Mizzou Gymnast Helen Hu Honored as SEC Specialist of the Week

Last week, one of Missouri’s gymnasts made history.

When the Tigers traveled to Norman, Okla. to face the Sooners, they knew it would be a tall task. Though the team fell to the top-ranked Sooners, it had the moment of the night when Helen Hu anchored Missouri on the beam.

Hu's routine was packed with difficult moves and capped off with a stuck landing on the dismount. After she landed on the mat, her teammates surrounded her, jumping and cheering while she smiled from ear to ear. Moments later, tears followed when the judges held up their scores of 10s.

This 10 was the first perfect score of Hu’s career, as well as the first perfect score of the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season. Due to the perfect score, Hu was named the Southeastern Conference Specialist of the Week for the third time in her career.

"It's hard to put into words," Hu told ESPN after the meet. "I was so shocked and excited. It was everything."

For Hu, a 10 has been an elusive score. Before Friday’s meet against the Sooners, she had accumulated 15 scores of 9.950 or higher. She earned three scores of 9.975, with the most recent occurring in March of 2023.

It has been a while since Hu’s last 9.975 because she took a year off from the sport in 2024. Following the 2023 season, she retired and spent a year backpacking across Asia and South America. During that time, she probably thought she would never compete as a Missouri Tiger again.

That all changed after Hu found herself back in Columbia, Mo. for a previous teammate’s wedding. While she was in town, Missouri gymnastics head coach Shannon Welker convinced Hu to use her final year of eligibility and return to the Tigers. That was an offer Hu couldn’t refuse.

It seems, so far, that her decision to come back was the right one.

Hu’s perfect score on the beam is a big deal for Missouri, as the program has only accomplished a 10 on that apparatus three other times. Aside from Sienna Schreiber’s perfect score in 2024, it’s been over 20 years since a Missouri Tiger achieved a 10 on the beam.

Hu rejoined the team with the explicit goal of earning a 10, and now she’s done it. She will look to continue posting strong beam scores as the 2025 season progresses. She will also aim to contribute to the team's success in her final year here.

"I'm really focusing on appreciating that I'm even back here at all," Hu said. "I'm soaking in every moment and having as much fun as I can."