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Trinity Thomas

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Trinity Thomas
Full nameTrinity Lemyra Thomas
Country represented United States
Born (2001-04-07) April 7, 2001 (age 23)
York, Pennsylvania USA
HometownYork, Pennsylvania USA
Height5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior international elite
Years on national team2015–19 (USA)
ClubPrestige Gymnastics
College teamFlorida Gators (2019–23)
Head coach(es)Tony Fatta
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Lima Team
Silver medal – second place 2018 Lima All-around
Silver medal – second place 2018 Lima Uneven bars
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
All-Around World Cup 0 1 0
Representing Florida Gators
NCAA Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Fort Worth All-Around
Gold medal – first place 2022 Fort Worth Uneven Bars
Gold medal – first place 2022 Fort Worth Floor Exercise
Silver medal – second place 2022 Fort Worth Team
Silver medal – second place 2023 Fort Worth Team
Silver medal – second place 2023 Fort Worth Uneven Bars

Trinity Lemyra Thomas (born April 7, 2001) is an American artistic gymnast and a four-time National Team member (2016–20).[1] She was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Pan American Gymnastics Championships, where she also won silver medals in the individual all-around and on the uneven bars, as well as the bronze medalist on balance beam and floor exercise at the 2017 national championships. She was a member of the Florida Gators women's gymnastics team. One of the most successful NCAA gymnasts in history, Thomas finished her collegiate career with a record-tying 28 perfect-10 scores and a record-breaking five Gym Slams (scores of perfect 10 on every apparatus).

Early gymnastics career

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2011–2012

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Thomas commenced gymnastics training in 2008, at the age of 7 – a relatively late start for an elite-level gymnast. In 2011, training at Skyline Gymnastics in York,[2] she was the Pennsylvania state champion for Level 7 in the all-around and on all four pieces.[3] As a result, she skipped Level 8 to compete as a Level 9 gymnast, placing second at the 2012 Regionals.[4] At the 2012 Level 9 Eastern Championship in Maryland, she was fourth in the all-around; she competed against future teammate Sydney Johnson-Scharpf.[5]

2013–2014

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For the 2013 season, Thomas moved to Artistic Sports Academy Plus (ASAP) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and moved up to Level 10; the highest level of the USAG program. She was third at States,[6] ninth at Regionals and,[7] as a result, qualified to the J.O. NIT competition.[8] At the competition, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota,[9] Thomas finished fourth in the all-around and was the National Champion on floor.

In 2014, following her move to Prestige Gymnastics in Lancaster, she only competed three events at the Pennsylvania State Championships.[10]

Elite gymnastics career

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In February 2015, Thomas qualified as a Junior International Elite gymnast through her performance in the WOGA Classic Elite Qualifier.[11]

2017

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Thomas became age-eligible for senior-level competition in 2017. She made her senior international debut at the 2017 City of Jesolo Trophy[12] where she helped the USA finish first.[13] In July Thomas competed at the 2017 U.S. Classic. She only competed on uneven bars and balance where she placed third on each.[14] Later in the summer Thomas competed at the 2017 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships where she placed fourth in the all-around behind Ragan Smith, Jordan Chiles, and Riley McCusker, sixth on bars, and third on beam and floor. As a result, she was named to the senior national team[15] and invited to participate in the Worlds Team Selection Camp.[16] After the two days of trials, Chiles and Thomas were selected as the non-traveling alternates for the 2017 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.

2018

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In the beginning of the year Thomas was selected to compete at the Tokyo World Cup,[17] where she won silver behind Mai Murakami of Japan.[18] In April she announced her commitment to the University of Florida and their gymnastics team.[19] In August Thomas competed at the 2018 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships where she placed eighth in the all-around, fourth on bars, and sixth on beam and floor, and was once again named to the senior national team.[20] On August 20, 2018, Thomas was named to the team to compete at the Pan American Championships alongside Grace McCallum, Jade Carey, Kara Eaker, and Shilese Jones.[21] There she won gold in the team final and silver in the all-around and on uneven bars.[22][23] Thomas was invited to attend the Worlds Team Selection Camp but declined.[24]

