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Clay Strother

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Clay Strother
Full nameClayton Strother
Country representedUnited States
Born (1980-10-28) October 28, 1980 (age 44)
HometownJasper, Texas, U.S.
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team2001–2008
GymTeam Chevron
Beaumont Gymnastics Academy
College teamMinnesota Golden Gophers
Head coach(es)Russ Fystrom, Mike Burns
Retired2008
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's artistic gymnastics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Pan American Games 0 1 2
Total 0 1 2
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2003 Santo Domingo Floor
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Santo Domingo Team
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Santo Domingo Pommel horse

Clayton Strother (born October 28, 1980) is a retired American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won multiple medals while representing the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games.

Early life and education

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Strother was born October 28, 1980, to Mike and Cynthia Strother.[1] He participated in gymnastics from a young age at Beaumont Gymnastics Academy and was selected as a member of USA Gymnastics' Olympic Development Program.[2]

His hometown was Jasper, Texas, U.S. and he attended Jasper High School.[3] He enrolled at the University of Minnesota to pursue gymnastics.

Gymnastics career

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Strother was a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's gymnastics team, where he became one of the most accomplished gymnasts in program history.[4] He was a four-time NCAA champion, winning individual titles on both the floor and pommel horse at the 2001 and 2002 NCAA gymnastics championships.[4][5] He was inducted to the Minnesota Golden Gophers Hall of Fame Class of 2016.[4]

Domestically, Strother saw success throughout his career. At Winter Cup, he was first on the floor and pommel horse events en route to a second-place all-around finish at the 2001 Winter Cup. At the USA Gymnastics National Championships, he had top three placements on the floor (2002, 2006), pommel horse (2002, 2007), and vault (2006).

Internationally, Strother represented the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games. Despite being ill at the event, he won two individual medals – silver on floor and bronze on pommel horse – in addition to a team bronze medal.[6] At the 2004 United States Olympic trials, he finished 15th in the all-around, but his results on floor and pommel horse, his two best events, led to him not being selected for the team.[7] He also competed at the 2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.[1]

Strother retired from gymnastics in 2008 after the 2007 Good Luck Beijing International Tournament.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jasper's Strother named to 2006 World gymnastics team". The Beaumont Enterprise. August 23, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Olympic Development Program". USA Gymnastics. Vol. 22, no. 1. January–February 1993. p. 40. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "Clay Strother". gophersports.com. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Clay Strother - M Club Hall of Fame". gophersports.com. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "PLUS: COLLEGE GYMNASTICS; Strother Captures Two N.C.A.A. Titles". The New York Times. April 7, 2002. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  6. ^ O'Connell, Carla; Bleiker, Cecil (September–October 2003). "U.S. Men's Team WINS Bronze at Pan American Games". USA Gymnastics. Vol. 32, no. 5. p. 23. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Erdahl, Kent (June 30, 2004). "Strother fails to make Olympic cut". Minnesota Daily. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Alum All-Around: Clay Strother". gophersports.com. July 22, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
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