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Peter Vidmar

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Peter Vidmar
Personal information
Nationality United States
Born (1961-06-03) June 3, 1961 (age 63)
Los Angeles, United States
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
SportArtistic gymnastics
ClubUCLA Bruins, Los Angeles
Medal record
Men's gymnastics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Pommel horse
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles Team competition
Silver medal – second place 1984 Los Angeles All-around
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1979 Fort Worth Team

Peter Glen Vidmar (born June 3, 1961 in Los Angeles) is an American gymnast and two-time Olympic gold medalist. He won gold in the team final and pommel horse, and silver in the individual all-around.[1]

Olympics

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At age 18, Vidmar was the youngest member of the U.S. team that won a bronze medal in the 1979 world championships. He qualified for the 1980 Olympic team, but did not compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. Vidmar was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.[2]

At the 1984 Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles, Vidmar won gold medals in the men's all-around team competition and the pommel horse competition, and a silver medal in the men's all-around individual gymnastics competition. With three Olympic medals, he is one of three athletes inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame twice. He was inducted as an individual, then as a member of the 1984 U.S. men's gymnastics team.[3][4]

UCLA

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He is an alumnus of UCLA.[5] In 1983, Vidmar won the Nissen Award (the "Heisman" of men's gymnastics).[6]

Career

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Vidmar hosts the annual Peter Vidmar Men's Gymnastics Invitational at Brentwood School in Los Angeles. He has been a gymnastics anchor for both CBS and ESPN. He is currently a motivational speaker as well as a co-chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee Summer Sports Summit. In 1998 Vidmar was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[7]

Personal life

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Vidmar and his wife, Donna, have five children.[8] He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[9]

2012 Olympics

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Vidmar was selected to be the chef de mission for the 2012 Olympics, where he would have represented all U.S. athletes and march in the opening ceremonies. His selection drew criticism from LGBT activists and athletes, including Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, because in 2008 Vidmar donated money to and publicly campaigned for Proposition 8 that banned same-sex couples from being married in California. Vidmar resigned his position to avoid his presence from being detrimental to the U.S. Olympics.[10][11]

U.S. Gymnastics

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Vidmar was named chairman of the U.S. Gymnastics Board of Directors in December 2008.[12] He left his role at USA Gymnastics in December 2015 to serve as a mission president for the LDS Church in the Australia Melbourne Mission.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Benson, Lee; Robinson, Doug (January 1, 1992). Trials & Triumphs/Mormons in the Olympic Games. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Company. p. Foreward. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Caroccioli, Tom; Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.
  3. ^ "Peter Vidmar". Sports Reference
  4. ^ Peter Vidmar Biography SpeakersOffice Inc.
  5. ^ "July 28, 1984: The 23rd Olympiad Begins". UCLA History Project. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "Nissen Emery Award". USA Gymnastics. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "Peter Vidmar". International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  8. ^ "Where Are They Now: Peter Vidmar". ESPN.com. July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  9. ^ Farmer, Molly (May 17, 2009). "15 minutes more earns success, Olympian Peter Vidmar tells LDS singles". Mormon Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2009 – via Deseret News.
  10. ^ Brennan, Christine (May 6, 2011) USOC official Peter Vidmar resigns after anti-gay marriage actions. USA Today.
  11. ^ Peter Vidmar Resigns as U.S. Chef de Mission. Around the Rings (May 6, 2011).
  12. ^ Peter Vidmar Archived October 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. USA Gymnastics. Retrieved on August 4, 2014.
  13. ^ "Vidmar leaves USA Gymnastics for missionary posting". Reuters. December 11, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
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