Peter Vidmar

Peter Vidmar

Peter Vidmar on a 1988 Paraguay stamp
Personal information
Nationality  United States
Born (1961-06-03) June 3, 1961
Los Angeles, United States
Residence Coto de Caza, California
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight 60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Sport Artistic gymnastics
Club UCLA Bruins, Los Angeles
Medal record
Men's gymnastics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1984 Los Angeles Pommel horse
1984 Los Angeles Team competition
1984 Los Angeles All-around

Peter Glen Vidmar (born June 3, 1961) is an American gymnast and Olympic medalist. He won gold medals in the men's all-around team competition and the pommel horse competition, as well as a silver medal in the men's all-around individual gymnastics competition at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He was born in Los Angeles. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. He has a total of three Olympic medals: two golds and a silver.[1] Peter is one of only three athletes inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame twice: first as an individual, then as a member of the historic 1984 U.S. men's gymnastics team.[2] He also was the highest-scoring American gymnast in Olympic history.[3]

He is an alumnus of UCLA.[4] In 1983, Vidmar won the Nissen Award (the "Heisman" of men's gymnastics).[5]

Peter's son Tim was named after his 1984 team mate, Tim Daggett. Tim Daggett's son Peter, is named after Peter Vidmar.

Vidmar hosts the Annual Peter Vidmar Men's Gymnastics Invitational at Brentwood School in Los Angeles. Peter has been a gymnastics anchor for both CBS and ESPN. He is currently a motivational speaker as well as a co-chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee Summer Sports Summit. In 1998 Vidmar was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[6] He was named chairman of the U.S. Gymnastics Board of Directors in December 2008.[7]

He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[8]

Vidmar was selected to be the chef de mission for the 2012 Olympics, where he would have represented all U.S. athletes and marched in the opening ceremonies. His selection drew criticism from LGBT activists and athletes, including Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, because in 2008 Vidmar donated money to and publicly campaigned for Proposition 8 that banned same-sex couples from being married in California. Vidmar decided several days after his selection to decline the appointment.[9] Vidmar chose not to allow others to create a distraction that might hinder the US "Olympic family".[10]

He left his role at USA Gymnastics in December 2015 to serve as a mission president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Peter Vidmar. sports-reference.com
  2. ↑ Peter Vidmar Biography
  3. ↑ Succop, Christie (May 13, 2009) Amazing Moments in Olympic History: 1984 Men's Gymnastics Team teamusa.org
  4. ↑ UCLA History Project. "This Month in History, July 28 – August 12, 1984... The 23rd Olympiad". UC Regents. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  5. ↑ USA Gymnastics | Nissen Emery Award Archived November 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.. Usagym.org. Retrieved on August 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Peter Vidmar". International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  7. ↑ Peter Vidmar. USA Gymnastics. Retrieved on August 4, 2014.
  8. ↑ Farmer, Molly (May 17, 2009) 15 minutes more earns success, Olympian Peter Vidmar tells LDS singles. Mormon Times via Deseret News.
  9. ↑ Brennan, Christine (May 6, 2011) USOC official Peter Vidmar resigns after anti-gay marriage actions. USA Today.
  10. ↑ Peter Vidmar Resigns as U.S. Chef de Mission. aroundtherings.com (May 6, 2011).
  11. ↑ http://www.reuters.com/article/us-gymnastics-vidmar-idUSKBN0TU2U120151211
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