HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — From an extremely young age, Charlotte Holmberg knew she belonged on the bars and beam.
"I started at 18 months as soon as I could and I’ve been doing [gymnastics] ever since," Charlotte, a 17-year-old from Highlands Ranch, said.
Holmberg's mom was a high school gymnastics teacher, so you could say the vault was her destiny.
But in 2024, during the best meet of her life, disaster struck.
“I made event finals in both bars and vault,” Charlotte said. “I had the bar routine of my life and was excited for the vault rotation.”
She was competing at the Pikes Peak Cup in February of 2024, and in the vault final, she decided to attempt what's known as a Yurchenko full.
The Yurchenko full involves the gymnast executing a roundoff back handspring over the table, flipping off the table, and completing a full twist in the air before landing.
“Going into the final vault, I felt a little off,” Charlotte said. “I tucked my knees and tried to twist, but my left knee went the wrong way on the landing."
She had never suffered a major injury until that moment when she tore her ACL.
“I was told basically to get back to gymnastics especially the level I’m at I would need surgery," Charlotte said. “It was almost like no question, I knew I wanted to get back and I knew I wanted to do the sport I love as soon as possible.”
Surgery and rehab suggested a long and difficult road, especially considering the injury occurred just four months before she was supposed to begin her college recruiting process.
Dr. Rachel Frank, an orthopedic surgeon with CU Sports Medicine, suggested a unique surgical technique along with a InternalBrace™ developed by Arthrex that would improve the stability in Charlotte's knee and reduce the risk of her ACL re-tearing.
“I was asking her a ton of questions," Charlotte said. "She explained how they were going to take from the quad and use a quad graft because that was just the most successful at the time.”
Charlotte attacked a year-long rehabilitation protocol which included learning to walk again, always keeping her eye on the prize of returning to her happy place.
“Gymnastics is always a place where I can come and have that stress release," she said. "I feel like I’m floating and can do the impossible.”
Now, she's reaching heights she'd never dared visit prior to suffering her injury.
“Just over a year post-surgery I competed at Regionals," Charlotte said. "I was super grateful to qualify for my first Nationals which has been a dream of mine since I was little. To be able to get back and compete at Nationals was just an amazing feeling and I was super proud of myself that I was able to do that.”
Holmberg's college recruitment also ended up being a success — she's joining the Iowa State gymnastics team in the fall of 2026.
