Olympics gymnast with Down syndrome proves doctors wrong and smashes four world records
Multiple-time world champion, model and record holder Chelsea Werner (USA) is a powerhouse.
The athlete has Down syndrome, loves "to hear the crowd cheering for her" and demonstrated her mighty skills during the most influential championships in the world.
She is a four-time United States Special Olympics gymnastics champion and three-time world champion. Now, she can add four record titles to that collection of triumphs as a further testament to her amazing skills.
In 2024, Chelsea set the following records in the impairment classifications:
- Most pull ups in 30 seconds (female) (II2) - 11
- Most kips in 30 seconds (II2) - 10
- Most backward walkovers in 30 seconds (II2) - 14
- Most backwards handsprings in 30 seconds (II2) - 16
“I’m excited and proud!” she says regarding her inclusion in Guinness World Records 2025.
“I am so proud to be a four-time Guinness World Records title holder. I would have never dreamed that this would be possible for me.”
She goes on to explain that everyone around her is proud and excited about her achievements, as “everyone is familiar with the Guinness World Records book.”
“They never thought they would know someone that actually set a record – let alone four Guinness World Records titles!”
Chelsea has been a gymnast her entire life.
Despite the doctors' predictions that she would always suffer from low muscle tone, the record holder defied expectations and took on Special Olympics gymnastics when she was only eight years old.
"I became very confident and was at my best under pressure. [...] I think that confidence and work ethic have helped me in all areas of my life," the athlete explained.
“I'm strong and proud.”
— Teen Vogue (@TeenVogue) September 5, 2018
Gymnast and model Chelsea Werner on hearing resounding no’s from agencies, that have everything to do with her Down Syndrome, proving that change is STILL needed in the fashion industry ➡️ https://t.co/3MWksB8LkM pic.twitter.com/xqGLem0z5u
However, Chelsea's accomplishments extend well outside of the gym: between a floor routine and an exercise at the vault, she also finds the time to work as a professional model!
Chelsea reveals that she always felt confident in front of the camera, but she fell in love with modelling after filming her first commercial with H&M in Havana, Cuba.
After that 2016 campaign, the gymnast has gone from strength to strength. She can boast illustrious collaborations with brands such as Aerie, L'Oreal, WomenBest, Crocs and Tommy Hilfiger, and featured on the pages of prime magazines, such as Teen Vogue, Forbes and Dazed.
Most importantly, however, her tireless advocacy for representation is paving the way for a more inclusive world.
Through an ever-growing modelling portfolio, the Olympic champion is spearheading an impactful change in both professional sports and in fashion.
“I love that I can inspire people to reach for their dreams,” she explains regarding her favourite part of being a gymnast and a record holder.
“It’s very rewarding to see young girls with disabilities doing gymnastics because of my influence.”
"I loved the social aspect and being part of a team," she carries on. "And I really loved it when I started competing and the crowd cheered for me."
Today, one of her favourite aspects of being an athlete is the confidence that gymnastics gifts her, and she also enjoys being recognized by her fans when she takes part in competitions inside and outside the United States.
Although it takes Chelsea longer to learn new skills and setbacks are always around the corner, the athlete makes up for it with a boundless love for the sport and fierce decisiveness.
"When I started training with a coach who saw past my disability I really started to improve," she explained to Athlete Mag. "I learned to work really hard."
Chelsea's record-breaking journey started after she noticed that more individuals with disabilities were breaking records.
She discovered the impairment categories after looking into the Guinness World Records website, and suddenly something changed: what she thought would never be possible for her was, in fact, within reach.
With that discovery in mind, she began the application process -- and has smashed record after record ever since.
Chelsea's training routine
"My favourite gymnastics skill is my back walkover on the balance beam," Chelsea explains, talking us through her training routine and favourite exercises.
"It's difficult and dangerous," she carries on. "It took me many years to acquire and it’s a very high-level gymnastics skill."
I am the only gymnast with a disability to do the backwalkover on the balance beam in a competition. - Chelsea
Juggling her time between modelling, advocating and gymnastics commitments isn’t easy, but Chelsea knows how to maximize her efforts: her training changes depending on the season, and she usually practises three times a week with her team and twice a week with her coach.
