Neil Thomas (gymnast)

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Neil Thomas
Born (1968-04-06) 6 April 1968 (age 57)
Chirk, Wrexham, Wales
Height162 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Gymnastics career
Discipline Men's artistic gymnastics
Country
represented
ClubLiverpool Gymnastics Club
Medal record
Artistic gymnastics
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1993 Birmingham Floor
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1994 Brisbane Floor
Representing Flag of England.svg  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1990 Auckland Floor
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1990 Auckland Team
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1994 Victoria All-Around
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1994 Victoria Floor
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1994 Victoria Vault

Neil Roderick Thomas MBE (6 April 1968- ) is a retired English artistic gymnast who experienced most of his success in the floor exercises. An acknowledged inspiration to the golden generation of British gymnasts from 2004 onwards, and a pathfinder for his national programme, he was former world silver medalist and Commonwealth Games Champion and one of the most successful British gymnasts in the history of the sport.

Contents

Career

Born in Chirk, Wrexham in Wales on 6 April 1968, Thomas was noteworthy as a successful gymnast at world and international level at a time when British gymnastics generally did not figure at that level, and is regarded as an important torchbearer in the sport for the later successes of Beth Tweddle and Louis Smith which in turn ignited, and helped secure funding for, the revolution in British gymnastics in the 2010s that saw Great Britain become a leading nation in the sport.

Winner of three gold medals spanning two Commonwealth Games, Thomas also added a world silver medal on the floor in 1993, and repeating the feat in 1994. he finished 20th at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Representing England he won a Commonwealth gold medal on the floor and a silver in the team competition in Auckland, New Zealand. [1] [2]

He also won the vault bronze medal at European Championships in 1990. In 1993 he won Great Britain's first World Championship medal in Artistic Gymnastics (silver) 1993. A year later he won a gold medal on floor and became All-around champion at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, and also won the silver medal on floor at World Championships in Brisbane. [3]

Post-retirement and personal life

He was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1995 New Year Honours for services to gymnastics and in recognition of his near single-handed achievement in putting British men's gymnastics on the map. [4]

Following retirement, Thomas works as a development officer in the north west of England. [5] He is a member of the Liverpool Gymnastics Club. [6] He is cousin to TV journalist Owen Spencer-Thomas, who was also awarded the MBE. [7]

References

  1. "1990 Athletes". Team England.
  2. "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation.
  3. British Gymnastics official website. Accessed December 4, 2009
  4. Shropshire Star front page. December 31, 1994
  5. Archived 15 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine Manchester 2002 official website. Accessed December 4, 2009
  6. SR Olympic Sports official website. Accessed November 5, 2010
  7. Men’s Health p.31 August 2008