Kurt Thomas

The man who put American men's gymnastics on the map — the first American to win a World Championship gold.

Kurt Thomas was born in Miami, Florida in 1956. He became the first American man to win a World Championship gold medal in gymnastics in 1978. He developed the Thomas Flair — a circular hip-rotation element on the pommel horse and floor — that bears his name and is performed by elite gymnasts worldwide. He won gold medals at the 1978 and 1979 World Championships. The United States boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics — denying him the opportunity to compete for Olympic medals at his peak. He later appeared in the 1985 film Gymkata. He died from a brain aneurysm in 2020.

• World Champion 1978,1979
• US National Champion multiple
• Named Thomas Flair (element)