Gymnastics Olympic Champions From 1988-2004

Here are the men's and women's all-around champions from the last five Olympic Games -- these are just brief biographies, but they surely give you an idea of your gymnast's potential.

2004 Paul Hamm, Carly Patterson

Paul Hamm, the 2004 men's all-around champion in gymnastics, was born on September 24, 1982, and has a twin brother by the name of Morgan. Paul was the first American man to take the gold for the all-around competition in a fully attended Olympic Game. He is noteworthy for some controversy surrounding his title.

Carly Patterson was born on February the fourth, 1988, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana, to a pair of loving parents - her mother, Natalie, and her father, Ricky. She is the first of a pair of girls (her younger sister is Jordan). In 2004, she became the first all-around Olympic champion for the United States in more than two decades, and was also the first to win for the US in the past two games. The last female all-around gymnastics champion for the United States won in 1984, when the Soviet Union had boycotted the Olympics entirely.

2000 Andreea Raducan, Alexei Nemov

Andreea Madalina Raducan was born on the thirtieth of September, 1983, in Birlad, Romania. She was trained under Octavien Belu and Mariana Bitang of the Cetate Deva Club in Romania and began gymnastics at the age of five. She has several gold and silver medals under her belt from national and international competitions. Though she is listed as the official Olympic all-around female champion, the IOC stripped her of her medal when she tested positive for pseudophedrine (the active ingredient in many decongestants) after having taken a cold pill given to her by the Romanian Olympic Team doctor. Regardless of whether or not she has the medal, she is a champion - and an incredible one at that.

Alexei Nemov is considered to be one of the best male gymnasts in the world, as well as being a pin-up for the girls. He was born on May 28th, 1976, in Barashevo, Russia. His start on gymnastics started early. At the age of five, his mother took him to the local gym, thinking that gymnastics would be an acceptable alternative to a more violent sport. He has had his ups and downs in gymnastics -- namely, with many injuries to his arms and shoulders -- but left the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics with six medals each. In 2000, he was crowned the men's all-around gymnastics champion and bore his gold medal proudly.

1996 Li Xiaoshuang, Lilia Podkopayeva

Li Xiaoshuang, men's all-around gymnastics champion in the 1996 Olympics, was born on November 1, 1973, in Xintao, Hubei Province, China. His career has been marked with many successes. At the age of seven, he took up gymnastics; two years later, he was part of his provincial team, and at twelve years of age, he was part of the Chinese national gymnastics team. He has won many gold medals in his time, including two from separate Olympic games - 1992 and 1996 - and three from the World Gymnastics Championships. In 1995, he was awarded the well-deserved title of International Master of Sports and continues, to this date, to impress.

Lilia Podkopayeva was born on August 15, 1978 in Donestk, Ukraine. Her coach, Galina Lossinskaya, brought her through more than ten competitions all together, in which she fared well. In the 1996 Atlanta Georgia Olympic Games, she placed first in the all-around women's competition and since then has toured the United States in the John Hancock Tour of World Gymnastics Champions.

1992 Tatiana Gutsu, Vitaly Scherbo

Tatiana Gutsu, women's all-around champion in the 1992 Olympics, has an excellent record of performance. She was born on the fifty of September, 1976 in the Soviet Union, and was selected at a very young age by her coach and trainer, Victor Dikii. In the 1992 Olympics, her career became tarnished by conspiracy when she took the place of Roza Galieva in the all-around competition, one for which she did not qualify. It later became known that Galieva was not really injured, and though it was apparently not Gutsu's idea to take over that part of the competition, the two of them split the prize earnings and became bitter acquaintances. Today, Tatiana lives in the United States.

Vitaly Scherbo, men's all-around champion in 1992, has a very impressive record. He won an unprecedented six individual gold medals at the '92 Olympics and, all told, he holds more than fifty medals in total from championships around the world. Coached by two of the best in the world -- Leonid Filipenok and Sergei Shinkar, he is truly an impressive gymnast. Now, with his wife and daughter, Irina and Kristina respectively, he runs the Vitaly Scherbo School of Gymnastics in Las Vegas. The website for the school of gymnastics can be found at http://www.vssg.net/.

1988 Elena Shoushounova, Vladimir Artemov

Elena Shushonova, women's all-around Olympic champion of 1988, was born in May of 1969 in Saint Petersburg, which was, at the time, Leningrad. She trained under Viktor Gavrichenkov at the Central Army Club in the then Soviet Union. With two Olympic gold medals, a bronze medal and a silver medal, and more than twenty other medals from championships around the world, Elena Shushonova has an illustrious history of gymnastic prowess, and in 2004, she was added to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Born in the town for which he was named in December of 1964, Vladimir Artemov came away with the all around gold medal in the 1988 Olympics. In fact, he came away a champion several times over, with gold or silver in all of his events, a truly impressive finish. Trained under Viktor Firsov at Burevestnik, at that time a part of the Soviet Union, he also received thirteen other medals in all of his other endeavors. Now, he lives in the United States with his wife and children, and is a part of the National Coaching Staff.