2019

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In 2019 Thomas became one of the few gymnasts to train both NCAA and elite gymnastics simultaneously.[25] Thomas competed at the 2019 GK US Classic in July, opting to only compete on uneven bars and balance beam. On the two events, she placed sixth and seventh, respectively.[26]

At U.S. National Championships Thomas competed in the all-around, where she finished in ninth place. She also placed fourth on uneven bars behind Sunisa Lee, Morgan Hurd, and Simone Biles, tenth on balance beam, and fifteenth on floor exercise.[27] As a result, she was added to the national team for the fourth time.[28]

2023–2024

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In July 2023 Thomas announced her plans to pursue a berth on the U.S. team for 2024 Olympics Games in Paris.[29] She made her elite comeback at the 2024 Winter Cup where she placed fourth in the all-around and second on uneven bars.[30]

Collegiate gymnastics career

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2018–2019 season

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Thomas began competing as a collegiate gymnast for the Florida Gators in the 2018–2019 season.[31] At the 2019 SEC Championships Thomas placed first on vault, second of floor exercise behind Sarah Finnegan of Louisiana State third in the all-around behind Finnegan and Lexi Graber of Alabama. She helped Florida place second overall.[32] During the Regional Finals, the Florida Gators lost, being upset by the Denver Pioneers and the Oregon State Beavers, and thus did not qualify as a team to compete at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Thomas, however, qualified as an individual on floor exercise and uneven bars.[33] At the 2019 NCAA Championships Thomas placed seventh on floor exercise and 30th on uneven bars.[34]

2019–2020 season

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On January 24, in a meet against Louisiana State, while performing on the uneven bars Thomas earned her first collegiate perfect 10.0.[35] The following week she earned her second perfect 10, this time on balance beam, in a meet against Denver and Iowa State.[36] On March 7, in a meet against Penn State, Thomas earned a perfect 10 on floor exercise; she was the second of two gymnasts that season to be awarded the perfect score, the first was Gracie Kramer.[37] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the NCAA cancelled the remainder of the 2020 season on March 12.[38] Thomas was nominated for the Honda Sports Award alongside Kyla Ross (who won the award),[39] Maggie Nichols, and Lexy Ramler.[40]

2020–2021 season

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Thomas announced her retirement from elite gymnastics in May, citing that her ankle injuries earlier in the year has hindered her training for the 2020 Olympic Games and that she would instead focus on rehabbing her injury and continuing to compete at the NCAA level.[41]

2021–2022 season

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On January 16, in a meet against Alabama, Thomas earned a perfect 10 on both vault and floor exercise. By earning a 10 on vault, Thomas became the 12th NCAA gymnast and third Florida Gator after Bridget Sloan and Alex McMurtry to earn a gym slam (a perfect 10 on all four apparatuses).[42] She is also the only NCAA gymnast to earn a perfect 10 on each apparatus at least 3 times.

2022–2023 season

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During the season opener quad meet versus West Virginia, Ball State, and Lindenwood on January 6, Thomas earned a perfect 10 on the balance beam, joining Bridget Sloan as the only Gators to open a season with a perfect mark.[43] On January 27 Thomas scored a perfect ten on vault in a meet against Georgia. In doing so she earned her fourth career gym slam.[44] At the 2023 NCAA Gymnastics Finals, Thomas tied the record for most perfect 10 scores in NCAA history with her 28th perfect 10 on vault.[45]

