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Champlin Park's Chaney Neu scores first perfect 10 in state meet history

By Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune, 02/23/19, 10:27PM CST

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The three-time all-around state champion sophomore's masterpiece came in the vault, where she was flawless while executing a Yurchenko layout.


Chaney Neu of Champlin Park performed on the vault and received a perfect score of 10, the first time for any event in the history of the gymnastics state meet. Photo: COURTNEY DEUTZ, Special to the Star Tribune * courtney.deutz@startribune.com

The wonderful thing about sports is the thought that at any time something remarkable might happen.

Such was the case in the Class 2A gymnastics state meet on Saturday night. Champlin Park’s amazing Chaney Neu added an entire chapter to her growing high school saga when she scored the first perfect 10 in the 45-year history of the state meet.

Neu’s masterpiece came in the vault, where she was flawless while executing a Yurchenko layout. Her perfection was obvious to everyone at the University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion. All four judges threw up 10s on the scoreboards immediately as the crowd roared with appreciation. (Click here to watch her record vault.)

They knew they’d just witnessed greatness.

“I thought it would be a 9.9 or a 10. I was like, ‘Please be a 10, please be a 10,’ ” Neu said. “When that fourth score was a 10, that was awesome.”

“In my 25 years in high school gymnastics, I’ve never seen that,” Champlin Park coach Jon Wynia said. “There were some of the old-timers who’ve been here for 40 years who were thanking me. They said they’d always hoped to see a 10 but they didn’t think they ever would.”

The 10 came on her first vaulting pass. Wynia walked down to Neu and told her she’d done enough. No need to take her second pass. “She was ready to go,” he said. “I said, ‘Let’s just let that one stand.’ ”

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