Carly Janiga was born in Stratford, Connecticut, on October 19, 1988. Her parents are Bill and Ellen. She has two older brothers, Seth and Willy. Carly began gymnastics in 1990. She trained at Desert Devils during her club career. She is now a freshman at Stanford.

In 1999, Carly competed as a level nine. She finished second on floor at Westerns. She was twelfth in the all-around. Carly moved up to level ten in 2002. She finished second all-around at the Parkette Invite. At the 2001 Level 10 Regional Championships, Carly placed third all-around. She won vault and floor. At the JO National Championships, she won vault. She finished second on bars and fourth all-around. Carly competed a third year as a level ten in 2002. She placed third all-around at the California Classic. At the JO National Championships, she finished fourth all-around with a fall.

Her first year as a junior international elite began in the summer of 2002. At the US Classic, Carly finished ninth all-around! She was fourth on beam. This qualified her for the US National Championships. Carly made her first US National Team. She did not compete in 2003 because of an injury. In 2004, she returned to compete as a senior international elite. Carly finished sixth all-around and second on beam at the American Classic. She finished second all-around at the International Friendship Camp.

Her next meet was the US National Championships. Carly placed third on beam and floor. She qualified to the Olympic Trials. Carly was named to the Olympic Selection Squad. In the fall, she competed at the Copa La Serena World Cup. She won vault and floor. Carly placed second on beam with a fall. She started out 2005 with several invitationals. She won the Winter Classic and Maui Invitational. Unfortunately, Carly injured her elbow before the elite season began.

After months of rehabilitation, Carly returned in 2006 to compete as a level ten. At her first meet, the Flips USA Invitational, she only competed on three events. Carly won all three. She then won four gold medals at the Pikes Peak Cup. She finished second on vault. Carly then swept the gold medals at the Hard Rock Invitational and Flagstaff Winter Classic. At the Arizona Level 10 State Championships, she won five gold medals! At Regionals, she won the all-around and uneven bars title. Her final meet as a club gymnast was the JO National Championships. She finished first all-around!

During her freshman season, she competed in the all-around. She wasnamed the Pac-10 Freshmanofthe Year. She was named Stanford's MVP. At the NCAA Championships, she finished fourth all-around, eighth on floor and 15th on vault. Carly was a three-time first-team All-American on the above events. As a sophomore, she earned second-team All-American honors on floor. She won the Pac-10 beam title. She was named to her second Academic All-American team. As a junior, Carly was Stanford's MVP and Academic Award member. She earned her third Pac-10 All-Academic selection. She won three Pac-10 titles in 2009 including the all-around and balance beam. At Regionals, she won the all-around. She was a four-time first-team All-American. She placed second on bars at NCAA Championships.

Fast Facts Name: Carly Janiga Birthday: October 19, 1988 Club: Desert Devils College: Stanford Stanford

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS Full scholarship to Stanford 2010: NCAA National UB Champion 2006: JO National Champion 2004: Olympic Training Squad 2002: junior national team 2002: JO Nationals- 4th AA 2001: JO Nationals- 4th AA

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Photos © Heather Mayenez & Lloyd Smith