Baltimore native gymnast carrying team mindset into Paris 2024 Olympics
By Jason Newton
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBAL) — A Baltimore native is preparing to chase a gold medal in Paris this summer.
Donnell Whittenburg is like a gymnast in linebacker’s clothing.
“I already know there’s never going to be anyone like me in the sport,” he said.
His brawn is matched with precision. His Wikipedia page is like a treasure chest of precious metals from skills he has mined since he was a kid in Baltimore.
“At gym class, I was doing flips across the whole gym, doing handstand walks. I was doing backflips off of gates at school and (they were) like, ‘You need to be in a safe environment so you can do these stunts without killing yourself,'” Whittenburg said.
No success comes easily. Missed opportunities with Team U.S.A. nearly took him to the mat. He was an alternate in 2016, and a miss in 2021 staggered him.
“It’s just disappointing, you know, when you’re so close and it just doesn’t happen, you put all the work in and it just doesn’t make it. But I feel like throughout my whole career, I’ve always had to fail before I succeed. So I feel like this is just another stepping stone in my journey,” he said.
A competitor inspired him to push on.
“The Dutch gymnast, Kazimir, he has a clothing line. He sent me a shirt or something and then a note that just wrote like, ‘Hey, I know we both didn’t make it in 2021, but 2024 is going to be our time, so let’s keep it going,'” Whittenburg said. “His team actually made it to the Olympic Games, so he’ll be there. So it’s up to me to fulfill that promise that we made for each other.”
Whittenburg was once called one of the most powerful vaulters on the planet.
“Since I’m older now, I have to make sure that I’m maintaining my shape but also not doing all this hard extra stuff that’s going to make me tired when the time comes,” he said.
That time is now.
“Once I go out to Paris, you’re going to be competing as a team. But if you’re not doing what you need to do, there’s no way you can help your team out. So, I just learned to take of what I need to do and make sure that I’m as prepared as possible so I can help the others reach that level as well,” he said.
Whittenburg, who trains in Wisconsin now, even has a dismount named after him: “The Whittenburg Dismount.
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