Eddie Penev

A roundup of this week’s news, competitions, social media gossip, and more!

In the News

Eddie Penev retires. Bulgarian national team member Eddie Penev, who began his elite career nearly 20 years ago at the world championships in 2007 and represented both Bulgaria and the United States internationally, announced his retirement this week at the age of 35.

A world cup and Pan Ams medalist on top of making five world championships appearances, Penev was most known for his work on floor and vault. He also got really close to an Olympics berth through the world cup circuit last quad, but inconsistencies in the FIG’s Technical Regulations that didn’t allow him to receive reallocated points from an ineligible athlete followed by a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the final world cup kept him from earning a spot in Paris. Olympics or not, however, Penev was a legend within the sport and his attitude and passion for gymnastics will be what the fans remember.

“When I reflect on my career, I want to be remembered for resilience,” Penev said. “I’ve gotten more out of setbacks and injuries than any accolades, medals, or awards. I want the next generation of gymnasts to know that failure and disappointment is a ladder. Many times I felt unlucky in big moments, but I’ve come to understand the strength I’ve gleaned from it all. That choosing to get up, to continue to fight, is more valuable than whether or not you reach your destination.”

Alice Kinsella’s comeback. Two-time Olympian Alice Kinsella spoke to BBC Sport about her decision to return to elite gymnastics training after giving birth to a son, Parker, in 2025. She told the publication that she doesn’t want to put a timestamp on her comeback, but hopes to be “back fully” by the end of 2026 so that she can be in a good place in the months leading up to the 2028 Olympics.

British Gymnastics rebranded. Speaking of the Brits, the British federation underwent a rebrand announced earlier this week with a new logo that hopes to “represent the connection, teamwork, and support that underpin the next era” and that symbolizes “all parts of the sport.”

As part of the brand refresh, the federation wants to make “big changes across the sport” to reflect a more modern and aligned British Gymnastics with its “diverse and vast members and stakeholders.” Apart from the logo, there will be upcoming phases to the rebrand over the next year.

Buckeye decides to rehire. Last week, the owner of Buckeye sent a kind of unhinged email to parents about firing longtime coaches Kittia Carpenter and Charlie Tamayo due to a Safesport investigation. The decision to fire them seemed to be more about the gym’s reputation and less about keeping athletes safe, but as it turns out, there wasn’t actually even an investigation against either coach?

A second, even more unhinged email was sent this week by this man who says he has “found [himself] making poor decisions lately” and will “commit to more careful verification of information in the future.” Yikes. Not only did he reinstate both coaches, he elevated Carpenter to the role of Executive Competitive Team Leader, which gives her “the authority to make all decisions concerning Buckeye’s competitive gymnastics teams.”

While I am of the very strong conviction that all coaches should be suspended pending any abuse investigation, it seems that wasn’t actually the case here. I can’t fathom how one makes a snap decision to fire people and then publicly announce that they’re being investigated for abuse without apparently no information to back that up, and if I were either coach, I’d be on the phone with a lawyer, not back at the gym.

Competition Updates

Five athletes reach elite at Vegas Cup qualifier. Senior Lila Richardson and juniors Avery Haines, Sofie Davtyan, Jaysha McClendon, and Sage Stiggers earned their elite qualification scores at the Vegas Cup competition last week, where an additional 14 athletes qualified to the Hopes level. [Recap] [Results] [Elite Tracker]

Moldauer returns, qualifies to Winter Cup. Yul Moldauer returned post-USADA suspension at last week’s Rocky Mountain Open, where he and Stanford junior David Shamah qualified to the Winter Cup. Also earning spots at the Winter Cup last week were Drake Andrews and Garrett Schooley at the Ohio State Open, and Landon Simpson and Brian Solomon at the West Point Open. [Recap] [Rocky Mountain Open Results] [Ohio State Open Results]

Upcoming Meets

Biles National Qualifier. The second U.S. national elite qualifier for the WAG program takes place tomorrow, January 23, at the Biles Invitational in Houston, Texas, with the Hopes qualifier taking place at 8 am and the seniors and juniors competing at 11:15 am local time. Scores should be available via Meet Scores Online.

Stanford Open. The final Winter Cup qualifier for MAG all-arounders will take place at the NCAA session of the Stanford Open on Saturday, January 24 at 7 pm local time. Stanford, Cal, and Ohio State are all expected to compete, and the top two non-qualified all-around athletes will lock down Winter Cup berths. You should be able to follow along on Virtius.

Must-See Content

Heath Thorpe’s Heated Rivalry post. If you haven’t seen Heated Rivalry we have nothing else to discuss, but regardless, this Instagram post from Australian MAG athlete Heath Thorpe discussing what it’s like to be a young gay athlete in a sport where masculinity is everything, and how much Heated Rivalry is going to help kids like him.