| Kate Nelson | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Katherine O'Donnell Nelson | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 December 1977 Evanston, Illinois, United States of America | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Rhythmic Gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | International Elite | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 1994–1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Rossitza Todorova | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Katherine O'Donnell Nelson (born 27 December 1977), known as Kate Nelson, is a retired American rhythmic gymnast. She was part of the national senior group.
Kate practiced ballet and tumbling getting her start in gymnastics at the YMCA, switching from artistic to rhythmic when she was 10–11 years old. [1] Later she was on the US national rhythmic gymnastics team from 1994 to 1996, being part of the national senior group along Aliane Baquerot, Lori Fredreickson, Mandy James, Ginny Ledgerwood, Becky Turner, Brandi Siegel and Challen Sievers. [2] They all lived together in suburban Chicago largely due to Sievers' father, Ron, whose construction firm renovated the house where the gymnasts lived and converted a former racquetball complex into the gym where they trained. [3]
In 1994 the group was 19th at the World Championships in Paris. [4] They won silver at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, and placed second in the group at the 1995 Four Continents Championships. [5]
In the summer of 1996 Kate, Mandy James, Aliane Baquerot, Becky Turner, Brandi Siegel and Challen Sievers were selected to compete at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, the first edition to feature the group competition. [6] They finished in 9th place and so did not advance to the final. [7]
In 2012 she opened the YMCA National Championships and Summer Fest in Milwaukee. [8] Nelson married and later settled in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, with her husband and two sons Will and Tyler. [9]
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon and rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coordinated. Rhythmic gymnastics is governed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which first recognized it as a sport in 1963. It became an Olympic sport in 1984 with an individual all-around event. The group all-around competition was added to the Olympics in 1996. At the international level, rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport. The most prestigious competitions, besides the Olympic Games, are the World Championships, World Games, European Championships, European Games, the World Cup Series and the Grand Prix Series. Gymnasts are judged on their artistry, execution of skills, and difficulty of skills, for which they gain points. They perform leaps, balances, and rotations along with handling the apparatus.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics, two different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. The artistic gymnastics events were held at the Georgia Dome from July 20–25 and July 28–29. The rhythmic gymnastics events were held at Stegeman Coliseum in nearby Athens, on the campus of the University of Georgia from August 1–4.
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Carmel Kallemaa is an Estonian-born Canadian rhythmic gymnast. She is a Commonwealth Games champion and a Pan American Championships medalist.
Rebecca Ann Turner, known as Becky Turner, is a retired American rhythmic gymnast. She was part of the national senior group.
Aliane Mata-Baquerot, known as Aliane Baquerot, is a retired American rhythmic gymnast. She was part of the national senior group.
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