Editor’s note: The Daily Illini sports desk sits down Sunday nights and decides which Illinois athlete or coach is our Illini of the Week. Student-athletes and coaches are evaluated by individual performance and contribution to team success.

It’s ironic that Yoshi Mori chose to be a gymnast.

Gymnastics can be a very individualistic sport, and Mori hates competing for himself and by himself. He was put in this exact situation when competing at the 2012 Visa Championships. Though Olympic Trial spots were limited, C.J. Maestas, Paul Ruggeri, Mori and former Illini volunteer assistant coach David Sender still showed support for one another.

Being a part of such an individualistic competition this summer helped prepare the senior for his final season at Illinois.

“Me and Yoshi share that love of being a part of a family,” Maestas said. “It was a different atmosphere at Visas. He’s more comfortable competing for us than he is competing for himself.”

Mori was not selected to attend the Olympic Trials but wasn’t discouraged from trying to represent the U.S. in another way. He is hoping to make the national team this year and continue his gymnastics career in the elite field after he leaves Illinois.

“He was able to get to Visas and be on cusp of making Olympic Trials and realizing that he’s not that far out of the top-tier group. And despite never having made a national team, he can,” Illinois head coach Justin Spring said. “These nitpicking injuries have been very untimely, so that hasn’t been to his advantage. But even with that, he still has a great opportunity to go and make the national team for the first time.”

One of Mori’s specialty events is the pommel horse. This event has been said to be one of the most, or the most, difficult in men’s gymnastics. To be successful, a gymnast needs to present a combination of strength, precision and grace. Most gymnasts are intimidated by the event, but Mori is just the opposite.

“I’d say it’s one of my favorite events because it’s the least scary,” he said. “You aren’t flipping up in the air or doing any crazy stuff. For the rest of the events, I need adrenaline and I need to get pumped up, but for pommel horse, I have to make sure my heart rate is a little lower.”

Mori not only has the strength and precision needed to earn a high score, but he also captivates the judges with his grace. Maestas refers to Mori’s style as “elegant and Japanese” to complement his heritage. Aside from hard work, Mori’s body type factors into his success.

“It’s genetics,” Spring said. “You play to your strengths, and his strengths play out very well on pommel horse. The horse is a swinging event, and he’s very good at it and very comfortable at it. He feels at home and trains hard. That’s a recipe for greatness.”

This season, Illinois has had to deal with adversity. The Illini are missing two leaders — Paul Ruggeri graduated and Maestas is out for the year because of a tricep injury. After Maestas’ injury, the injuries mounted. As a senior, Mori was the first one the team looked to for a leader.

“Obviously, we have had some injuries that have set us back as a team, but that doesn’t matter to Yoshi.“ Maestas said. “I know when he raises his hand, it’s complete trust and confidence that he’s going to go out there and do his job. Especially now, when it was him, Paul and I last year who were the three big hitters. This year, it was just me and him, and now I’m out. It’s more to his plate, but you could throw anything his way.”

Though Illinois has lost Maestas for the season, Mori felt as if he was going to be a leader no matter what the circumstances arose this season. As an upperclassman, he said he wants to train his younger teammates to keep the program’s success alive.

“I do feel like I have more of a leadership role, especially this year being a senior and doing the all-around,” Mori said. “I got to make sure that I especially keep the freshmen motivated, share the experiences I have had and hope they do well.”

Unlike Maestas, Mori is more of a quiet, reserved gymnast. But that doesn’t mean his leadership goes unnoticed. Last season, he finished sixth in the all-around and fifth on the pommel horse at the 2012 NCAA Championships. Spring said his performances have the ability to change the entire team atmosphere.

“Especially in competitions, there are momentum shifts left and right and hit routines are big,” Spring said. “Yoshi is kind of a silent competitor in the meet until he gets out on the equipment and then he lets his gymnastics do the talking.”

This season, Mori has suffered from collarbone, sternum and back injuries. Last weekend, he competed for the first time this season despite still suffering from pain in his back. Mori has also never competed with the all-around format in practice before, but Spring said the Windy City Invitational was more of a trial run. With a small amount of practice, Mori placed third in the all-around and first on the pommel horse. His performance foreshadows what is yet to come.

“It says he is incredibly talented,” Spring said. “To be great on something, like his pommel horse, the work has got to be there. We’ve got to get a lot more work in the all-around, and he could be a lot higher than third in the all-around, even in the country. He can compete, but the hard work has to come behind the scenes to get on the top of the podium, which is where he could be.”

Gina can be reached at [email protected] and @muelle30.