Career perfect 10.0

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Season Date Event Meet
2020 January 24, 2020 Uneven Bars Florida vs LSU
February 7, 2020 Balance Beam Florida vs Denver & Iowa State
February 14, 2020 Florida vs Auburn
March 7, 2020 Floor Exercise Florida @ Penn State
2021 February 12, 2021 Floor Exercise Florida @ LSU
February 26, 2021 Uneven Bars Florida vs Auburn
Floor Exercise
April 2, 2021 Uneven Bars NCAA Regionals
2022 January 16, 2022 Vault Florida vs Alabama
Floor Exercise
January 28, 2022 Balance Beam Florida vs Arkansas
February 18, 2022 Floor Exercise Florida @ Kentucky
February 25, 2022 Florida vs Oklahoma
March 4, 2022 Vault Florida @ Auburn
March 31, 2022 Floor Exercise NCAA regional semifinals
Uneven Bars
April 2, 2022 Floor Exercise NCAA Regional Finals
Vault
April 14, 2022 Floor Exercise NCAA National semifinals
April 16, 2022 NCAA National Finals
2023 January 6, 2023 Balance Beam Florida vs West Virginia, Ball St, Lindenwood
January 13, 2023 Floor Exercise Florida vs Auburn
January 27, 2023 Vault Florida vs Georgia
February 10, 2023 Balance Beam Florida vs Missouri
February 17, 2023 Florida @ LSU
March 18, 2023 Uneven Bars SEC Championships
Floor Exercise
April 15, 2023 Vault NCAA Championship Final
Totals by event
Vault 5
Uneven Bars 5
Balance Beam 6
Floor Exercise 12
Totals by year
2019 0
2020 4
2021 4
2022 12
2023 8

NCAA Regular season ranking

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[46]

Season All-Around Vault Uneven Bars Balance Beam Floor Exercise
2019 5th 17th 4th 14th 2nd
2020[a] 2nd 14th 4th 2nd 1st
2021 1st 7th 1st 10th 2nd
2022 N/A 1st 5th 3rd 1st
2023 3rd 14th 2nd 9th 2nd
  1. ^ The season was cancelled after the 10th week of competition due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Personal life

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Thomas was born on April 7, 2001, in York, Pennsylvania to parents Titania and Tisen Thomas. Her father, Tisen, was a wide receiver for Penn State University's Nittany Lions football team[47][48] a 1993 graduate.[49][50] She has four siblings; Tesia, a former gymnast, volleyball player and swimmer now competing in track and field at Penn State, University Park[51][52] Taleyn, a gymnast, diver and pole vaulter [53] Tristen, a gymnast and swimmer and Tayvon, an offensive and defensive football player and swimmer.

Competitive history

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Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2015 US Classic 16 13 24 11 15
P&G National Championships 5
2016 City of Jesolo Trophy 5 1st place, gold medalist(s)
US Classic 42
P&G National Championships 6 10 11 6 7
Senior
2017 City of Jesolo Trophy 1st place, gold medalist(s)
American Classic 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
US Classic 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
P&G National Championships 4 6 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2018 Tokyo World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships 8 4 6 6
Pan American Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2019 U.S. Classic 6 7
U.S. National Championships 9 4 10 15
Worlds Team Selection Camp 12 9 8 10 12
2020 only competed in NCAA
2021
2022
2023
2024 Winter Cup 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 9 11
U.S. Classic 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 37
U.S. National Championships 36 35
NCAA
2019 SEC Championship 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 15 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 7
2020 SEC Championships Canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the USA
[54]
NCAA Championships
2021 SEC Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10
NCAA Championships 4 11 10 13
2022 SEC Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 1st place, gold medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2023 SEC Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 12 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 1st place, gold medalist(s)
NCAA Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 2nd place, silver medalist(s)

