Former college gymnast and current Penn State women’s gymnastics coach Lynnzee Brown made history during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games when she became the first artistic gymnast (man or woman) to compete for Haiti.
Of Haitian heritage via her father, who was born in the Caribbean nation, Brown says she simply wanted to make the country proud. But what started as a solely personal goal soon turned into something bigger than she could have ever imagined.
“It started as a way to explore my own identity, but as I got deeper into it, I learned more about the country, its history, and what it’s going through at the moment,” Brown tells ESSENCE fresh off her experience at the Paris Olympics. “I also got to meet people from Haiti and see firsthand the impact I would be making.”
Her Olympic journey had its own unique layers of struggle, as she had to begin from behind the starting line to ensure she could wear the name and colors of her homeland across her uniform.
“Trying to get dual citizenship was a little difficult in and of itself. I had to take multiple trips to the embassy in Chicago and DC to provide my father’s birth certificate and prove that I am his biological child and that I am of Haitian nationality.”
From there, the University of Denver grad had to post competitive scores from the 2023 World Championships in Belgium to qualify for a spot on the 2024 Paris roster. The only gymnast for Haiti in the Games, Brown officially made her historic debut on July 28, 2024 during the women’s all-around qualifications.
Achieving her personal best score in an international competition to date—a 48.832 all-around total—she never allowed the fact that she was carrying Haiti on her back as a solo gymnast to distract her from her goal.
“Although I was solo as a gymnast, it was an interesting experience,” Brown shares. “I was put with other gymnasts who were also solo, so that helped. But meeting the other Haitian athletes, there were seven of us total, they were just so awesome. They were very encouraging. I was even more inspired to continue representing Haiti and learning more about my people. We were really a great group, all seven of us.”
For Brown, the ability to dig deeper into her own origin story through her sport was an honor and a moment of pride. The 25-year-old says many other Haitian people have reached out to tell her how amazing it was to see a Haitian gymnast on the Olympic stage.
“I’m just proud to show that Haitian athletes are here in a different space. I know most of us train in the States. But in talking to the Haitian Olympic Committee, their goal is to ultimately get facilities in Haiti and to get more people there into sports and to compete internationally.”
“I know they are also hoping to get all seven of us to take a trip to Haiti when it’s stable. And I would hope that what I’m doing now will directly translate to helping the athletes and young people in Haiti. I definitely hope to go soon, as soon as possible.”
However, the road to Paris was not easy for Brown’s family, financially. They started a GoFundMe to help cover the young gymnast’s expenses while she was competing on the world’s largest stage. That unwavering support from those closest to her, was the main thing that carried her through this entire experience.
“Throughout my schooling and training, I was always reminded to think about my ‘why’ when things get tough, or when I need to be more grateful. For these Olympic Games, my why was for sure my mom and family and how much they sacrificed. Seeing them tear up during the watch party, which they sent me videos of, it solidified that this was all for the people that helped get me here.”