Bart Conner
Bart Conner, a native of Illinois, began his interest in gymnastics while he was in grade school during his gym class, where he excelled at acrobatic moves. It was in 1976 when Conner moved to Norman, Oklahoma, to attend the University of Oklahoma. While at O.U., he earned 14 NCAA All-America honors and led his team to two national titles. Conner is the only American male gymnast to win gold medals at every level of the national and international competition in the 1984 Olympic Champion. Conner was a member of the U.S. Olympic teams in 1976, 1980, and 1984. Conner came back on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He was from his second torn biceps injury to win two gold medals, one as a member of the U.S. team. Conner earned his second gold with a score of perfect ten on the parallel bars. Bart Conner took home two gold medals in 1984 for the American team, solidifying his place among the country’s preeminent gymnasts. Inspired by Nadia Comaneci, Conner arranged to appear on The Pat Sajak Show after learning that his idol was due to appear on it. The two met, and Comaneci was impressed by Conner. They started dating and married in 1996. He founded the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, which he runs with his fellow Olympian wife. On June 3, 2006, the couple welcomed their son, Dylan Paul Conner, to the world. They continue to travel the world, delivering inspirational speeches and promoting charities, gymnastics, fitness, and healthy lifestyles.
Bart Conner
Gabrielle Douglas
Gabrielle Douglas became both the first American to claim gold medals in the team and individual all-around events and the first African American to win the all-around title. Douglas grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where she started to practice gymnastics from the age of six. She then left her family and moved in West Des Moines, Iowa, to train with prominent coach Liang Chow. In 2011, She was named to the senior national team and helped the United States earn the team gold at the 2011 world championships, where she also placed fifth on the uneven bars. Douglas was only 16 when she won the individual all-around gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. In November 2014, Douglas returned to the U.S. national team after taking two years off from competitive gymnastics. At the 2015 artistic gymnastics world championships, she won a gold medal in the team event and a silver in the all-around. The following year she won the team gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games but failed to win an individual medal. She continued to make splashes as she grew older and helped the American team take home gold that year. The next Olympics, the 2016 Rio Games, Douglas took home another gold medal. That was the same year she starred in her TV show, Douglas Family Gold, a reality show that ran for one season.
Gabrielle Douglas