Men's Gymnastics
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 615-1527
Entering his 21st season with the Wolverine staff and his fifth year as Michigan’s head coach in 2026, Yuan Xiao has established himself as one of the most accomplished coaches in collegiate and international gymnastics. Michigan has captured four consecutive Big Ten Tournament titles, three regular season titles, and an NCAA Championship with Xiao at the helm of the program. During Xiao’s time at the University of Michigan, he has helped win a total of eight Big Ten Tournament titles, six Big Ten regular season championships, nearly 50 All-Americans, 18 individual NCAA titles (7 All-Around), and 29 Big Ten Individual champions.
The Wolverines reached their pinnacle under Xiao in 2025, winning the program's seventh NCAA team championship and first since 2014. Fred Richard became the first gymnast to earn All-America honors in seven events in a single season on his way to his second career NCAA All-Around title. Seven athletes combined for 17 All-America honors at NCAAs, the most for the Wolverines in program history. At the Big Ten Championships, the Maize and Blue earned its fifth-straight team title and picked up a pair of individual titles. Richard earned his third straight Big Ten All-Around Champion and Big Ten Gymnast of the Championships while Evgeny Siminuic took home the high bar title. Xiao was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fourth straight year, CGA Coach of the Year, and USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year.
In 2024, Michigan finished as national runner-up at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and fifth straight top-3 finish. The Wolverines also captured their fourth consecutive Big Ten Championship, with Richard taking both his second All-Around title and Big Ten Gymnast of the Championships. Landen Blixt earned the floor exercise crown and Crew Bold claimed the parallel bars title. At the NCAA finals, Paul Juda captured the floor exercise title while Richard finished as runner-up in the all-around and on still rings. Michigan athletes earned 11 All-America honors, and Xiao was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for a third consecutive season.
Following the collegiate season, Xiao guided Juda, Richard, and alum Cameron Bock at the Olympic Trials. Richard captured the all-around title with a two-day total of 170.500, highlighted by first-place finishes on high bar, second on parallel bars, and third on floor exercise, to earn himself an automatic spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Juda placed 4th all-around with 168.850, bolstered by podium finishes on floor (second) and pommel horse (third), which also secured his place in Paris. Bock rounded out Michigan’s representation with an 8th-place all-around result (165.600). Richard and Juda helped lead Team USA to a bronze medal in the men’s team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the nation’s first team medal in 16 years. Individually, Richard advanced to the men’s all-around final after placing 10th in qualification and finished 15th overall, while Juda also reached the all-around final and placed 14th.
Juda became as the program’s third recipient of the prestigious Nissen Emery Award in 2023, following Justin Toman and Sam Mikulak. Richard captured the NCAA all-around, parallel bars, and high bar titles as a freshman. Michigan finished as NCAA runner-up, its second podium finish under Xiao since 2009, and collected its third straight Big Ten Tournament crown. The Wolverines earned 10 All-America honors. At the same time, Xiao guided Team USA as head coach at the World University Games, leading the squad to a historic fourth-place finish. Richard and Juda later propelled Team USA to a bronze medal at the World Championships, the first men’s team medal since 2014. Richard established himself as one of the world’s elite by earning an individual all-around bronze, becoming the youngest American man to medal in that event.
Xiao’s head coaching tenure began with immediate success in 2022, as Michigan won the Big Ten Championship and finished third at the NCAA Championships. Juda headlined the year by earning the all-around and vault titles, becoming Michigan’s first NCAA all-around champion since Sam Mikulak in 2014. The Wolverines picked up 11 All-America honors, and three Big Ten individual event titles (Paul Juda – all-around, high bar; Jacob Moore – floor; Evgeny Siminiuc – parallel bars). Xiao was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in his debut season at the helm of the program.
Xiao’s impact in Ann Arbor began long before his head coaching role. From 2006 to 2021, he served as assistant coach under Kurt Golder, helping lead the Wolverines to NCAA team titles in 2010, 2013, and 2014, and the 2009 runner-up finish. During that span, Xiao played a central role in the 2010 rise of Chris Cameron, who broke a decades-long drought by winning Michigan’s first NCAA all-around title since 1963. Cameron helped lead Team USA to a fifth-place finish at the 2010 World Championships. Xiao guided Juda and Cameron Bock to a Team USA gold medal at the 2020 Pan American Championships, earning Juda an extra spot for the USA men's gymnastics team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He also served as the coach for Olympic reserve Cameron Bock in Tokyo.
He mentored Wolverines Ryan McCarthy, NCAA high bar champion, and Anthony McCallum, a three-time vault national champion. Most notably, Xiao helped shape the career of Sam Mikulak, one of the most decorated gymnasts in NCAA history. Under Xiao’s guidance, Mikulak captured three NCAA all-around championships (2011, 2013, 2014), seven individual NCAA titles overall, and 17 All-America honors. Mikulak went on to represent the United States at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 as an athlete before heading to the 2024 Olympic Games as a coach, cementing his status as a program icon and one of the sport’s modern greats.
Before arriving at Michigan, Xiao spent five seasons at the University of Oklahoma, contributing to NCAA team championships in 2002, 2003, and 2005, as well as runner-up finishes in 2001 and 2004. Xiao mentored 12 Olympians across six countries during his time in Norman, Okla., as well as serving as coach at three World Championships and one World University Games.
Xiao’s career began in China, where he trained 2000 Olympic team gold medalists Yong Wei and Xing Aowei, coaching Wei to an individual All-Around silver medal. He also coached Fan Hongbin, a major contributor to China’s gold-medal teams at the 1994, 1995, and 1998 World Championships, along with being a rings finalist and member of China’s team silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
A 1988 graduate of Beijing Sport University with a degree in sports education, Xiao has also been a featured lecturer at the USA Gymnastics National Congress since 1998. He and his wife, Julia, a former Cirque du Soleil performer, reside in Michigan. They are the proud parents of two daughters: Pearl, a University of Michigan graduate, and Sophia, a current student at Michigan State University.