References

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  1. ^ "USA Gymnastics | Women's Past Junior National Teams".
  2. ^ skylinegym.com
  3. ^ "2011 Pennsylvania Level 7 State Championship". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  4. ^ "2012 Region 7 Level 9 Championships". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  5. ^ "2012 Level 9 Eastern Championships". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  6. ^ "2013 Pennsylvania Level 9, 10 State Meet". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  7. ^ "2013 Region 7 Level 10 Championships". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  8. ^ "2013 J.O. National Invitational Tournament". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  9. ^ "2013 J.O. National Championships and J.O. NIT Results".
  10. ^ "2014 Pennsylvania Level 9, 10 State Championships". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  11. ^ "WOGA Classic 2015". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  12. ^ "USA Gymnastics names U.S. Team for Jesolo Trophy". USA Gymnastics. March 25, 2017.
  13. ^ "2017 City of Jesolo Trophy Results". The Gymternet. April 2, 2017.
  14. ^ "2017 U.S. Classic Meet Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. July 29, 2017.
  15. ^ "Smith wins women's all-around crown at 2017 P&G Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 20, 2017.
  16. ^ "USA Gymnastics invites 10 women to 2017 World Championships Team Selection Camp". USA Gymnastics. August 29, 2017.
  17. ^ "USA Gymnastics selects gymnasts for three World Cup events". USA Gymnastics. February 25, 2018.
  18. ^ "Thomas, Mikulak win silver, bronze at Tokyo World Cup". USA Gymnastics. April 14, 2018.
  19. ^ "Trinity Thomas Announces Commitment To Florida On Facebook Live". FloGymnastics. April 9, 2018.
  20. ^ "USA Gymnastics names 2018-19 U.S. Women's National Team". USA Gymnastics. August 19, 2018.
  21. ^ "USA Gymnastics names U.S. Women's Team for 2018 Pan Am Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 20, 2018.
  22. ^ "U.S. women win team gold at 2018 Senior Pan Am Championships". USA Gymnastics. September 16, 2018.
  23. ^ "McCallum, Thomas go one-two in women's all-around at 2018 Senior Pan Am Championships". USA Gymnastics. September 15, 2018.
  24. ^ "U.S. women's World Team Selection Camp begins Oct. 10". USA Gymnastics. October 1, 2018.
  25. ^ "Balancing Act: Trinity Thomas Pursues Her Elite & NCAA Dreams". Inside Gymnastics. June 27, 2018.
  26. ^ "USA Gymnastics | USA Gymnastics". www.usagym.org. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  27. ^ "2019 National Championships Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. August 11, 2019.
  28. ^ "Biles soars to sixth U.S. women's all-around title at 2019 U.S. Championships". USA Gymnastics. August 11, 2019.
  29. ^ "Trinity Thomas: "It's not what happens to you, it's what you do next"". International Olympic Committee. July 13, 2023.
  30. ^ "DiCello wins women's senior all-around crown at 2024 Winter Cup". USA Gymnastics. February 24, 2024.
  31. ^ "Trinity Thomas - Gymnastics". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  32. ^ "LSU wins SEC Champ, Finnegan wins all-around". Southeastern Conference. March 24, 2019.
  33. ^ "Gator Gymnastics Season Over". ESPN Radio. April 8, 2019.
  34. ^ "Nichols wins NCAA all-around title". USA Gymnastics. April 19, 2019.
  35. ^ "West York's Trinity Thomas enjoys first perfect 10 of her college career with Florida". The York Dispatch. January 25, 2020.
  36. ^ "Watch it: York County gymnast Trinity Thomas earns another perfect 10 with Florida". York Daily Record. February 8, 2020.
  37. ^ "Week 10 Standings: Individual Floor". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  38. ^ NCAA.com. "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships due to coronavirus concerns | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  39. ^ "Kyla Ross receives Honda Sport Award, concluding her record-setting Bruin career". Daily Bruin. April 15, 2020.
  40. ^ "Trinity Thomas Among Four Honda Award Finalists". Florida Gators. April 6, 2020.
  41. ^ "York's Trinity Thomas to retire from U.S. gymnastics team; won't contend for Olympic spot". York Daily Record. May 19, 2021.
  42. ^ "Trinity Thomas Redefines Perfection for Gators With Two Money Performances". Sports Illustrated. January 16, 2022.
  43. ^ "No. 2 Florida Sets Season Opening High to Start 2023 with Quad Win". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  44. ^ "Trinity Thomas earns gym slam in impressive Florida win against No. 17 Georgia". The Independent Florida Alligator. January 27, 2023.
  45. ^ "Trinity Thomas Ties Record For Most Perfect Ten Scores At 2023 NCAA Gymnastic Finals". Yahoo Life. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  46. ^ "Road to Nationals - NCAA Gymnastics Rankings". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  47. ^ Monday, May 9, 2022 (1992-09-11). "Inquirer.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes". Articles.philly.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved 2022-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ "Knee injury ends Thomas' season". 26 August 1993.
  49. ^ "Tisen Thomas College Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com".
  50. ^ LinkedIn Profile [self-published source]
  51. ^ "Mid-Cap championships bring summer swim season to an end". pennlive.com. 2015-07-25. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  52. ^ "Tesia Thomas, Prestige Gymnastics". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  53. ^ "Taelyn Thomas, Prestige Gymnastics". MyMeetScores.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  54. ^ "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships due to coronavirus concerns". NCAA. March 13, 2020.
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