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After Paris and a standout NCAA debut, Joscelyn Roberson is just getting started
By Scott Bregman - 13 May 2025U.S. gymnast Joscelyn Roberson has found a kindred spirit in her idol-turned-coach Jordyn Wieber, the 2012 Olympic champion and University of Arkansas head coach.
“With Jordyn specifically, she loves to get down and get to work,” Roberson, one of Team USA’s Paris 2024 alternates, told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview. “That’s also how I am, so I love that.
“We love perfecting beam,” she concludes.
That shared mindset has allowed the athlete-coach duo create an atmosphere to thrive in her freshman campaign with the Razorbacks.
The 19-year-old was her squad’s leading all-around athlete and finished 13th at the NCAA Championships last month.
“It’s just perfecting everything,” she says of what it’s like to “get down and get to work” alongside the 2011 world all-around champion. “She loves to make these little challenges… and I love that. I love to take on a challenge and do it as best as I can. It’s just so much fun.”
That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a lot of hard work.
Roberson has had a whirlwind 18 months – the kind that comes with every Olympic run.
Her marathon started during warm-ups for the team final at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, when a short landing meant an injured ankle that would hamper her until early 2024.
“Getting hurt in 2023 was a huge shock for me, and I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it there for a while,” recalls Roberson. “It just showed me how hard I can push myself physically, emotionally and mentally. It’s a whole different level that I didn’t understand until I got there, and I didn’t even really hit the go button until around February when I was like, ‘Okay, this is something I really wanna do and I think I can make it.’”
Joscelyn Roberson on her 2024 whirlwind, college surprises
After being named as one of the U.S.’s alternates for Paris, she continued to train through the Games and, after a short two-week stint in Fayetteville, joined Simone Biles’ nationwide tour.
“As soon as I got home from Paris, two days later, I went to Fayetteville,” Roberson explains. “That was kind of crazy… but I feel like those two weeks at school before I had to go on tour were crucial to feel out what I wanted to do in the college world, and try to get my routines at least mapped out so I knew what to train towards.”
Each night on tour, Roberson included most of what she planned to compete on the uneven bars, while she tried to work in as much conditioning, tumbling and leaps as she could both in the show and during training.
“Just… trying to make sure I didn’t lose anything,” she said, “so when I got back to the college world, I could just jump right back in. I feel like I did a good job at that.”
That impact was almost immediate, as Roberson posted a 39.475 in the all-around during her first collegiate competition.
“I didn’t know what to expect, and it was honestly so much fun,” she recalled. “I think it was the perfect meet to get me started.”
There was still an adjustment phase. Roberson admits she didn’t realize how much there would be to balance between her gymnastics and school commitments.
“What surprised me the most was how busy I was. I didn’t expect to be as busy because we train less [than in elite gymnastics], but there’s just so much that goes into it behind the scenes,” she admitted. “You have lift, you have treatment, you have meetings with your academic advisors, you have to go eat or you have to cook.
“It’s just being an adult, also doing gymnastics and school,” continued Roberson. “I never had any time, it felt like, at first, but I got really good at planning out my days and finding time for myself.”
Joscelyn Roberson: "I’ll bring a different level of confidence [to elite]" after grueling NCAA season
She’s learned more than just time management from her freshman season.For Roberson, college gymnastics wasn’t just a new environment – it was a new mindset.
“I think getting here, I was putting so much pressure on myself,” she said. “It wasn’t fun for me because the gymnastics is different and it’s easier than the elite world. Putting that much stress on me made me feel like less than a gymnast... I had to take a step back.”
That step back opened up a changed perspective.
“After that, I was like, ‘Okay, let’s just see where this takes me,’” Roberson continued. “College gymnastics and elite gymnastics are so different. I didn’t know how good I was going to be at college gymnastics… But then after the first meet, when I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m good,’ that’s when I started to put more pressure on myself – but for the team, not just for me.”
She takes that new perspective – and confidence – with her as she prepares for a return to the elite stage later this year. Roberson is targeting the U.S. Classic in the middle of July and early August’s U.S. Championships, all with an eye on a return trip to the World Championships in October when they head to Jakarta, Indonesia.
“It’s definitely made me more confident in my gymnastics and in my body,” she said. “I feel like going back to the elite world, I’ll bring a different level of confidence knowing that I’ve done enough numbers, I can hit at any given point in any time of day.
“I’m really excited to see how that translates over,” Roberson concluded.
She’s also excited to get back to work – more motivated than ever after her experience last summer.
“I can’t even express how much [motivation] that gave me because I got the experience, but I didn’t get to compete. Honestly, the best part of the experience is competing,” admits Roberson.
“Being in Paris, watching them compete and watching them get up on that podium, just lit a new fire in me, and I can’t express how much I want to get back to that.”
