McLean|Local Event
Local athlete to represent U.S. in World Baton Twirling Championships in Paris, France
Event Details
McLean baton twirler Alexa Paino will represent the United States in the 2026 World Freestyle and Rhythmic Twirl Championship, August 5-9, in Paris, France. At that competition, the best baton twirlers from around the world will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals in the twirling equivalent of the Olympic Games. The World Championship is sanctioned by the International Baton Twirling Federation (IBTF).
Paino, 12, earned a spot as an alternate on Team U.S.A. by taking fourth place in Junior Women’s Rhythmic Twirl at the U.S. Trials, held March 26-28 in Aiken, South Carolina.
“The members of Team U.S.A. are gifted athletes who train with the dedication and determination of Olympians,” said Karen Cammer, president of USA Baton Twirling, which selects the athletes for Team U.S.A. “Twirling is an aerobic sport that combines athleticism with artistry and top twirlers must demonstrate many of the same skills as elite athletes in other sports: the speed of a sprinter, the hand-eye coordination of a hockey player, the artistry of a figure skater, and the flexibility and power of a gymnast. We are excited to cheer on the members of Team U.S.A. as they ‘go for the gold’ at the World Championship!”
Paino is a seventh-grade student at St. Mark Catholic School where she maintains straight As. She recently won first place in the biochemistry category of her school Science Fair where she presented “The Effects of Acidic Beverages on Teeth.” (She wants to be a dentist when she grows up!) Paino has been twirling for 10 years and was a member of Team U.S.A. in 2025 when she won the silver medal in the Strut discipline at the Nations Cup in Turin, Italy.
Prior to the World Championship, Paino will compete in the U.S. National Baton Twirling Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and America’s Youth on Parade in South Bend, Indiana, in July.
For more information about Team U.S.A. and the sport of baton twirling, visit USA Baton Twirling or the United States Twirling Association. For more information about the World Freestyle and Rhythmic Twirl Championship, visit the International Baton Twirling Federation.
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