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MITCH GAYLORD
Official website: www.mitchgaylord.com
Mitchell Jay Gaylord (born March 10, 1961 in Van Nuys, California) is an American gymnast and Olympic
gold medalist.
While attending UCLA, he won the All-Around in the 1983 and 1984 U.S. National Championships, and the 1984 NCAA Men's
Gymnastics Championship.
In the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Gaylord led the gold-medal-winning U.S. men's gymnastics team. There, Gaylord became
the first American gymnast to score a perfect 10.00 in the Olympics. He also won the silver medal in vault, the bronze
in parallel bars, and the bronze in the rings.
Gaylord invented techniques performed on the horizontal bar named after himself: the "Gaylord" and the "Gaylord II,"
which are still performed by gymnasts today.
Gaylord appeared in several movies and TV shows. Most notably, he performed as a stunt double for Chris O'Donnell
(as Robin) in the 1995 movie Batman Forever. He also was notable for his role in American Anthem,
starring opposite Janet Jones (now Mrs. Wayne Gretzky). In the film, he plays a moody, stubborn gymnast who is looking
to return to the sport after time off because of injury. He also appeared in several other films and frequently appeared
on the television game show Hollywood Squares back in the 1980s.
Mitch Gaylord is married to world artist singer-songwriter
Valentina. The couple married on July 8, 2005, in a private ceremony.
For more information, visit his
profile page on the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique website.
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