AAU Sullivan Award Spotlight: Gymnastics
02/20/2024
Welcome to the fourth edition of the Sullivan Spotlight series, highlighting some of the incredible athletes who have won the award since 1930. Today’s spotlight: gymnastics honorees
By Alexander Gagnon
There are few sports as physically demanding, dangerous, yet profoundly beautiful as gymnastics. The combination of power and grace is a fine line to walk, but these premier athletes do so with ease. Gymnasts have a long-standing history as finalists for the AAU Sullivan Award. From Al Jochim as a finalist for the 4th AAU Sullivan Award in 1933, to Jordan Chiles last year for the 93rd AAU Sullivan Award, gymnasts are always in the hunt to make their mark.
Gymnasts have won the AAU James E. Sullivan Award four times as the nation’s top collegiate or Olympic level athlete but have been finalists many times. They have found most of their success in the 21st century, with three winners over the past 20 years.
Kurt Thomas – 50th Winner, 1979
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Thomas was an innovator, and a top gymnast in the late 1970s. He was a three-time World Championship gold medalist, placing first in the Floor Exercise in 1978, and winning the Floor and Horizontal Bar events in 1979. He also took silver in the All-Around, Parallel Bars, and Pommel Horse in ’79. He was poised to make a run at Olympic gold in 1980, but ultimately could not with the U.S Olympic Boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
He was a late starter in the gymnastics scene, starting as a high school freshman at Miami Central High School in the early 70s. But he learned fast and was a five-time NCAA champion. He also won the Nissen Award as the top senior men’s collegiate gymnast. His World Championship and NCAA success in 1979 led him to become the first-ever gymnast to win the AAU Sullivan Award. He has multiple moves named after him, notably the “Thomas Flare” on the pommel horse and the “Thomas Salto” on floor exercises. The “Thomas Salto” has since been banned for the danger it puts gymnasts in if performed incorrectly.
Notable Finalists: Four-Time Olympic gold medalist Evelyn Ashford (Athletics) and Three-Time World Championships Gold Medalist Cynthia Woodhead (Swimming)
Paul Hamm – 75th Winner, 2004
The 2004 Olympic gold medalist in a controversial All-Around event is what Hamm is best known for, but the Wisconsin native was also a three-time consecutive U.S. National champion and five-time World Championship medalist. But at those 2004 Olympic Games, Hamm pulled out a near miracle to win the gold. After a rough Vault event scored him down in 12th place with only two events to go, any chance of a medal seemed gone. But back-to-back 9.837’s in the parallel bars and horizontal bar launched him up the table into first by a tenth of a point.
He was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2016 and has spent much of his time since over the past two decades training or appearing in shows like American Ninja Warrior (ANW) or Sasuke, the Japanese predecessor to ANW.
Notable Finalists: 28-Time Olympic medalist and 74th AAU Sullivan Award winner Michael Phelps (Swimming) and 10-time World Championships gold medalist Natalie Coughlin (Swimming)
Shawn Johnson East – 79th Winner, 2008
The first female gymnast to win the AAU Sullivan Award came in 2008, as Shawn Johnson East took home the award after her four medals at the 2008 Olympic Games. She became only the second American woman to win gold on the balance beam and took home silver medals in the team All-Around, individual All-Around, and the Floor Exercise.
Johnson East was named to the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2016 and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2019. When her window for competitive gymnastics closed, she has been a staple across a number of TV programs, including winning the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars.
Notable Finalists: Five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin (Gymnastics) and consensus NCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year Tyler Hansborough (Basketball)
Simone Biles Owens– 91st Winner, 2020 (Along with Caeleb Dressel)
One of the greatest gymnasts of all time, Simone Biles has been a fixture on the world gymnastics stage for over a decade. A 30-time World Championship medalist, she currently holds the all-time record for most medals, and the record with the most golds with 23. She is the only American woman to win a World Medal in each event, and only the tenth woman to ever do so. A six-time World All-Around champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, Biles has a resume that may be one of the greatest across any sport. She currently has five moves named after her, with two on vault, two on floor, and one for the balance beam.
She is also the youngest ever recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States. Her advocacy for mental health and for supporting those in the foster care system have been well documented and is still on going.
Notable Finalists: Two-Time Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu (Athletics) and Two-Time Olympic gold medalist Maddie Musselman (Water Polo)
94th AAU Sullivan Award
Will a gymnast win this year’s AAU James E. Sullivan Award to keep their run of good form going? The 94th AAU Sullivan Award Ceremony takes place April 23, 2024, at the New York Athletic Club. Semi-finalist voting ends Wednesday, February 21 at 11:59 p.m., so be sure to cast your vote here!