By Murray Hughes
Gymnastics Secrets Revealed "The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read"

http://www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/olympic-gymnastics-champs-1988- 2004.htm

If your child is a gymnast and you enjoyed this article, you will definitely enjoy reading the zero cost, 5-day course Gymnastics Tips Course written especially for gymnastics parents. Go here now: Gymnastics for Girls For AOL Users - Gymnastics

---

Precious Stones v.s. Semi-Precious Stones

Stones have been worn by both women and men since prehistoric times. Just as in the jewelry of modern times, beautiful stones, rare and colorful, are most often the dominant feature of a... Read More

Human Cultural Evolution

If we think about it at this juncture, clearly there is little to commend this Judaeo/ Christian/Islamic God if he is represented by the people who led this church. Pagans have a far... Read More

Thaitsuki Nihonto Samurai Swords: Leading The Way

So why are these swords so popular? There are several reasons but number one is quality. The Thaitsuki swords are handmade by trained craftsman in using a family method over 200 years old.... Read More

The Dazzling Beauty of the Shwedagon Paya

The Shwedagon Paya is much more than just another temple. It is the cultural and religious heart of Myamar. Built on a small hill in central Yangon (Rangoon) the great golden dome rises... Read More

Marilyn Monroe and Mary Jo Kopechne

I doubt Marilyn Monroe was anything but a confused star-struck drug-using individual with some gifts and talents that the Kennedy boys enjoyed. But she may have been so obsessed with them that she... Read More

Basic Chinese Pinyin Rules

* Make sure you set your browser encoding correctly to read Chinese words in this article. Chinese Simplified GB2312 is recommended. Please find detail instruction from this page: http://www.learn-chinese-language-online.com/read-chinese-online.htmlTalking about Chinese Pinyin rules,... Read More

Your Stars 2

Leo Some tragic news hits you hard and makes you re-evaluate your entire life. Use this opportunity to think long and hard about the direction you are taking. It's also a great excuse... Read More

Last Chance to See: Grove Mill, Mitcham

Grove Mill, Mitcham; where in 1934 many of the iron wheels from Surrey Iron Railway waggons were still visible in the tail-race, is being given the Ravensbury treatment. All but the central building... Read More

Precious Stones The Big Five-Part 5 The Pearl

Since pearls are so rare and possess such a high degree of natural beauty, they have been considered to be among the most splendid of gems for many centuries.The people of India and... Read More

Garnet is Januarys Birthstone

If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you probably also remember the special birthstone assigned to it. But at your age, we bet you don't really know the SIGNIFICANCE of your... Read More

Feng Shui North versus South Hemisphere

The North South Hemisphere Question:The question of whether or not the orientation of the Lo Pan, Lo Shu should be reversed when applied to the Southern Hemisphere has been thrown back an forth... Read More

Precious Stones ? The Big Five - Part 3 The Sapphire

The sapphire, protector of the innocent, celestial guardian of truth, bringer of health and youth, symbol of the heavens and birthstone for the month of September, is in fact the same stone as... Read More

Gold Jewelry -The Rest of The Story

Gold is one of the metals taken from the earth and is probably the first metal known to man. Its first use has been traced back to 3600 B. C. and was probably... Read More

Celtic Jewelry: Ancient Symbolism in Popular Fashion

The mysterious and the mystical have always had the power to hold human beings in thrall throughout the millennia. Celtic jewelry is no exception to this, since they are an extension and a... Read More

Ogham and Aymara

OGHAM:As any reader of my work knows by now, Ogham and an Ogham mentor played a major role in altering my life and commitment to learning about the ancients. I think Ogham was... Read More

Body Jewelry and Todays Stars

Body jewelry and body piercing practices have been observed by various groups of people all over the world throughout the centuries. For some tribes it is a rite of passage, for others it... Read More

What Sets Chinese Painting Apart From Western Painting

Because of different instruments, materials and cultural background, Chinese paintings have their own image and content in comparison to other types of paintings. Unique appearance of Chinese Painting owes much to the use... Read More

Yes Tarot Readings Are For You!

Have you ever thought?What is the best way out of this situation or which job do I take which decision do I make and offcourse which path is best! Choices, choices, choices, life... Read More

Man and His Machines

A woman creates life from her womb, and man tries to create life through his machines.I have always had a close relationship to machines, any kind of machine. While I was growing up... Read More

Sir Francis Drake

FRANCIS DRAKE: - It is my perspective that history has had secrets which Royal Families like the Stuart Bees needed to keep close to their vest; and that these secrets are still kept... Read More

Mexican Living: Myth Busting

Myth One: Mexicans are lazy, good-for-nothings.I mention this one first because it is one of the vilest myths and an excellent example of Americans' xenophobic stereotyping. The idea that Mexicans spend their lives... Read More

Accurate Psychic Advice

Psychic readings can be an invaluable tool for obtaining answers to your most confusing questions. A psychic reading can help you gain insight regarding your love life, family, career, finances and more!We invite... Read More

Fictions Galore

FABULOUS: - Many 'fabulous' personages and concepts are created by man. Some are attempts to make sense of a confusing array of real things he doesn't understand, others are created by those who... Read More

A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs - Pt 5 Charles II

Born in 1630, Charles II was the second eldest son of Charles I, who spent most of his teenage years fighting parliaments Roundheads until the execution of his father in 1649, and after... Read More

Hip-hop Jewelry and Todays Stars

Watch any of the major movie, television, and music award shows on television today and one of the first things you'll notice about the celebrities on the red carpet, aside from their extravagant... Read More

Learn Chinese Language Tips and Techniques

There's no doubt learning any foreign language requires effort, time and commitment. This holds true even more, especially when there's a big difference between one's native tongue and learning a new language.On the... Read More

Tribal Tattoo Designs - Why Are They So Popular?

Tribal tattoos have been practiced for thousands of years. Modern people still get them done for many reasons such as to belong to a modern 'tribe' even if they do it on a... Read More

Mars, the Mighty and Marvelous

Martius, the month of March, is named after him. So is the fourth planet from the sun and a bar of chocolate, but we know him mainly as the god of war.If you... Read More

Bohemian Grove

"Bohemian Grove is 'the greatest men's party on Earth', according to once-regular attendee Herbert Hoover. A secret little getaway for America's male upper crust, the 2-week long annual retreat in Monte Rio, California,... Read More