Julianne McNamara

Last updated
Julianne McNamara
Julianne McNamara 2016.jpg
Personal information
Full nameJulianne Lyn McNamara
Country representedFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Born (1965-10-11) October 11, 1965 (age 59)
Flushing, Queens, New York, United States
SpouseTodd Zeile (1989–2015)
Height4 ft 10 in (147 cm)
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Eponymous skills Uneven Bars: Jump to clear support on high bar - clear hip circle to handstand on high bar also with ½ turn (180°) in handstand phase on high bar
Retired1987
Medal record
Women's gymnastics
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1984 Los Angeles Uneven Bars
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg1984 Los Angeles Team
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg1984 Los Angeles Floor
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1981 Moscow Uneven Bars
World Cup Final
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1982 Zagreb Vault

Julianne Lyn McNamara (born October 11, 1965) is an American former artistic gymnast, who was born to Australians Jean and Kevin McNamara. She was the winner of the U.S. women's first individual event gold medal in Olympic history.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Career

McNamara won the 1980 US all-around title and qualified for the 1980 Olympic team but did not compete due to the United States Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. [1] [2] As consolation, she was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal many years later. [3] A year later, at the World Championships that were coincidentally also held in Moscow, McNamara notched the top U.S. women's world all-around finish (seventh place) at that point in history. [4] She also earned a bronze medal on bars, a seventh on floor and finished fifth on beam. [5] She had entered the beam final in first place but went overtime in the final.[ citation needed ]

At the 1982 World Cup, McNamara fell off the bars to place eighth all-around. In finals, however, she earned a bronze on vault and a seventh place on beam. At the 1983 world championships, she finished 16th all-around, sixth on vault, and seventh on uneven bars.[ citation needed ]

In 1982, The Flower Council of Holland, headed by namesake Dutch Queen Juliana, christened the Julianne McNamara rose. [4] At the time, the only other American woman to be so honored was the then U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan.

The climax of McNamara's athletic career was at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. There, she tied Ma Yanhong from China for first on the uneven bars (both gymnasts scored 10.00), won the silver on floor, and placed fourth all-around. [6] [7] As of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, she is the only American to win gold in the uneven bars event.

Eponymous skill

McNamara has one eponymous skill listed in the Code of Points, an uneven bars mount. [8]

ApparatusNameDescriptionDifficulty [a]
Uneven barsMcNamaraJump to clear support on high bar - clear hip circle to handstand on high bar also with ½ turn (180°) in handstand phase on high barD
  1. ↑ Valid for the 2022-2024 Code of Points

Retirement

Although the 1984 Olympics was her last formal competition, McNamara did not retire officially until 1987. Her international accomplishments are considered to have played a major role in spotlighting the U.S. women's team in the early 1980s. Even though she only had the opportunity to be named the national All-Around champion in 1980, she was internationally recognized as the top American gymnast from 1980 to 1982.[ citation needed ]

Upon her retirement from gymnastics, McNamara embarked on an acting career, appearing in television shows such as Charles in Charge and Knight Rider . She also did color commentary for some television gymnastics coverage. [9]

In 1989, McNamara married baseball player Todd Zeile, whom she met while attending UCLA. [10] She retired from her acting career and the couple had four children together: sons Garrett, Ian, and Aaron; and daughter Hannah, who appeared as teenage Kate Pearson on This Is Us . [11] McNamara and Zeile divorced in January 2015. [12]

She was inducted to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024. [13] She reflected on her career in her induction speech which she gave on May 18 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma:

It's probably one of the greatest honors of my life because I'm old now and you think people forget about you.. after my gymnastics career, my life turned in a different direction... I kind of ran away from the sport in a sense...I loved it with all my heart and I still miss doing it but as the years have gone by I'm just extremely grateful to be a part of this community. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Conner</span> American gymnast (born 1958)

Barthold Wayne Conner is a retired American Olympic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He owns and operates the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma, along with his wife, Romanian Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comăneci. In addition, both Comăneci and Conner are highly involved with the Special Olympics.

The Magnificent Seven was the 1996 United States Olympic women's gymnastics team that won the first-ever gold medal for the United States in the women's team competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The seven members of the team were Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, and team captain Amanda Borden. Miller, Chow, and Dawes also won an individual gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively in Atlanta. The team is perhaps best known for Strug sticking the landing of a vault to clinch the gold medal while injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecaterina Szabo</span> Romanian nationality, ethnic Hungarian artistic gymnast

Ecaterina Szabo is a former Romanian artistic gymnast who won 20 Olympic, world and continental medals.

Ma Yanhong is a retired Chinese Olympic athlete. She was the first Chinese gymnast, male or female, to win a gold medal at the World Gymnastics Championships and the Olympic Games.

Katherine "Kathy" Johnson Clarke is an American sports commentator and former artistic gymnast. Johnson was one of the first American gymnasts to win a major international medal, known for her longevity and tenacity in the sport.

Tracee Ann Talavera is an American former artistic gymnast who competed for the United States at the Olympics and World Championships. She qualified for the 1980 Olympic team. She was the 1981 and 1982 U.S. National All-around Champion and a member of the silver medal-winning American team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Talavera was born in Santa Clara, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Peszek</span> American artistic gymnast

Samantha Nicole Peszek is an American former artistic gymnast. She was a member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, which won silver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavinia Agache</span> Romanian gymnast (born 1968)

Lavinia Agache is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast. She won 10 medals at major international events, including a team gold medal at the 1984 Olympics and three silver medals at the 1983 World Championships. She is also the 1983 European champion on balance beam.

