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SCSU Gymnastic's Sophia Ruecker To Compete In 2023 Asian Games

Gymnastics

SCSU Gymnastic's Sophia Ruecker To Compete In 2023 Asian Games



NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut gymnastics freshman Sophia Ruecker was selected to compete for her home country of Thailand at the 2023 Asian Games from Sept. 23 through Oct. 4 in Singapore. Ruecker recently traveled to China to prepare for competition.

"Representing Thailand makes me proud of myself, particularly in how far I've come," Ruecker said. "I'm just really excited and nervous. My goal is to learn to compete in a major competition, which is new for me and really cool. I just want to compete and do my best."

Ruecker previously competed for Thailand at the 31st South East Asia Games in 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam. She qualified for the finals in the bars, but an injury kept her from competing on the vault, floor and beam.

"I was 7 or 8 years old when I started competing, but I started gymnastics at 4 or 5," Ruecker said. "My sisters did gymnastics and I wanted to do that too, and then I just got really hooked. I have three sisters, two older and one younger. They stopped competing, so I'm the only one that stuck it out."

Reucker and Team Thailand will compete against China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipai, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and India.

"Competing in both NCAA and international competition is extremely hard. It's a higher level of dedication," Owls head coach Byron Knox said. "Meeting the needs of your team program and international obligation isn't easy. Southern Gymnastics has a long history of supporting such athletes. From national team members to Olympic medalists. We are hoping for the best for Sophia. She's trained hard and is excited about the competition."

"I think I'll gain a lot of experience in competing and have a better understanding of how it translates to college competition," Ruecker said. "My favorite part is the flipping, which is cool. The feeling of flying through the air and the combination of elegance and power is really interesting to me."
 
 
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