Cooper Kim

Cooper Kim
Kim at the 2026 U.S. National Championships
Personal information
Born (2006-06-16) June 16, 2006 (age 20)
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented
College team
Stanford Cardinal
(2025–present)
Head coach
Thom Glielmi
Assistant coach
Rubén López
Medal record
Representing the  United States
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Challenge Cup 1 0 0
Representing Stanford Cardinal
NCAA Championships
Gold medal – first place2026 ChampaignTeam
Gold medal – first place2026 ChampaignFloor

Cooper Kim (born June 16, 2006) is an American gymnast. He is a member of the Stanford Cardinal men's gymnastics and United States men's national artistic gymnastics teams. He is the 2026 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships horizontal bar champion.

Early life and education

Kim was a highly rated youth gymnast from central Michigan, drawing comparisons in rankings to Jordyn Wieber. He attended Grand Ledge High School in Grand Ledge, Michigan, where he was a top scholar. He later enrolled at Stanford University to pursue gymnastics.

Gymnastics career

While at Stanford, Kim was a member of the Stanford Cardinal men's gymnastics team starting in 2025. He was the 2026 NCAA men's gymnastics championship winner on the floor exercise while Stanford won the team title.

In August 2026, Kim won the horizontal bar event title at the 2026 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships. He was later selected as a non-travelling alternate for the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships team. Kim made his international debut at the 2026 Paris World Challenge Cup where he won gold on horizontal bar and placed fifth on floor exercise and sixth on vault.

Personal life

Kim publicly came out as gay in 2026.

Competitive history

Competitive history of Cooper Kim
Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
2022 U.S. National Championships (15–16)41st place, gold medalist(s)11121st place, gold medalist(s)83rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2023 Elite Team Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Winter Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships (17–18)8522104175
2024 Elite Team Cup5
2026 Winter Cup203027252821
NCAA Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)83rd place, bronze medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships641623221st place, gold medalist(s)
Paris World Challenge Cup561st place, gold medalist(s)

References

  1. ↑ Buddy, Kellan (October 27, 2022). "Local gymnast has his sights set on Olympic Games". wilx.com. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Grand Ledge Public Schools Board of Education MAY 13, 2024 REGULAR MEETING" (PDF). glcomets.net. May 13, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  3. ↑ Crumlish, John (April 18, 2026). "Frederick Richard romps to third all-around title, Stanford University regains team title at men's NCAA Championships". International Gymnast. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ Ivanov, Christian (August 8, 2026). "Frederick Richard Wins First U.S. All-Around Title at 2026 U.S. Championships". International Gymnast. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  5. ↑ Sandmaier, Christy (August 9, 2026). "Fred Richard Wins First U.S. National All-Around Title; 2026 World Team Named". Inside Gymnastics. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Weekend Recap: MAG/WAG Paris World Challenge Cup". USA Gymnastics. September 28, 2026.
  7. ↑ Zeigler, Cyd (April 29, 2026). "College gymnast wins 2 NCAA titles after embracing life as a gay athlete". outsports.com. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
  8. ↑ Evans, Asha (June 17, 2026). "Cooper Kim: Stanford gymnast and NCAA champion finds freedom in being his authentic self". ncaa.org. Retrieved August 9, 2026.