Charles Lakes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charles Lakes |
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| Full name | Charles Lakes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 6, 1964 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Height | 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Illinois Fighting Illini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Charles Lakes, born on August 6, 1964, is a former American gymnast. He was a key member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team. Charles Lakes proudly represented the U.S. at the 1988 Olympic Games.
College Gymnastics Journey
Charles Lakes was a gymnast for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team in college. He also studied Spanish. In 1984, he won a gold medal at the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) championships. This win was for his amazing performance on the horizontal bar. He decided to leave college in 1986. His goal was to focus completely on training for the 1988 Olympic team.
Elite Gymnastics Career
Lakes was a part of the U.S. teams for the World Gymnastics Championships. He competed in both 1985 and 1987.
In 1988, some gymnasts, like Kurt Thomas, felt Lakes wasn't training enough. However, Lakes proved them wrong. He won a gold medal at the U.S. Nationals for his floor exercise routine. At the Olympic Trials, Lakes finished first overall. This showed he was ready for the big stage. At the 1988 Olympics, he was the highest-ranked American gymnast. He finished 19th in the all-around finals.
After the Olympics, Lakes took a break in 1989. He returned to competition in 1990. He tried to make a comeback for the 1992 Olympics. He placed 18th in the U.S. Olympic trials that year. In 2003, Charles Lakes was honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
A Pioneer for Black Athletes
Charles Lakes made history as the first black American gymnast to compete in the Olympics. While Ron Galimore was chosen for the 1980 Olympics, he couldn't compete due to a boycott.
Before the Olympics, Lakes shared his thoughts with Deseret News. He mentioned growing up around white people. He also looked up to a white gymnast named Mitch Gaylord. Lakes said he hadn't faced racial problems in gymnastics. He explained that he didn't see himself as separate because of his race. However, he did embrace being a role model. He wanted to inspire younger minority athletes.
In 1988, Lakes spoke to NBC about his role:
I think of myself as a gymnast first. But I am black, and as a result I am a role model and I, I embrace that position. So if I can help other black kids, other minority kids, whatever, get to a level in something like gymnastics where they can have a quality of life, I think that would be great.
That same year, he told JET magazine: "I think Debi Thomas (Olympic skater) was wrong when she said she was not a role model for blacks. Whether she wanted to or not, she is a role model, and people were looking up to her."
