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Kurt Thomas (1956–2020), first U.S. male gymnast to win gold at World Championships

by Linnea Crowther

Kurt Thomas was the first American male gymnast to win gold at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Olympic hopes

Thomas was a student at Indiana State University when he competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, though he didn’t medal there. He went home to win NCAA events in parallel bars in 1977 and 1979, leading his school’s team to the 1977 National Championship. In 1978, Thomas went to the World Championships and broke new ground for U.S. male gymnastics, winning a gold medal in floor exercises in a sport that had been dominated by Asian and European competitors. He won gold again in 1979 – and that same year, he was honored with the Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the U.S. Thomas was poised for glory at the 1980 Summer Olympics, but the U.S. boycotted the Games in Moscow, and Thomas lost his chance at Olympic gold. Thomas gave up his amateur status before the 1984 Olympics, and when professionals were allowed to compete in 1992, he didn’t make it past the trials.

Thomas was known for two signature moves, the Thomas Flair on the pommel horse and the Thomas salto, a dangerous floor move that has since been banned from competition. In 1985, Thomas starred in the low-budget martial arts film “Gymkata,” which became a cult classic in later years. He and his wife ran the Kurt Thomas Gymnastics Training Center in Frisco, Texas. Thomas was a member of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

What people said about him

Full obituary: The New York Times

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