Ivana Hong was born December 11, 1992 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and her family moved to Southern California two years later. She began gymnastics at National Gymnastics Training Center (NGTC) in Aliso Viejo, California at the age of five. Ivana's mother wanted her to be able to participate in some form of physical activity while she ran errands. However, the gym refused to accept Ivana unless her mom would join her in one of the Mommy & Me classes. They felt Ivana was too young to concentrate and take directions, but her mother insisted on a trial class. The coaches were immediately impressed and Ivana quickly moved through the levels.

     In 2000, Ivana first participated in the TOP (Talent Opportunity Program) testing and was the only gymnast from her team to earn the Diamond level award. That year she also participated in Bela Karolyi's summer camp and traveled to Sydney for the 2000 Olympic Games! Ivana and her family realized that in order for Ivana to obtain her goal of one day reaching the highest level in gymnastics, they would need to find another gym. After returning home from Sydney, Ivana began competing Level 6 at Gym-Max, under coaches Howie and Jenny Liang.

     In January 2002, Ivana sustained an elbow injury two days before her first Level 9 meet, which required surgery. She spent two months with a cast on but still attended every meet to cheer on her teammates. After two months of therapy, Ivana came back to earn the highest all-around score at the Region 1 Elite Qualifier meet in Chandler, Arizona! Less than a month later, she competed at the US Challenge in Virginia Beach as a Child National Elite. The pigtailed nine-year-old captured the attention of many gymnastics fans, and after finishing third in the all-around, she was invited to one of the National Training Camps in Texas. There she earned the nickname Lala from the National Team bars coach. Her other nickname, Nana, was given to her by her older sister, Isabelle, when they were little. Ivana also has a younger sister, Isadora, and brother, Preston.

     Ivana competed at the National Elite level again in 2003. She finished second at the American and US Challenge competitions. In February 2004, she earned her status as a Junior International Elite at the Region 1 Elite Qualifier. She finished first overall at the American Challenge, and a few months later she qualified for the 2004 Junior US Championships by finishing 10th all-around at US Classic. Ivana was the youngest competitor at US Championships, and though she did not make the Junior National Team, she did capture the attention of many gymnastics fans. Inside Gymnastics Magazine wrote, "Everything she does, she does perfectly. When her start values catch up to her form, watch out."

     On October 1, 2004, Ivana began training at Great American Gymnastics Express (GAGE) in Blue Springs, Missouri. Coincidentally, it was on the same date four years ago (October 1, 2000), that Ivana had begun training for Level 6 at Gym-Max. A friend commented that Ivana leaving Gym-Max is "sort of like Ivana has finished with high school, and she's now going to college for her degree." The Hongs were very grateful to Howie and Jenny for bringing Ivana to the Elite level, and thank Al and Armine for taking her on to the next level.

     Ivana has thrived under Al and Armine's coaching, and 2005 was a very exciting year. She debuted a new vault (full-twisting Yurchenko), new skills and combinations on bars and beam, and two new tumbling passes on floor (a triple full and a full-twisting layout). She again qualified for the US National Championships, where she finished eighth all-around, earning a spot on the US Junior National Team! In the fall, she represented the United States in her first international competition: the 2005 Top Gym Tournament in Charleroi, Belgium. There she earned the bronze medal in the all-around and captured gold on both bars and beam! In 2006, she was even more successful at US Championships. She reclaimed her spot on the Junior National Team, placed fifth in the all-around, and won the bronze medal on beam. 

     2007 is Ivana's first year on the Senior International Elite level. Though she is only fourteen-years-old, the rules allow athletes that will turn sixteen during the Olympic year to compete at the senior level in 2007. Because Ivana was born in December 1992, she is just old enough to compete on the senior level and attempt to make the World Championship and Olympic teams. Earlier this summer, she was chosen to represent the United States at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil. She helped the United States win the gold, and individually, she earned the bronze medal in the all-around. Winning the gold medal for the US on a World and Olympic team are her next goals. She looks up to 2004 Olympic Team Member Courtney McCool and her own grandmother as role models. 

     Earlier this summer, coach Al Fong told the Blue Springs Examiner, "We've had a timeline for Ivana, some mile markers we set back in 2004, and she's in a perfect position. She's one of the young women that everyone in the country is talking about." It is not only in gymnastics that Ivana is successful. She has been on the honor roll the past three years at her school in Missouri with a 4.0 GPA.