Lauren Mitchell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lauren Mitchell OAM
Mitchell in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Lauren Stephanie Mitchell
Country represented	Australia
Born	(1991-07-23) 23 July 1991 (age 34) Subiaco, Western Australia
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2007–2016 (AUS)
Club	Western Australian Institute of Sport
Head coach(es)	Nikolai Lapchine Martine George
Eponymous skills	Balance Beam and Floor Exercise: triple turn (1080°) in tuck stand on one leg – free leg optional
Retired	27 September 2016
Medal record Representing  Australia World Championships Gold 2010 Rotterdam Floor exercise Silver 2009 London Balance beam Silver 2009 London Floor exercise World Cup Final Gold 2008 Madrid Balance beam Commonwealth Games Gold 2010 Delhi Team Gold 2010 Delhi All-around Gold 2010 Delhi Uneven bars Gold 2010 Delhi Balance beam Silver 2010 Delhi Floor exercise Silver 2014 Glasgow Team Silver 2014 Glasgow Floor exercise FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd Apparatus World Cup 5 3 2 World Challenge Cup 1 0 1

Lauren Stephanie Mitchell (born 23 July 1991) is an Australian former gymnast. She is famous for being the 2010 World champion in the floor exercise. She also won two silver medals at the 2009 World Championships.

Lauren was the second Australian female gymnast to win a medal at the World Championships. She was also the first Australian woman to win a gold medal there. She won many gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. These included the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam events. She also won with the Australian team. Lauren was the 2008 World Cup Final balance beam champion. She competed for Australia in both the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics.

In 2007, Lauren competed in her first senior World Championships. She reached the balance beam final. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she helped the Australian team get their best-ever finish, placing sixth. In 2009, she became the first Australian gymnast to win two medals at one World Championships. The next year, she tied a record at the Commonwealth Games for most gold medals by a female gymnast. She also became Australia's first female World champion in gymnastics. At the 2012 Olympics, she finished fifth in the floor exercise final. She won two more Commonwealth medals in 2014. Lauren Mitchell retired in 2016 as Australia's most awarded gymnast.

Lauren Mitchell's Early Life

Lauren Mitchell was born on 23 July 1991. She was born in Subiaco, a suburb of Perth. Her parents are Leanne and Graeme Mitchell. She is the oldest of four children. Her mother's family is from Romania. Lauren started gymnastics when she was six years old. She went to a gymnastics birthday party and loved it!

Lauren Mitchell's Gymnastics Career

In 2005, Lauren competed at the Australian Junior Championships. She finished seventh in the all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise. She was eighth on the uneven bars. She could not compete in 2006 because of a hamstring injury.

2007: Senior Debut and First World Championships

In 2007, Lauren was old enough to compete in senior international events. She went to the WOGA Classic in Plano, Texas. Her Australian team won the bronze medal. Lauren placed fourth in the all-around. She won silver on the balance beam and bronze on the floor exercise.

Next, she competed at the Stella Zakharova Cup in Ukraine. The Australian team finished sixth. Lauren won bronze in the all-around and silver on the balance beam. She was fifth on uneven bars and seventh on floor. In May, at the Australian Championships, she won gold with her Western Australian team. She also won silver in the all-around. She took home gold on the balance beam and silver on the floor exercise.

In July, Lauren helped the Australian team win gold against Japan. She won bronze in the all-around. She also won silver medals on the balance beam and floor exercise. She was chosen for the World Championships. The team finished eleventh in the qualifying round. Lauren reached the balance beam final and placed fifth. After the World Championships, she won silver on balance beam and bronze on floor at the DTB Cup in Germany. Her last competition of the year was the Olympic Test Event. She won silver on balance beam and placed fourth in the all-around.

2008: First Olympic Games Experience

Mitchell performing a layout step-out on the balance beam during the 2009 World Championships.

Lauren competed at the Pacific Rim Championships. The Australian team finished fourth. She reached the uneven bars final and placed fourth. In May, she competed at the Australian Championships. She finished fourth in the all-around. Her Western Australia team won silver. She also won silver on the balance beam.

Lauren was chosen to represent Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The team finished sixth in the team final. This was the best team finish ever for Australian gymnastics. After the Olympics, she won silver medals on both balance beam and floor exercise at the Stuttgart World Cup. She then won the gold medal on the balance beam at the World Cup Final. This made her the first Australian gymnast to win gold at this event.

2009: World Silver Medals

In July, Lauren competed at the Australian Championships in Perth. She won her first national all-around title. She also became the national champion on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. In October, she competed at the World Championships in London. She finished fourth in the all-around, just missing a bronze medal. She won two silver medals in the event finals. She won silver on floor exercise and on balance beam. This made her the first Australian female gymnast to win a medal at the World Championships. She was also the first Australian gymnast to win two medals at the same World Championships. Lauren broke her hand in December.

2010: Commonwealth and World Champion

Mitchell (centre) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games medal ceremony for the uneven bars final.

After recovering from her broken hand, Lauren had more injuries in 2010. She sprained her ankle and strained a muscle. These injuries caused her to miss the Australian Championships. She returned to compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She won the team gold medal with her teammates. She then won gold in the all-around, on the uneven bars, and on the balance beam. This gave her four gold medals! She also won a silver medal on the floor exercise. Lauren's four gold medals tied the Commonwealth Games record for a female gymnast.