Keep an eye out on March 5 for the next installment of Sullivan Spotlight, where winners from another sport will be highlighted.
There are few sports as physically demanding, dangerous, yet profoundly beautiful as gymnastics. The combination of power and grace is a fine line to walk, but these premier athletes do so with ease. Gymnasts have a long-standing history as finalists for the AAU Sullivan Award. From Al Jochim as a finalist for the 4th AAU Sullivan Award in 1933, to Jordan Chiles last year for the 93rd AAU Sullivan Award, gymnasts are always in the hunt to make their mark.
Gymnasts have won the AAU James E. Sullivan Award four times as the nation’s top collegiate or Olympic level athlete but have been finalists many times. They have found most of their success in the 21st century, with three winners over the past 20 years.
Kurt Thomas – 50th Winner, 1979
Thomas was an innovator, and a top gymnast in the late 1970s. He was a three-time World Championship gold medalist, placing first in the Floor Exercise in 1978, and winning the Floor and Horizontal Bar events in 1979. He also took silver in the All-Around, Parallel Bars, and Pommel Horse in ’79. He was poised to make a run at Olympic gold in 1980, but ultimately could not with the U.S Olympic Boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
He was a late starter in the gymnastics scene, starting as a high school freshman at Miami Central High School in the early 70s. But he learned fast and was a five-time NCAA champion. He also won the Nissen Award as the top senior men’s collegiate gymnast. His World Championship and NCAA success in 1979 led him to become the first-ever gymnast to win the AAU Sullivan Award. He has multiple moves named after him, notably the “Thomas Flare” on the pommel horse and the “Thomas Salto” on floor exercises. The “Thomas Salto” has since been banned for the danger it puts gymnasts in if performed incorrectly.
Notable Finalists: Four-Time Olympic gold medalist Evelyn Ashford (Athletics) and Three-Time World Championships Gold Medalist Cynthia Woodhead (Swimming)
Paul Hamm – 75th Winner, 2004
The 2004 Olympic gold medalist in a controversial All-Around event is what Hamm is best known for, but the Wisconsin native was also a three-time consecutive U.S. National champion and five-time World Championship medalist. But at those 2004 Olympic Games, Hamm pulled out a near miracle to win the gold. After a rough Vault event scored him down in 12th place with only two events to go, any chance of a medal seemed gone. But back-to-back 9.837’s in the parallel bars and horizontal bar launched him up the table into first by a tenth of a point.
He was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2016 and has spent much of his time since over the past two decades training or appearing in shows like American Ninja Warrior (ANW) or Sasuke, the Japanese predecessor to ANW.
Notable Finalists: 28-Time Olympic medalist and 74th AAU Sullivan Award winner Michael Phelps (Swimming) and 10-time World Championships gold medalist Natalie Coughlin (Swimming)
Shawn Johnson East – 79th Winner, 2008
The first female gymnast to win the AAU Sullivan Award came in 2008, as Shawn Johnson East took home the award after her four medals at the 2008 Olympic Games. She became only the second American woman to win gold on the balance beam and took home silver medals in the team All-Around, individual All-Around, and the Floor Exercise.
Johnson East was named to the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2016 and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2019. When her window for competitive gymnastics closed, she has been a staple across a number of TV programs, including winning the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars.
Notable Finalists: Five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin (Gymnastics) and consensus NCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year Tyler Hansborough (Basketball)
Simone Biles Owens– 91st Winner, 2020 (Along with Caeleb Dressel)
One of the greatest gymnasts of all time, Simone Biles has been a fixture on the world gymnastics stage for over a decade. A 30-time World Championship medalist, she currently holds the all-time record for most medals, and the record with the most golds with 23. She is the only American woman to win a World Medal in each event, and only the tenth woman to ever do so. A six-time World All-Around champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, Biles has a resume that may be one of the greatest across any sport. She currently has five moves named after her, with two on vault, two on floor, and one for the balance beam.
She is also the youngest ever recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States. Her advocacy for mental health and for supporting those in the foster care system have been well documented and is still on going.
Notable Finalists: Two-Time Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu (Athletics) and Two-Time Olympic gold medalist Maddie Musselman (Water Polo)
94th AAU Sullivan Award
Will a gymnast win this year’s AAU James E. Sullivan Award to keep their run of good form going? The 94th AAU Sullivan Award Ceremony takes place April 23, 2024, at the New York Athletic Club. Semi-finalist voting ends Wednesday, February 21 at 11:59 p.m., so be sure to cast your vote here!
Keep an eye out on March 5 for the next installment of Sullivan Spotlight, where winners from another sport will be highlighted.
