Cypress Woods High School senior Kiran Mandava won a team gold medal with Team USA Men’s Junior National Gymnastics Team at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge and Mixed Cup held March 15-17 in Stuttgart, Germany. He also placed third overall on the pommel horse.
April 19, 2024—Cypress Woods High School senior Kiran Mandava won a team gold medal with Team USA Men’s Junior National Gymnastics Team at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge and Mixed Cup held March 15-17 in Stuttgart, Germany.
Mandava, the No. 2-ranked ranked junior men’s gymnast in the county, has been a member of the Men’s Junior National Team for the last two years. The junior national team features top gymnasts aged 15-18.
“I’ve competed internationally twice for Team USA and both times have been unreal experiences,” Mandava said. “When you compete, you have one goal of being on top of the podium. Our last meet in Germany, the team had great team chemistry and that led us to taking the team gold.”
In addition to winning a team gold medal, Mandava also took home two individual bronze medals in pommel horse and parallel bars.
“The event finals were thrilling in a way because everyone is just watching you,” Mandava said. “You get to showcase what you’ve been training for your entire life.”
Mandava has been a member of the Men’s Junior National Gymnastics Team for two years and is the No. 2-ranked men’s junior gymnast in the country. In addition to winning a team gold medal and a bronze medal on the pommel horse, Mandava took home a second individual bronze medal on the parallel bars at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge and Mixed Cup competition.
Mandava started practicing gymnastics when he was 4 years old and took naturally to the sport.
“I took recreational classes when my older brother was training,” Mandava said. “I guess my coach saw a talent in me during those classes and I’ve progressed from there.”
Mandava and his family moved from Chicago to the Cypress area in 2015 to specifically train with his current coach at Cypress Academy of Gymnastics. Mandava trains six days a week, averaging 22 hours per week, during the school year. His training increases to 26 hours a week during the summer.
Mandava will compete in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships May 30-June 2 in Fort Worth. If he is the top placing gymnast in his age group, he’ll compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials for a chance to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
“I’m excited to see what can happen,” Mandava said. “I think the 2028 games are my best chance of making the team, but this year is for the experience.”
This fall, Mandava will attend Stanford University where he will compete for the Cardinal as a member of the men’s gymnastics team, one of the top collegiate programs in the country.
