Rhythmic gymnast shows sport is more than 'prancing around'

(Photo: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sport)Each time rhythmic gymnast Laura Zeng steps out onto the carpet, her movements are smooth and elegant but precisely calculated, creating routines only a handful of athletes in the world could imitate.

With nine strong performances, Zeng, then 15 years old, danced her way to an eighth-place finish in the all-around competition — the highest in history for an American in the all-around — at the 2015 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany in September, earning a spot for the U.S. team in the Rio Olympics.

Only her performance against 19 other gymnasts at the USA Gymnastics Championships in June will determine if Zeng, now 16, gets…