Kim Zmeskal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kim Zmeskal
Zmeskal in Jesolo in March 2014
Personal information
Full name	Kimberly Lynn Zmeskal Burdette
Nickname(s)	Kimbo; President of the Pumpkin Federation
Country represented	United States
Born	(1976-02-06) February 6, 1976 (age 49) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1988–1993; 1998–2000 (USA)
Club	Karolyi's Gymnastics, CGA Texas Dreams (coach)
Former coach(es)	Béla Károlyi, Mary Lee Tracy
Choreographer	Geza Poszar
Retired	January 28, 2000
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 0 1 World Championships 3 1 1 Goodwill Games 0 1 2 American Cup 2 1 0 Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around (OG/WC) 1 1 1 Uneven Bars (OG/WC) 0 0 0 Balance Beam (OG/WC) 1 0 0 Vault (OG/WC) 0 0 0 Floor Exercise (OG/WC) 1 0 1 Women's artistic gymnastics Representing  United States Olympic Games Bronze 1992 Barcelona Team World Championships Gold 1991 Indianapolis All around Gold 1992 Paris Balance beam Gold 1992 Paris Floor exercise Silver 1991 Indianapolis Team Bronze 1991 Indianapolis Floor exercise Goodwill Games Silver 1990 Seattle Team Bronze 1990 Seattle Uneven Bars Bronze 1990 Seattle Floor Exercise American Cup Gold 1990 Fairfax All around Gold 1992 Orlando All around Silver 1991 Orlando All around

Kimberly Lynn Zmeskal Burdette (born February 6, 1976) is a famous American gymnast who later became a coach. She was the World All-Around champion in 1991. This was a huge achievement, as she was the first American woman to win this title.

Kim was also part of the U.S. team that won a silver medal at the 1991 World Championships. This was the first team medal ever for American women at a World Championships. She also won two more world titles in 1992, for balance beam and floor exercise. At the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, Kim helped the U.S. team win a bronze medal. This was the first U.S. team medal at a fully attended Olympic Games.

Kim Zmeskal was known for her powerful moves and tumbling, especially on vault and floor. Many people consider her one of the best female gymnasts of the early 1990s. Her success helped start a new era of American dominance in women's gymnastics. Since 1992, many American women have won world all-around titles.

Today, Kim coaches gymnastics and owns Texas Dreams Gymnastics in Coppell, Texas. She also hosts an annual gymnastics event called Kim Zmeskal's Texas Prime Meet.

Early Life and Training

Kim Zmeskal was born in Houston, Texas. Her parents are Clarice and David Zmeskal. She has a younger sister, Melissa, and a younger brother, Eric.

From a young age, Kim trained with the famous gymnastics coach Béla Károlyi. His gym was in her neighborhood. This meant Kim could watch and meet her hero, Mary Lou Retton. Mary Lou won the Olympic all-around gold medal in 1984 when Kim was eight years old. Kim went to Westfield High School, like many of Károlyi's gymnasts, to fit her training schedule. She graduated in 1994.

In 1989, when she was 13, Kim became the U.S. Junior National Champion. She also won other events like the American Classic. She soon became a three-time U.S. National Champion in a row. In international competitions, she had a friendly rivalry with Svetlana Boginskaya from the Soviet Union.

In 1990, Kim won her first senior title at the American Cup. Later that year, she won her first U.S. Senior National All-Around title in Denver. She finished ahead of her friend and training partner Betty Okino. She also won silver medals on bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.

World Champion Success

In 1991, Kim defended her U.S. National All-Around title in Cincinnati. She also won the national title on floor exercise, sharing it with Dominique Dawes. At the 1991 World Championships in Indianapolis, she helped the U.S. team win a silver medal. This was the first team medal for American women at a World Championship. They finished second behind the Soviet Union.

Kim scored a perfect 10.000 on the vault during the championships. This was one of only two perfect 10s at the event. She became the first American woman to score a perfect 10 at the World Championships. Kim also became the first American to win the World all-around gold medal. She beat the reigning world champion, Svetlana Boginskaya. She also won a bronze medal on the floor exercise.

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics

After becoming the world all-around champion, many people had high hopes for Kim and the U.S. team at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Kim even appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines before the Games. Before the Olympics, Kim won two more World titles at the individual event World Championships in Paris. She won gold medals on the balance beam and floor exercise.

At the U.S. National Championships and Olympic Trials, Kim competed against Shannon Miller. Kim won her third U.S. National All-Around title in a row. She was the first female gymnast to achieve this. She also won national titles on beam and floor.

Kim's Olympics started with a fall from the balance beam. However, she bounced back with strong performances on floor, vault, and bars. The American women's team won the bronze medal. This was their first team medal at an Olympic Games that was not boycotted. Kim also qualified for the event finals on vault and floor exercise.

Despite her strong comeback in the team event, Kim had some struggles in the all-around final. She finished 10th. She also did not win medals in the event finals. It was later found out that Kim had a leg injury called a tibial stress fracture before and during the Olympics.

Kim later said, "I've learned that you don't have to win first place to win." She saw her performance in the Team Final as her greatest achievement. She overcame her fall and injury to help her team win a medal. Standing on the medal stand with her teammates to receive their Olympic bronze medals was a special moment for her.

Comeback and Retirement

Kim had dreams of competing in the 1996 Olympic Games. However, a serious knee injury in 1995 made her recovery slow. She had torn a ligament in her right knee during a floor exercise show.

In 1998, Kim returned to competition. She finished 11th all-around at the U.S. National Championships. By 1999, she was even considered for the 2000 Olympics team. She represented the U.S. internationally in China in late 1998. But another injury in July 1999, a ruptured right achilles tendon, ended her career in January 2000.

Kim Zmeskal was honored for her achievements in May 2012. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Kim Zmeskal married Chris Burdette on October 23, 1999. They have three children together. Kim later took full ownership of Texas Dreams Gymnastics.

Gymnastics Style

Kim Zmeskal was known for her powerful tumbling on the floor exercise. One of her signature moves was a series of whip-backs into a double-back flip. She was also known for how she flared her arms during twisting moves, especially on her full-twisting Yurchenko vault.

Another unique move was her reverse planche on the balance beam. This was her opening move. You can even see this move in the Texas Dreams Gymnastics logo today.

Images for kids

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  Zmeskal as a coach at the inaugural Junior World Championships

See also

In Spanish: Kim Zmeskal para niños