Kurt Bilto Thomas ( born Kurt Bilteaux Thomas ; born March 29, 1956 , Miami , Florida , USA ) is an American gymnast , three-time world champion, participant in the Olympic Games.
| Kurt Thomas | |
|---|---|
| personal information | |
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| Full name | Kurt Bilto Thomas |
| A country |  USA |
| Specialization | |
| Date of Birth | March 29, 1956 (63 years old) |
| Place of Birth | Miami Florida , USA |
Content
Biography
Kurt Bilto Thomas was born March 29, 1956 in Miami , Florida . In 1976, while studying at Indiana State University in Terre Haute , Thomas got the opportunity to take part in the Montreal Olympics , where he took 21st place in the individual all-around and 7th in the national team in team competitions.
In 1978, at the World Championships in Strasbourg, he won a gold medal in floor exercises , making history as the first American male gymnast to excel in this discipline.
In 1979, he won six awards at the World Championships in Fort Worth , including gold on the bar and floor exercises, silver in individual all-around, parallel bars and horse exercises. In the same year he became the first gymnast to receive the James Sullivan Prize in the nomination "Best Amateur Athlete in the United States."
In 1980, he was one of the contenders for the Olympic Games in Moscow , but did not take part in them due to the boycott of these competitions by the US government.
Since 1996, married to the dancer Rebecca Jones, who choreographed for gymnastic performances. Together with his wife, he opened a training center in Frisco , Texas . In 2003 he was introduced to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame .
Interesting Facts
- In honor of Kurt Thomas, two gymnastic exercises are named - “Thomas circles” (acrobatic exercise on a horse) and “Thomas somersault” (one and a half grouped back somersault, turning into a one and a half somersault with a coup). Thomas Circles, performed on a gymnastic horse, as well as on the floor, has been developed over the years by horse gymnastics experts. However, in gymnastics, according to the charter, new movements and exercises get their name in honor of the gymnast who first performed them at international competitions.
- In 1985, Thomas starred in the movie Gimkata (Deadly All-Around / Gymnastics and Karate). He played an athlete whom the US government sent to a deadly competition called the Game.
- He participated in the television series "Confession" (True Confessions) and worked as a commentator on the sports channel ESPN .
Notes
- ↑ Record # 32209519 // VIAF - 2012.
Links
- Kurt Thomas - Olympic statistics at Sports-Reference.com
- Gymkata: Kurt Thomas - Gymnastics for Heroes
- The Mayan who glorified American gymnastics all over the world (English)