Orland Native Competes In Olympics Rhythmic Gymnastics Thursday

ORLAND PARK, IL — Let the games begin. Orland Park native Evita Griskenas, 20, will be making her Olympic debut on Thursday in the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition. Griskenas is one of two Americans competing in the Individual All-Around category.

The Carl Sandburg High School graduate can be seen competing in part one of the event Thursday, at 8:20 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. central time on CNBC. She will be seen again in part two at 12:50 a.m. and 2:20 a.m. Friday.

The Individual All-Around Final event will take place on Saturday at 1:20 a.m. If Griskenas qualifies, she will be one of 10 gymnasts in Olympic medal contention, showcasing their abilities with a ball, hoop, clubs and ribbon. See the event schedule here.

"I’m going in quite focused and ready to enjoy every moment of it," Griskenas told Patch Thursday.

Rhythmic gymnasts perform on a mat with a hoop, ball, clubs or ribbon. The sport requires great flexibility, strength and hand-eye coordination, as it combines elements of gymnastics and dance.

Griskenas was named to the 2021 U.S. team for the Summer Olympics in June. She is one of nine gymnasts who qualified for the summer event at the 2021 USA Gymnastics Championships in St. Louis. Griskenas was the highest ranked American gymnast at the 2019 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and in the 2019 Pan American Games, She won five medals for Team USA — gold in the all-around, three gold medals in ball, hoop and ribbon, and a bronze medal for clubs — making her the most decorated athlete in any sport.

In July, Griskenas told Patch this is her very first time heading to the Olympics.

"It's a goal that I have been working towards for 16 years now, so it's very exciting, encouraging, and invigorating for me," Griskenas told Patch. "I'm still getting waves of 'wow, this is really happening!' at various moments throughout the day and use that to fuel my motivation."

The other athletes from North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics — located at 455 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, Illinois — heading to the Olympics include Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Camilla Feeley of Wheeling, Lili Mizuno of Northbrook, Elizaveta Pletneva of Wheeling, Nicole Sladkov of Vernon Hills, Yelyzaveta Merenzon of Buffalo Grove and Isabelle Connor of Manhattan Beach, California. Gergana Petkova of Barrington is the reserve athlete on the team.

Griskenas and Zeng will compete in individual events, and the rest of the Olympic athletes are group competitors. Zeng is a six-time U.S. all-around national champion, and represented the United States at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Griskenas is the U.S. national champion in ball.

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