MARIETTA, Ga. — When her daughter was just a few weeks old, Ana De Mello was told that her little girl, Lani, would never walk, would be permanently limited by disability. Last week, Lani received one of USA Gymnastics' highest awards.
Lani De Mello has spent her life defying doctor expectations and pioneering inclusion for athletes with disabilities. She was born with Down Syndrome and a heart defect. Doctors expected her to spend her life in a wheelchair with physical and intellectual disabilities. Instead, she's spent the last 25 years competing and winning at national and world levels. On June 29, she received the USA Gymnastics' 2024 Robert Miller Spirit of the Flame Award.
“Lani has taught this community that you don’t have to be the ‘perfect looking athlete,’” Ana said.
Lani grew up dancing ballet and has been a rhythmic gymnast since she was about 11 years old and started working with Cindy Bickman, who has coached a Special Olympics gymnastics team since the 1980s. Today, 25 years later, Lani is one of the top Special Olympics rhythmic gymnasts in the world according to Bickman.
Lani trains at Chattooga Gymnastics in Marietta. She competes in USA Gymnastics’ HUGS (Hope Unites Gymnasts with Special Athletes) and Rhythmic Xcel programs, and for two seasons was active in the Junior Olympic program. She was the 2015 all-around world champion and 2017 rope champion in Down Syndrome Gymnastics, has won numerous gold medals in the Georgia Xcel program as well as the HUGS program and has been a member of the U.S. delegation to five World Gymnaestradas and three Gym for Life World Challenges.
Lani also has won HUGS gold medals in trampoline and tumbling. In 2019, she was the U.S. champion in the first Wheel Nationals that included athletes with disabilities. She and her teammates on Birkman's team have competed in Germany, Estonia, Canada, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Austria, South Africa, Norway, Italy, Greece and more.
Lani's award is recognizing her not only for her ample talents, but for how she has helped paved the way for better inclusion of gymnasts with disabilities. In fact, according to Birkman, this is the first time anyone with a disability has received an award like Spirit of the Flame from USA Gymnastics.
"I think USA Gymnastics is leading the world in inclusion in gymnastics," Birkman said.
To Ana, this award is about more than just her daughter's accomplishments; it's about efforts to include and recognize athletes with disabilities.
"This has been a whole journey of inclusion and the amazing courage that USA Gymnastics has shown by giving an award to Lani," Ana said.
Though gymnastics is more of an individual sport, Ana and Birkman both emphasized the importance of community and teamwork in Lani getting to where she is today. Lani's parents have worked hard to support their daughter's talents.
"This award has been a culmination of me being determined, my husband 100% supportive of anything that we ever did, but Lani's resilience and Lani's strength," Ana said.
Lani is also big about giving back to and supporting others.
"Instead of just always being focused on herself, Lani has shown that she promotes everybody," Bickman said.
The Robert Miller Spirit of the Flame Award is presented by the USA Gymnastics Athletes’ Council to recognize "individuals in the sport of gymnastics who have demonstrated leadership, strength and determination in an extraordinary way."
De Mello received her award on June 29 at the 2024 USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
