Kristian Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kristian Thomas |
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Thomas at the 2015 European Championships
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Kristian James Thomas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Great Britain England |
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| Born | 14 February 1989 Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom |
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| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2006–2017 (GBR) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Earls Gymnastics Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Michelle Bradley, Andrei Popov | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 19 October 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Kristian James Thomas (born 14 February 1989) is a former British gymnast. He was a key member of both the England and Great Britain men's gymnastics teams. Kristian helped his team win a gold medal at the 2012 European Championships. He also won a historic bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
In 2013, Kristian won his first individual medal at a major world event. He earned a bronze medal in the vault at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. This was also the first time a British male gymnast won a world medal in the vault event. In 2015, he achieved his first big international title. He won a gold medal in the floor exercise at the 2015 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Kristian Thomas was coached by Michelle Bradley and Alexei Popov. He was a member of the Earls gymnastics club. He announced his retirement from gymnastics on 19 October 2017.
Contents
Early Career and First Medals
Kristian Thomas started his gymnastics journey at a young age. He showed great promise early on.
Junior Achievements
In 2006, Kristian took part in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. He finished 12th in the individual competition. More importantly, he helped the English gymnastics team win a bronze medal. This was an early sign of his talent.
Rising in Senior Gymnastics
Kristian became well-known in British gymnastics in 2008. That year, he won the British all-around title. The floor exercise was one of his strongest events. He earned several silver medals on floor in international competitions.
At the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London, he placed 6th in the All-Around. He also represented Great Britain at the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. He competed again at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo.
Olympic Dreams and Success
The British men's team initially struggled to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. However, Kristian Thomas performed very well at a special test event in London.
The men's team qualified for the Olympics by a large margin. Kristian placed 2nd in the All-Around at this event. He also reached several individual finals. In those finals, he won a bronze on Floor, a bronze on Vault, and a gold on High Bar.
London 2012 Olympic Games
At the London Olympics, Kristian was part of the Great Britain men's team. They won a bronze medal on 30 July 2012. This was a huge achievement for British gymnastics. During the team final, Kristian performed an amazing vault. He scored a very high 16.550 points.
World Championships Medal
In October 2013, Kristian Thomas competed at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. He reached the vault final. There, he won the bronze medal with a score of 15.233. This was a historic moment for British men's gymnastics.
European and Commonwealth Games Success
Kristian continued to achieve great results in major competitions.
2014 European Championships
From May 19 to 25, 2014, Kristian competed at the 2014 European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Sofia. He and his teammates won the silver medal for Team Great Britain. They finished behind Russia. In the individual event finals, Kristian won a bronze medal on the high bar.
2014 Commonwealth Games
In July and August 2014, the 2014 Commonwealth Games were held in Glasgow. Kristian helped the England team win a gold medal. He scored 58.599 points for the team.
He also qualified for the vault final and the horizontal bar final. He won a silver medal for vault. He also won a silver medal on the horizontal bar, matching his teammate Nile Wilson's score.
Life After Gymnastics
After retiring from gymnastics, Kristian Thomas started a new career path.
In January 2022, Kristian became the Player Care & Engagement Manager at the Premier League. This role involves looking after the well-being of football players. In October 2022, Kristian also ran the TCS London Marathon.
See also
In Spanish: Kristian Thomas para niños