The months between May and December are entirely dedicated to training and finessing her skills as she choreographs new competition routines.
Her favourite event is the floor routine, where the athlete truly feels that her personality shines through every exercise.
"The crowd loves it, too," Chelsea adds.
Although many people support Chelsea every day, the athlete stresses that one of the most valuable figures in her gymnastics career is her coach. "The sessions with her are extremely valuable," she explains.
Having someone by her side who has high expectations for her, someone who can challenge but also encourage her, makes a "huge difference" and can truly motivate the athlete to push her boundaries.
“She is very hands-on and develops new techniques that are very valuable for me to achieve success in new skills.”
Without my coach’s dedication, passion and belief in me I could have never reached my potential.
On the other hand, the months from January through April are fully dedicated to competitions, where Chelsea is often the only participant with a disability.
“That makes it very difficult for me to win awards,” the record holder explains, remembering how she often took last place.
However, that made Chelsea’s first World Championship victory in London even more memorable as she competed with other gymnasts with disabilities: “I felt like I was in a dream,” she confesses.
“I was so emotional and proud when they raised the United States flag and played my national anthem. I only get the opportunity to compete in a World Championship once every four years.”
True to her nickname, "ShowTime", Chelsea performs best under pressure.
The name affectionately given by her family speaks volumes about the athlete's character: Chelsea explains that she might make several missteps during warm-up periods, but she's able to focus when it's time to compete. Her mindset shifts and she completes perfect routines, leaving everybody awed.
Of course, winning isn't as easy as it sounds.
Despite her refusal to let any setback get in the way of her success, complications are always around the corner - some more frustrating than others, as in the case of a mental block that forced Chelsea to alter her training routine in 2023.
"After 15 years of tumbling, I couldn’t tumble at all," she explains.
An exercise that had always been a familiar part of her routine turned, suddenly, into an unexpected complication.
"This is common," she wrote on her Instagram. "Many gymnasts quit when this happens. The other option is to work through it. I chose that option."
So, determined to go back and start from scratch, Chelsea learned how to tumble again.
The process took months and tons of hard work, but the athlete came back stronger and more tenacious than ever just in time for the World Championship.
"I got it back just in time for my third World Championships in South Africa," she says, "where I was able to win my third world title."
Chelsea also smashed her first world record, most back handsprings in 30 seconds, just a few months after her mental block.
I have also met two of my role models: Simone Biles and Aly Raisman. They are both world champions and having their support means everything to me.
Advocating for inclusion
Be it in front of the wowed crowd of a World Championship or the lens of a camera, Chelsea loves to inspire.
The athlete is a paladin for individuals with disabilities, and her social media platforms have become invaluable allies in spreading her story - the highlights and successes, yes, but also the difficulties of navigating a world that often turns away from representation and inclusivity.
Despite having walked prestigious runways (the New York Fashion Week to name one), Chelsea knows first-hand how challenging it can be for a model with a disability to breach the fashion world.
“Models with disabilities are underrepresented,” she explains.
“I was turned away from quite a few modelling agencies and was told that there was no interest in a model with Down syndrome. That just made me more determined. I am now signed with three modelling agencies.”
Chelsea's mother, Lisa, talked about the lack of inclusivity during an interview with Teen Vogue, stressing how most agencies turned them down as "there was no market for a model with a disability."
Once again, Chelsea's determination proved everyone wrong.
Today, her fashion campaigns remind us that diversity and representation are more than just vague words: they are a long-ignored necessity, they are the future, and this positive change is already in motion thanks to champions like Chelsea. Most of all, she says, she's glad her work and inspiration can motivate others to follow their dreams.
"I am so happy and proud that I am breaking down barriers that individuals with disabilities have faced for a very long time," the record holder writes on her website.
"I hope I am a good advocate and role model for others to follow in my footsteps."
I don’t look too far into the future, but I still love gymnastics and modelling. For now, that’s what I’m focused on.