Marcia Frederick is a retired American gymnast who was the first American woman to win a gold medal at the World Gymnastics Championships, on the uneven bars in Strasbourg, France, in 1978. After qualifying for the 1980 US Olympic team, she was among the favorites to win a medal in Moscow but did not compete because of the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics led by the United States. At the USGF International Invitational held in August 1980 in Hartford, Connecticut, for countries affected by the boycott, Frederick won the silver medal in the all-around competition, the gold on vault and bronze on uneven bars and balance beam. Years later, she was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Chiles</span> American artistic gymnast (born 2001)

Jordan Lucella Elizabeth Chiles is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2024 Summer Olympics, having previously been a member of the silver medal-winning team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She was also a member of the team that won gold at the 2022 World Championships. Individually, she was the 2022 World vault silver medalist and floor silver medalist. She has been a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team since 2013. In NCAA Gymnastics, Chiles competes for the UCLA Bruins gymnastics team, where she has won two Pac-12 titles and two NCAA championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia-Rose Brown</span> Australian artistic gymnast

Georgia-Rose Brown is an Australian artistic gymnast who currently represents New Zealand in international competition. She represented New Zealand at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Hurd</span> American artistic gymnast

Morgan Elizabeth Hurd is an American artistic gymnast and a five-time member of the United States women's national team (2016–21). She is the 2017 World all-around champion and balance beam silver medalist and the 2018 World all-around bronze medalist and floor exercise silver medalist. She has won four medals at the USA Gymnastics National Championships during her senior career and is a two-time American Cup champion. She was a member of the gold-medal winning American teams at the 2018 World Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games.

Kelly Garrison-Funderburk, formerly known as Kelly Garrison-Steves, is a retired American artistic gymnast. An elite gymnast for eight years, she represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to her Olympic experience, she participated in the 1983, 1985 and 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She was a two-time winner of the Honda Sports Award.

Trinity Lemyra Thomas is an American artistic gymnast and a four-time National Team member (2016–20). She was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Pan American Gymnastics Championships, where she also won silver medals in the individual all-around and on the uneven bars, as well as the bronze medalist on balance beam and floor exercise at the 2017 national championships. She was a member of the Florida Gators women's gymnastics team. One of the most successful NCAA gymnasts in history, Thomas finished her collegiate career with a record-tying 28 perfect-10 scores and a record-breaking five Gym Slams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayla DiCello</span> American artistic gymnast

Kayla Kecia DiCello is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2021 World bronze medalist and the 2023 Pan American Games champion in the all-around. On the junior level, she is the 2019 Junior World vault champion and the 2019 U.S. Junior national all-around champion. She was an alternate for the 2020 Olympic team and the gold medal-winning 2023 World Championships team. She also competes for the University of Florida women's gymnastics team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shilese Jones</span> American artistic gymnast

Shilese Jones is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the teams that won gold at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 World Championships, and the 2018 Pan American Championships. Individually she is the 2022 World all-around and uneven bars silver medalist and the 2023 World all-around and uneven bars bronze medalist. Jones is also a two-time U.S. National Champion on uneven bars (2022–2023) and the 2022 U.S. National Champion on floor exercise. She currently trains with Ascend Gymnastics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konnor McClain</span> American artistic gymnast

Konnor McClain is an American artistic gymnast and a member of the United States women's national gymnastics team. She is the 2022 U.S National Champion and was the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy and the 2019 U.S. Classic Junior All-Around Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skye Blakely</span> American artistic gymnast

Skye Amiel Blakely is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the teams who won gold at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, silver at the 2022 Pan American Championships, and bronze at the inaugural Junior World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ting Hua-tien</span> Taiwanese artistic gymnast

Ting Hua-tien is a Taiwanese artistic gymnast. She is the 2019 Asian champion and the 2022 Asian Games bronze medalist on the balance beam. She competed at the 2020 Olympic Games, making her the first Taiwanese female gymnast to compete at an Olympic Games since 1968. Additionally she represented Chinese Taipei at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levi Ruivivar</span> Filipino artistic gymnast (born 2006)

Levi Jung Ruivivar is a Filipino-American artistic gymnast. Born in the United States, she represents the Philippines internationally and competed for her country of birth in the past. She qualified to represent the Philippines at the 2024 Summer Olympics through the 2024 FIG World Cup series.

References

  1. ↑ "Artistic National Championships History • USA Gymnastics". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  2. ↑ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (2008-05-08). "The Olympic Boycott, 1980". 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 "Julianne Lyn McNamara | Biography". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  5. ↑ "1981 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships • USA Gymnastics". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  6. ↑ "LOS ANGELES 1984 GYMNASTICS ARTISTIC UNEVEN BARS WOMEN RESULTS". olympics.com. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Olympic Games History - Women • USA Gymnastics". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  8. ↑ "2022-2024 Code of Points Women's Artistic Gymnastics" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation . pp. 78, 207. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  9. ↑ Harris, John (March 6, 1992). "McNamara in Orlando to tune up for Olympics". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 26, 2024. Now a spectator, she is preparing for the Barcelona Olympics, where she will serve as venue commentator for the network's Olympics TripleCast (pay-per-view) coverage.
  10. ↑ "TODD ZEILE AND JULIANNE McNAMARA HAPPILY CHEER EACH OTHER ON -- AS HUSBAND AND WIFE! - February 1, 1991". money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  11. ↑ Pham, Jason (March 13, 2018). "How 'This Is Us' Helped Hannah Zeile Overcome Her Body Insecurities". StyleCaster. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Todd Zeile went from MLB to Hollywood, with Charlie Sheen's help". Sports Illustrated. July 1, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  13. ↑ Ivanov, Christian (May 19, 2024). "Four gymnastics legends inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame". intlgymnast.com. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  14. ↑ International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (2024-06-04). Julianne McNamara, Induction Speech, IGHOF Class of 2024 . Retrieved 2024-08-02– via YouTube.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.