Selena Harris-Miranda is trading her leotard for a clipboard. After leading the Florida Gators to a national podium, the gymnastics star revealed her plans to join the coaching ranks and shape the sport's next generation.

Selena Harris-Miranda took to social media to reveal her plan in gymnastics. The 22-year-old announced that in her post-college career, she wants to give back to the sport as a head coach and help the next generation of athletes thrive like herself.

During her last competitive outing at the 2026 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships final, she delivered impressive scores of 9.950 on uneven bars and a 9.9375 on balance beam. With that, the Gators finished in third place overall at the nationals, scoring 197.6875 in the final.

On Instagram Harris-Miranda shared a post with caption to tell almost everything about her journey thus far.

She wrote, “Wow… where do I even start lol…If you know me, you know gymnastics has always been my escape, my playground, and my peace. What my mom, sisters and I didn’t realize when I started was how much this sport would shape me and surround me with a community that helped me grow into who I am today.”

After thanking Gymcats Gymnastics club, based in Henderson, Nevada, for giving her a start in the sport, Harris-Miranda alluded to her first two years at UCLA (2023 and 2024). It is where she grew as a gymnast, becoming a 12-time All-American and scoring perfect 10s five times, including four on vault and one on uneven bars.

Harris-Miranda remarked, “COVID changed a lot for me, and stepping into college as a first-generation student wasn’t easy. Honestly, those first two years weren’t what I expected at all but I stayed committed and finished what I started. In that process, I found my voice, built lifelong friendships, and started to understand my purpose.”

Following her departure from UCLA, she took her game to the next level in the last two years at the Gators and delved into it.

“Transferring ended up being the biggest blessing. It gave me the chance to choose a place that truly felt like me and from the moment I got to the University of Florida, I knew I was where I was meant to be. The environment, the people, the energy… it pushed me to grow in ways I always dreamed of. Gator Nation, now I get it ,” she explained.

“Through it all, one thing never changed…my love for gymnastics. And now I know my purpose is bigger than just competing. I hope to one day own a gym or be a head coach of a college but mainly I want to pour into the next generation of athletes the same way this sport poured into me mentally, physically, and spiritually. #hiremeigraduateaugust8th,” Harris-Miranda concluded.

Selena Harris-Miranda received support from Kailin Chio and other gymnasts for her career announcement

Following the career announcement from Selena Harris-Miranda, she started receiving support from many of her peers on Instagram. Fellow Henderson, Nevada native Kailin Chio, who was a part of Gymcats Gymnastics club just like her, wrote, “proud. keep doing you.”

Frazier, the teammate of Harris-Miranda at Florida Gators, appreciated spending time with her over the past year. She posted,

“Amazing is an understatement Lena! So blessed this sport brought us together and ik you will be extraordinary in the next phase of your career! Congrats on an amazing career, you are truly an icon! Ilysm.”

Two of her other Gators’ teammates also took to social media to stand behind Harris-Miranda in her decision. Sky Blakely wrote, “so proud of you,” while Leanne Wong stated that “you and your love for this sport is incredible.”

The official Instagram account of the Gators also posted for Harris-Miranda, "So proud always, Gator forever.”

For them, she won 13 All-American hohonoursnd SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2025, apart from scoring six perfect 10s, including two each on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise.

Read more at Gymnastics Digest!

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi