Leos, Brazil, Feb. 25 (UPI) — The 2016 Olympic champion of gymnastics was born in a rural village in the Brazilian Amazon, so when he won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, it was a big deal.
But Leos is now focusing on his sport in Europe and hopes to be one of the first Olympians to represent the United States in the 2019 World Championships in London.
The USA has been one of Leos top athletes since his freshman year of high school.
The 24-year-old is the only one of three American gymnasts competing for the gold at the Games, and the United Kingdom has five gymnasts, with the U.S. currently ranked ninth.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Brazilian publication Folha de São Paulo, Leos said he plans to pursue a career in coaching.
He will become a member of the U of A’s gymnastics program, where he will work on the U20 team.
The young gymnast will represent the U-20 team, which will compete at the World Championships, and will have a chance to represent Brazil at the 2018 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.