Lauren then competed at the World Championships in Rotterdam. The Australian team finished sixth. Lauren also finished sixth in the all-around. In the balance beam final, she finished fourth. She then won gold on the floor exercise. This was the first World title for a female Australian gymnast.

In November, Lauren competed at the Stuttgart World Cup. She won gold medals on the floor exercise, balance beam, and uneven bars. This made her the first Australian gymnast to win three gold medals at one World Cup event. She then won two more gold medals at the Glasgow World Cup. Her final competition of the season was the Toyota Cup, where she won gold on the balance beam.

2011: Fourth World Championships Appearance

On 5 March, Lauren competed at the American Cup. She finished sixth in the all-around. She then went to the Paris World Cup and finished fourth on the balance beam. At the Japan Cup in Tokyo, she placed fourth in the all-around. The Australian team also finished fourth.

In July, Lauren won gold medals in the all-around, vault, balance beam, and floor exercise at the Australian Championships. She was then chosen for the World Championships team. At the World Championships, the Australian team finished eighth. Lauren finished eighth in the all-around and fifth on the floor exercise.

2012: Second Olympic Games Experience

In March, Lauren competed at the Pacific Rim Championships. The Australian team finished fourth. In the event finals, she finished fifth on both the balance beam and the floor exercise. In April, she competed at the Zibo World Cup. She won bronze on the balance beam and gold on the floor exercise. At the Australian Championships in Sydney, she won gold medals on both the floor exercise and the balance beam.

Mitchell (second-from-left) with Kate Lundy and her Olympic teammates

On 21 June 2012, Lauren was officially named to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Australian team finished tenth in the qualification round. They did not make it to the team finals. Lauren qualified for the floor exercise event final where she finished fifth. She had shoulder surgery after the Olympics.

2014: Return to Competition

Lauren returned to competition at the Doha World Cup. She finished fourth on the floor exercise. She then went to the Korea Cup in Incheon and again placed fourth on the floor exercise. At the Australian Championships, she won bronze on the balance beam and gold on the floor exercise. At the Commonwealth Games, Lauren won a silver medal with the Australian team. She also won silver on the floor exercise. She was chosen for Australia's team for the World Championships. However, she had to withdraw after injuring both of her ankles during practice.

2015–2016: Injuries and Retirement

Lauren competed at the 2015 Australian Championships. She won gold on the floor exercise and placed fourth on the balance beam. While getting ready for the 2015 Summer Universiade, she tore her ACL and PCL (knee ligaments). She had surgery in June.

Lauren returned to competition at the 2016 Australian Championships. She was inducted into Gymnastics Australia's Hall of Fame. In the event finals, she won gold on the balance beam and bronze on the floor exercise. However, Australia only had one spot for the 2016 Olympics, and Lauren was not selected. Her final competition was the Anadia World Challenge Cup. She qualified for the balance beam final but had to withdraw due to another injury.

Lauren Mitchell announced her retirement from gymnastics on 27 September 2016. She said, "I've given everything that I could to the sport and I have no regrets."

Lauren Mitchell's Life After Gymnastics

Lauren Mitchell graduated from Curtin University. She now works as a radiographer at Royal Perth Hospital. She also gives talks to inspire others. Since 2019, she has been part of the Gymnastics Western Australia High Performance Advisory Committee. She is also on the Commonwealth Games Athlete Advisory Commission.

In 2021, she received the Medal of the Order of Australia. This award recognized her great contributions to gymnastics.

Gymnastics Skills Named After Lauren Mitchell

Lauren Mitchell has a gymnastics skill named after her in the Code of Points. It is called the "Mitchell" and is a triple wolf turn. This skill can be performed on both the balance beam and the floor exercise.

Competitive History

Mitchell (right) on the balance beam podium at the 2009 World Championships.

Competitive history of Lauren Mitchell

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
2005	Junior Australian Championships		7		8	7	7
2007	WOGA Classic		4
	Stella Zakharova Cup	6			5		7
	Australian Championships			11	5
	Australia-Japan Friendly
	World Championships	11				5
	Stuttgart World Cup				4
	Olympic Test Event		4
2008	Pacific Rim Championships	4			4
	Australian Championships		4		7		4
	Moscow World Cup				5	5
	Olympic Games	6
	Stuttgart World Cup
	World Cup Final
2009	Australian Championships
	World Championships		4
2010
	Commonwealth Games
	World Championships	6	6			4
	Stuttgart World Cup
	Glasgow World Cup
	Toyota Cup
2011	American Cup		6
	Paris World Cup					4
	Japan Cup	4	4
	Australian Championships
	World Championships	8	8				5
2012	Pacific Rim Championships	4				5	5
	Zibo World Challenge Cup
	Australian Championships
	Olympic Games						5
2014	Doha World Challenge Cup						4
	Korea Cup						4
	Australian Championships
	Commonwealth Games					6
2015	Australian Championships					4
2016	Australian Championships

See also

In Spanish: Lauren Mitchell para niños