Gymnastics

Gymnastics has been a sport for over 4000 years! It was first introduced in ancient Greek through the mounting and dismounting of horses. In 1896 the first Olympics took place and artistic gymnastics was a key component. There are many different types of gymnastics. Many only know of artistic gymnastics which is where women that are gymnasts compete on four events: bars, floor, vault and beam and men that are gymnasts compete on 6 events: floor, uneven bars, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, and vault. There is also rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, and parkour. Many times after their Olympic gymnastics debut, gymnasts gain fame and make a name for themselves. The gymnasts Simone Biles, Mary Lou Retton, Laurie Hernandez, and Shawn Johnson are some of the most famous and inspiring gymnasts in the USA.

Simone Biles

Simone Biles was born on March 14, 1997. She has the most recognition and is overall the most decorated gymnast of all time. Many consider her the greatest of all time. She has 29 world championship medals, seven olympic medals and five unique and original skills named after her.

Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson East was born on January 19, 1992. The 31 year old has accomplished three olympic medals, one gold, three World Championships gold medals, and seven Pan Am medals, five of them gold. She is one of the most decorated gymnasts.

Mary Lou Retton

Mary Lou Retton was born January 24, 1968. She became a well-known highly decorated gymnast after the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. There she won several medals and was nick-named America’s Sweetheart for her performances.

Laurie Hernandez

Laurie Hernandez is a 23 year old born on June 9, 2000. She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics where she helped the USA team win the gold medal. She later went onto many shows and used her fame to learn about the world and inspire other gymnasts.