyen announced her plans. Rowland welcomed her back with open arms, and she returned to work preparing for her final season.
She seeks to continue a strong start when the No. 3 Gators host Georgia on Friday night at the O'Dome. The Florida-Georgia meet has spotlighted Nguyen for the past three seasons since she started her career with the Bulldogs. She spent the 2021 and '22 seasons at Georgia before transferring to Florida.
She hasn't looked back, improving in each event to establish career-best performances on all four apparatuses during her time at UF. She earned All-American second-team honors in all-around and uneven bars at last year's NCAA Championships.
"I knew that I belonged here, and I just went with it,'' she said.
In last week's loss at LSU, Nguyen scored 9.9s on the floor exercise and beam to help the Gators nearly defeat the defending national champion Tigers, losing by a tenth of a point. Both scores improved over Nguyen's performance in the season-opening home quad meet two weeks ago.
"She is one who definitely put in the work this fall,'' Rowland said. "When you prepare for exams, you are going to have success."
Nguyen spent much of her summer in the weight room to stay conditioned and in the trainer's room to ensure her body would be ready for another season. She has competed on floor and beam in the first two meets but has the experience to expand her role if called upon.
When Nguyen looks back at the uncertainty in her mind late last season about whether or not she would be invited back, she can laugh about it now.
"If I didn't come back here for my fifth year, I was just going to be done,'' she said. "I was happy, and I was content. I would definitely have moved home and probably entered the job market."
The real world can wait. Nguyen wants to savor her final rotation in the gymnastics arena.
"This year, knowing it's really the last chance, I'm very emotional,'' she said. "I've been trying to hold it back every day just knowing that I get one more year with this amazing group of people is very special to me. I love the work and the growth that I saw last year.
"It just meant a lot to me and knowing that there was such a great class coming in, I thought, you know what, I can do another year. That was part of my decision."
