ST. LOUIS – In Shane Wiskus' sport, the objective is to always land on your feet, no matter how many twists and turns you take. But the constant spin of the past year had been a little much for the former Gophers gymnast.
He kept forging ahead through the pandemic, through the elimination of the Gophers program, through an unexpected move and three brutal falls at the U.S. championships. Then, at the Olympic trials, Wiskus decided it was time to stop the gyrations.
"I've been through the wringer," he said. "I told myself, 'I've been through enough. I'm ready to show what I can do at this competition.' "
Saturday, Wiskus stuck his landing with gusto, winning a place on the U.S. Olympic team for next month's Tokyo Summer Games. The Spring Park native finished third in the all-around competition at the Olympic trials and was picked by a selection committee to be part of the four-man team.
Stanford's Brody Malone — who defeated Wiskus for the all-around title at last spring's NCAA championships — won the all-around at the Olympic trials to claim an automatic berth for the Games. Yul Moldauer also qualified automatically, edging Wiskus in a spirited battle for second place at The Dome at America's Center.
Sam Mikulak was chosen by the committee, making him a three-time Olympian, and Alec Yoder was picked to fill one U.S. spot for an athlete who will compete individually.
When his name was called, Wiskus said, he dropped to the floor, hugged coach Kostya Kolesnikov and put on his new red Olympic team uniform. Following the announcement ceremony, he lingered on the arena floor longer than any other gymnast, taking selfies with fans and signing autographs.
It all made him feel a little dizzy, for a happy reason this time.
"It's overwhelming," said Wiskus, a three-time NCAA champion during a Gophers career that ended last spring. "You can't make this stuff up.
"This whole weekend has just been a mental battle. Leading up to the competition, the only thing on my mind was to calm things down and just take it one step at a time. I'm really happy. The mental battle was definitely won."
Malone set himself apart at the Olympic trials, finishing first on high bar, second on floor exercise and still rings and third on parallel bars. The reigning U.S. all-around champ amassed a two-day trials score of 171.600.
Moldauer had a stellar day Saturday, improving his score on every apparatus over his first-day marks. He finished with an all-around score of 168.600, followed by Wiskus (168.150) and Mikulak (166.750). Mikulak, the popular elder statesman of the U.S. men's program, finished the competition with a rough routine on pommel horse but outlasted fifth-place Brandon Briones by .050 of a point.
Wiskus is the first Gophers gymnast to make the Olympic team since John Roethlisberger, who competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Roethlisberger was in the arena to see Wiskus' triumph, and so was Gophers head coach Mike Burns.
Burns drove to St. Louis and watched from the stands with two of Wiskus' former U teammates, Timmy Kutyla and Zach Liebler. Like Wiskus, Burns was devastated by the loss of the Gophers' 118-year-old program, and seeing Wiskus make the Olympic team moved him to tears.
"I was directing all my positive energy to him," Burns said. "This thing that Shane's been committed to and focused on for so long, he made it happen. I couldn't be prouder."
In the afterglow of the team announcement, Wiskus reflected on the tumult of the past 15 months. The 2020 season was cut short by the pandemic. He had to train in his backyard for a while, then by himself in whatever gym space he could find.
Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle announced last September that men's gymnastics would be eliminated after the 2020-21 season, citing budget and Title IX concerns. Before that surprise revelation, Wiskus had planned to compete for the Gophers through his senior season and continue training toward the Olympics with his U coaches in Cooke Hall.
The program cut changed everything. Unsure of what would happen once the college season ended, Wiskus moved to Colorado Springs in November to train at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic training center. He competed in only a few college meets, including the NCAA championship at Maturi Pavilion, then said his final farewells to his teammates, campus and program.
The U.S. championships added another twist three weeks ago. Wiskus was in second place until his final event, when he fell hard three times on high bar.
"I've been mentally working at putting the puzzle back together in my head for the last couple weeks," said Wiskus, who was uninjured. "I needed to just do things like I do in practice."
He hit all six routines on the first day of the Olympic trials, landing in second place. Saturday, Wiskus did not look at the scoreboard, but Moldauer did. That No. 2 spot changed hands three times as the two went back and forth.
"I knew me, Shane and Sam were close," Moldauer said. "I took it as a challenge."
Finishing lower than second meant Wiskus would not get an automatic spot, but he focused on remaining locked in on his routines. He said he was "pretty comfortable in third place" and very happy with a steady performance. He hit all 12 routines during the trials, finishing second on parallel bars and third on high bar.
After landing on his feet for the final time at the trials, Wiskus' story will turn to Tokyo. With one dream in his pocket, he figured it would take at least one night before he started on the next.
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight," he said. "I have so many things running through my head right now."
