The Hungarian gymnast will compete in the vault apparatus at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The 2024 Olympics are less than a year away, and one of Nebraska’s very own gymnasts will have the opportunity to compete for the gold.
A dream turned reality. It was the Hungarian gymnast’s third time competing at the World Championships that sealed the deal.
“My mom always used to say you’re gonna go to the Olympics, and I was like yeah sure, I didn’t believe it,” said Csenge Bácskay.
Bácskay qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the vault apparatus and will represent her home country.
“It was unbelievable, a lot of emotions just came together, in one word it was just amazing,” said Bácskay.
Nebraska Women’s Gymnastics Head Coach, Heather Brink always knew this was Bácskay’s goal.
“I’m just proud of her, it’s a lot to take on, you got a student athlete life experience happening on one side of the coin, and on the other side you’re making sacrifices,” said Brink.
Collegiate and elite gymnastics requires a different approach to training, as more difficult skills are competed at the Olympics.
“She stayed home for a lot of the summer going into this year to get that training in and when she came over, we just spent a lot of time to make sure she had the time and environment to continue to pursue those higher level skills,” said Brink.
It’s not common for athletes in Hungary to be pursuing both elite and college gymnastics at the same time. But for Bácskay, academics has always been a priority. While she was being recruited, she felt as if the University of Nebraska was the perfect fit.
“I just immediately felt a connection with them and I knew from the beginning I was gonna come here,” said Bácskay.
It hasn’t always been easy for the star athlete. Being this far from home and adjusting to the the culture in the United States took time her freshman year. But this year, as a sophomore, she is ready to embrace it all.
“I have three more years here and this should be a good memory, when you’re older and you think back to your college years, I really tried to change that this year. I made a lot of friends, and I just love being here,” said Bácskay.
She says the hardest part is the mental gymnastics. Despite participating in the sport since she was three years old, she still has tough days.
“I would definitely say you always need to be there mentally, and if you aren’t there it can be easy to get injured,” said Bácskay.
With new success comes added pressure, but Bácskay’s goal is staying in the moment.
“I’m really trying to ignore that right now and focus on other things like season is here soon and also I really want to focus on school,” said Bácskay.
Right now, Bácskay is focused on enjoying her time with her teammates and the upcoming NCAA season which will officially begin in January. Once that concludes in April, she will return to Hungary to continue training for the Olympics.
The Paris Olympics Women’s qualifications will be on Sunday, July 28 and the apparatus finals will run from August 3-5.
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