Nola Matthews

Nola Rhianne Matthews (born September 20, 2006) is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2023 Pan American uneven bars champion.

Early life

Matthews was born on September 20, 2006, in San Jose, California to physician parents Drs. Kari Bertrand (ob-gyn) and AJ Matthews (plastic surgery). Bertrand was a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier and an All-American runner for Georgetown University. Matthews began gymnastics when she was two years old.

Junior gymnastics career

2017–18

Matthews competed at the 2017 Hopes Classic and finished 15th with an all-around score of 44.500, meaning she was 0.500 away from qualifying for the Hopes Championships. She finished 41st in the all-around at the 2018 Hopes Classic and did not qualify for the Hopes Championships. She then competed with her club at the Tournoi International in Combs-la-Ville, France. She won the silver medal in the espoir all-around behind Levi Jung-Ruivivar. She won the gold medals on the uneven bars and balance beam in the event finals.

2019

Matthews began competing in junior elite in 2019. She made her elite debut at the American Classic where she finished ninth in the all-around and placed third on the uneven bars. Then at the U.S. Classic, she finished 22nd in the all-around and qualified for the U.S. Championships. She then finished 21st in the all-around at the U.S. Championships. She went to the Tournoi International again with her club, and she finished fifth in the all-around. She finished sixth on vault and floor exercise, and she won the gold medal on the uneven bars.

2021

Matthews did not compete in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. She returned to competition at the 2021 Winter Cup, and she finished fifth in the all-around and won the silver medal on the uneven bars behind Levi Jung-Ruivivar. Then at the American Classic, she finished ninth in the all-around. She did not compete floor exercise at the U.S. Classic, and she finished 17th on vault, 11th on uneven bars, and 10th on balance beam. She then finished thirteenth in the all-around at the U.S. National Championships.

Senior gymnastics career

2022

Matthews became age-eligible for senior competition in 2022. She made her senior debut at the Winter Cup and finished fifth in the all-around and won the gold on uneven bars. She then made her senior international debut at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge and won a gold medal with the American team. She won the bronze medal in the uneven bars final behind Giorgia Villa and Romi Brown. Then at the U.S. Classic, she finished sixth in the all-around and won silver on the uneven bars behind Shilese Jones. She finished 13th in the all-around at the U.S. Championships and fourth on the uneven bars.

2023

Matthews won the all-around bronze medal at the Winter Cup behind Lexi Zeiss and Ashlee Sullivan. She then competed at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge alongside Sullivan, Zoe Miller, Joscelyn Roberson, and they won the team gold medal. In April, she was named to the team to compete at the Pan American Championships alongside Miller, Roberson, Tiana Sumanasekera, Addison Fatta, and traveling replacement athlete Madray Johnson. She won the gold medal on the uneven bars and finished fourth in the all-around. The team then won the gold medal in the team final.

Competitive history

References