Marcel Nguyen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marcel Nguyen
Nguyen in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Marcel Van Minh Phuc Long Nguyen
Country represented	Germany
Born	(1987-09-08) 8 September 1987 (age 37) Munich, West Germany (now Munich, Germany)
Height	165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Discipline	Men's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2002–2022
Club	KTV Straubenhardt/TSV Unterhaching
Head coach(es)	Valery Belenky
Retired	14 March 2023
Medal record Representing  Germany Olympic Games Silver 2012 London All-Around Silver 2012 London Parallel Bars World Championships Bronze 2007 Stuttgart Team European Championships Gold 2010 Birmingham Team Gold 2011 Berlin Parallel Bars Gold 2012 Montpellier Parallel Bars Silver 2008 Lausanne Team Bronze 2010 Birmingham Floor Exercise Bronze 2011 Berlin Horizontal Bar Bronze 2016 Bern Parallel Bars FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around World Cup 2 1 2 Apparatus World Cup 2 1 2
Marcel Nguyen Vietnamese alphabet Nguyễn Văn Minh Phúc Long Chữ Hán 阮文明福龍

Marcel Nguyen (born September 8, 1987) is a German artistic gymnast who is now retired. He competed for Germany in three Olympic Games: 2008, 2012, and 2016.

Marcel won two silver medals at the 2012 London Olympics. He earned one for the all-around competition and another for the parallel bars. He was also the European Champion on parallel bars in both 2011 and 2012. Marcel was a soldier in the German military (Bundeswehr) from July 2007, training in their sports program in Munich. He officially retired from gymnastics on March 14, 2023.

Early Life and Training

Marcel Nguyen was born in Munich, West Germany, in 1987. His mother was German, and his father was Vietnamese. He has one sister.

Marcel started gymnastics when he was four years old. At age seven, he joined the TSV Unterhaching club. Since 1995, he trained at the main gymnastics center in Munich. He quickly moved up through the training groups. By 2002, he was part of the Junior National Team.

Marcel's Gymnastics Journey

Early Career: 2005–2008

In 2005, Marcel became the German junior champion on parallel bars. He also placed second on rings and third on vault. That same year, he competed in his first World Championships.

He helped Germany finish seventh in the team final at the 2006 World Championships. In 2007, Marcel helped the German team win a bronze medal at the World Championships.

Marcel competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. His team finished fourth in the team final.

Rising Star: 2009–2011

In 2009, Marcel placed second in the German Championship. He also helped his club, KTV Straubenhard, win the German National league title.

At the European Championships in 2010, Marcel helped Germany win the team gold medal. He also won a bronze medal on floor exercise. Later that year, he broke a bone in his right leg during a competition.

Marcel returned to compete at the 2011 European Championships. He won the gold medal on parallel bars. This made him the first German gymnast to win this event since 1955. He then helped Germany finish sixth in the team final at the 2011 World Championships. He also placed eighth in the all-around competition.

Olympic Success: 2012

In 2012, Marcel competed at the American Cup, where he placed third. He also won his parallel bars title again at the European Championships.

Marcel was chosen to represent Germany at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The German team finished seventh in the team final. Marcel won two silver medals individually. He earned one in the men's all-around and another on parallel bars. He also finished eighth in the floor exercise final. Marcel was the first German gymnast to win an Olympic all-around medal since the 1936 Olympic Games.

Later Career: 2013–2015

At the European Championships in 2014, his team placed fourth. In September 2014, he tore a ligament in his knee during a competition in Stuttgart.

Even though the German team did not directly qualify for the 2016 Olympics, Marcel competed at the Olympic Test Event in April 2016. The German team won this event, which allowed them to participate in the Olympics.

2016 Olympic Games

At the 2016 Olympic Games, Marcel and his team finished seventh. During his parallel bars routine, Marcel performed a new move. This move, called "The Nguyen," was added to the official Code of Points. It is a difficult move that earns extra points for gymnasts who complete it perfectly.

2017 Competitions

In March 2017, Marcel competed at the Doha World Cup. He placed second on parallel bars and sixth on still rings. He also competed at the 2017 European Championships, finishing sixth on parallel bars.

Rings

Pommel Horse

Parallel Bars

Nguyen at the 2017 International German Gymnastics Festival

In September, he placed fourth on parallel bars at the Paris Challenge Cup. In October, Marcel competed at the 2017 World Championships in Montreal. He finished seventh on the parallel bars.

He then won a silver medal at the Arthur Gander Memorial. Marcel finished his 2017 season at the Cottbus World Cup. He won a bronze medal on parallel bars there.

2018 Season

In March 2018, Marcel competed at the Stuttgart World Cup, placing sixth. In August, he represented Germany at the European Championships. He reached the finals for floor exercise and rings, finishing sixth in both. His team also placed fourth. The next month, Marcel won first place in the all-around at the German National Championships.

Marcel was chosen for the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. He qualified for the all-around final and finished 20th. He later won first place in the 4-event all-around at the Arthur Gander Memorial. He also won the Swiss Cup with his partner, Elisabeth Seitz. Marcel finished the season at the Cottbus World Cup.

2019 Challenges

Marcel was supposed to compete at the American Cup in 2019 but had to withdraw due to an injury. After recovering, he competed at the Stuttgart World Cup, finishing fourth. At the German National Championships, Marcel placed second in the all-around. However, he won first place on floor exercise and parallel bars. He also finished third on high bar and rings. Marcel was selected for the 2019 World Championships, but he tore a tendon in his shoulder and could not compete.

Final Years: 2021–2023

In May 2021, Marcel tore a ligament in his right knee. This injury meant he could not compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Marcel returned to competition in May 2022 at the Varna Challenge Cup. He reached the finals for rings, parallel bars, and horizontal bar.

On March 14, 2023, Marcel Nguyen announced that he was retiring from gymnastics.

Competitive History

Year	Event	Team	AA	FX	PH	SR	VT	PB	HB
2005	National Championships
	World Championships
2006
	World Championships	7
2007	National Championships
	European Championships
	World Championships
2008	National Championships
	European Championships
	Olympic Games	4
2009	National Championships
	World Championships		12
2010	National Championships
	European Championships						6	6
2011	National Championships
	European Championships		6
	World Championships	6	8
	Stuttgart World Cup
2012	American Cup
	National Championships
	European Championships	6				6
	Olympic Games	7		8
	Stuttgart World Cup
	Glasgow World Cup
2013	American Cup
	National Championships
	European Championships					8		4
2014	National Championships
	Doha World Cup
	European Championships	4
2015	National Championships
	World Championships	R1
2016	Cottbus World Cup
	Olympic Test Event							6
	European Championships	5
	National Championships
	Olympic Games	7	19
	Stuttgart World Cup		4
	Swiss Cup
2017	DTB Pokal Team Challenge
	Doha World Cup					6
	European Championships							6
	National Championships
	Paris Challenge Cup							4
	World Championships							7
	Arthur Gander Memorial
	Swiss Cup	5
	Cottbus World Cup					4
2018	Birmingham World Cup		6
	European Championships	4		6		6
	National Championships
	World Championships	R2	20
	Arthur Gander Memorial
	Swiss Cup
	Cottbus World Cup			5				5
2019
	European Championships							R1
	National Championships
2022	Varna Challenge Cup					7

See also

In Spanish: Marcel Nguyen para niños