Kayla DiCello wins US’ 1st all-around gold at Pan Am Games in over a decade

What happened: DiCello won the women’s all-around category at the 2023 Pan American Games on Oct. 23 with a total of 54.699 points. Flavia Saraiva of Brazil won the silver medal with a score of 54.565, while fellow American gymnast Jordan Chiles bagged the bronze medal with a final score of 53.999.

Speaking to Olympics following the win, DiCello noted that she felt “really good” and “happy” with the result, noting that the win was her “first gold medal as an all-around champion.”

Making history: DiCello’s victory in the women’s all-around category marked the first time the U.S. won in the discipline in 12 years after Bridgette Caquatto bagged the top medal during the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

What’s next: The American gymnast is now reportedly setting her eyes on the 2024 Paris Olympics. To qualify, she would first have to compete for one of the four remaining spots on the U.S. Olympics team, for which the trial is set for June.

In a post on X in April, DiCello announced that she would be taking a gap year from the University of Florida in 2024 to pursue her Olympic dream. She is planning to return to the university’s arena, the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, also known as the O’Dome, in 2025.