Chellsie Marie Memmel (born June 23, 1988) is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2005 world all-around champion (the third American woman, after Kim Zmeskal and Shannon Miller, to win that title) and the 2003 world champion on the uneven bars. She was a member of the United States women's gymnastics team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
With a total of seven World Championship and Olympic medals, Memmel is tied with Shawn Johnson as the ninth most decorated American female gymnast, behind Simone Biles (41), Shannon Miller (16), Nastia Liukin (14), Alicia Sacramone (11), Aly Raisman (10), Jade Carey (10), Sunisa Lee (9), and Dominique Dawes (8).
Her return to gymnastics in her 30s attracted attention to the idea that by avoiding over-training and mistreatment, gymnasts could continue to perform at a high level in adulthood. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2022.
Chellsie Marie Memmel was born in West Allis, Wisconsin, to Andy and Jeanelle Memmel. Both of her parents were gymnastics coaches, and they encouraged her to play around in the gym and taught her basic skills. When she was eight years old, she started training with Jim Chudy at Salto Gymnastics.
She began competing at the junior elite level in 2000.
Memmel became a senior international elite gymnast in 2003. She placed third at the National Podium Meet and the American Classic, and was invited to compete at the Pacific Challenge, a three-country tournament with Canada and Australia. At that competition, she won the all-around.
At the 2003 U.S. National Championships, Memmel was coming off of a hamstring injury that had limited her training time. She made mistakes during her floor exercise routine on both days and placed tenth in the all-around. At a national team selection camp several weeks later, she was chosen to compete at the Pan American Games, but not at the World Championships.
She won four medals at the Pan American Games, including gold in the all-around and on the uneven bars. During this time, the gymnasts who had been chosen for the World Championships team were dealing with injuries and illnesses: Annia Hatch tore her ACL, Ashley Postell had the flu, and Courtney Kupets tore her Achilles tendon. Memmel was an alternate to the World Championships, along with Samantha Sheehan and Terin Humphrey, and National Team Coordinator Márta Károlyi chose her and Humphrey to step in and compete. Memmel flew from the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo directly to the World Championships in Anaheim, California.
Memmel led the American team in the preliminary round at Worlds, qualifying to the all-around final in second place, and first among her teammates. In the team finals, she was the only American to compete on every event, and had the highest all-around score. The U.S. finished on top, winning the country's first team gold medal at the World Championships, despite competing with only five gymnasts instead of six. In the all-around final, she finished in eighth place.
In the event finals, Memmel became a world champion on the uneven bars, tying with teammate Hollie Vise. She also placed sixth on the balance beam after falling on her Arabian.
In 2004, Memmel competed at the American Cup and placed third, behind U.S. teammates Carly Patterson and Courtney McCool. During a national team training camp in April, she broke a metatarsal bone in her foot and she was unable to compete at the National Championships or the Olympic Trials. She petitioned for a chance to compete at the Olympic team selection camp and was ultimately named as an alternate to the U.S. team for the 2004 Olympics. Later in the year, Memmel won the uneven bars title at the 2004 World Cup Final.
Memmel began the 2005 season at the American Cup, which did not have an all-around competition that year. She won the uneven bars title and placed third on beam.
She placed fourth in the all-around at the U.S. Classic and won the silver medal in the all-around at the National Championships, behind Nastia Liukin. She was named to the U.S. team for the Pan American Championships, where she won the all-around title and individual gold medals on beam and bars.
Memmel was named to the 2005 World Championships team, along with Liukin, Alicia Sacramone, and Jana Bieger. At Worlds, she won the all-around title by 0.001 over Liukin. This made her the third American woman, and the first since 1994, to win the all-around at the World Championships. She also won silver medals on balance beam and uneven bars.
After her success at the 2005 Worlds, Memmel decided to turn professional, thereby giving up her NCAA eligibility.
Memmel began 2006 at the Pacific Alliance Championships, where she tied with Liukin in the all-around. She injured her shoulder while training a bail at the competition, and decided not to attend the U.S. Classic. Two weeks later, she competed at the National Championships where she placed fourth in the all-around.
At the World Championships, Memmel qualified first for the all-around finals and also made the uneven bars and floor event finals. In the team final, she re-aggravated her shoulder injury on her bail, and faltered on the balance beam when she landed a front tuck with one foot completely off the beam. She withdrew from the all-around and event finals because of her injury.
Memmel was still recovering from her shoulder injury in August 2007, when the National Championships were held. She competed only on floor exercise on the first day of the competition, and did not compete at the 2007 World Championships.