Trent Dimas (born November 10, 1970; Albuquerque, N.M.) is a Hispanic American gymnast and Olympic champion. Now retired, Dimas was an elite senior level international artistic gymnast.

Trent Dimas
Full nameTrent Dimas
Country representedUnited States
Born (1970-11-10) November 10, 1970 (age 53)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team1989–1993
GymGold Cup Gymnastics
College teamNebraska Cornhuskers
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's artistic gymnastics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 0
Pan American Games 0 1 2
Goodwill Games 0 1 0
Total 1 2 2
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona Horizontal bar
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1991 Havana Team
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Havana Floor
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Havana Horizontal bar
Goodwill Games
Silver medal – second place 1990 Seattle Team

Dimas became a member of the U.S. junior national team at the age of 13 and made the U.S. senior national team at the age of 15. He attended the University of Nebraska his freshman year[1] where he became a two time All American and a member of UNL's 1990 NCAA Men's Gymnastics championship team. After one season of NCAA competition,[1] Dimas left his athletic scholarship to train full-time in hopes of making a U.S. Olympic Team.

Athletic career

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As a nationally and internationally ranked athlete, he competed at the Goodwill Games (Team, Silver),[2] Pan American Games (FX, Bronze and HB, Bronze) (See Gymnastics at the 1991 Pan American Games), won the American Cup (AA) [3] and was the U.S. Men's Vault Champion, Parallel Bars Champion and Horizontal Bar Champion.[4]

In an era of compulsory routines and a straightforward format to Olympic team trials (and before apparatus specialists), Dimas was ranked 5th All Around at trials (top 6 made the Olympic Team) which placed him on the U.S. Olympic Team roster. He competed all six of the men's apparatuses in qualification at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona where he received a gold medal on horizontal bar in the event final. This was the second time that an American gymnast, male or female, won a gold medal in an Olympics held outside the United States. Only Frank Kriz (on vault at Paris in 1924) had done so previously. Dimas was also the first Latino Olympic gymnastics medalist from the USA.

Education

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Following his athletic career, in 1992, Dimas graduated from Columbia University School of General Studies in New York City with a B.A. in political science.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "This is Nebraska - Building Olympians". Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  2. ^ Brannon, Jody (19 July 1990). "U.S. Fortunes Hang On High Bar -- Soviet Men Favored To Take Home Gold". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  3. ^ "USA Gymnastics website". Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  4. ^ "U.S. National Champions - Men". Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Columbia School of Graduate Studies-Notable Alumni". Retrieved 23 August 2012.
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