Clara Colombo grew up around gymnastics. Her father was a coach, and her sister was a gymnast. Colombo first began participating in the sport around age 5. She continued to hone her craft over the years and performed well enough to become an NCAA gymnast for the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team.

On the surface, nothing truly stands out about the freshman’s journey to Lincoln. However, she holds one distinction no other NCAA gymnast has ever had — she’s from Italy. Colombo grew up in Caravaggio, Italy, and trained in Melzo, communities about 30 miles east of Milan.