Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Categories: 1982 births | Canadian athletes at the 2000 Summer Olympics | Canadian athletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics | Canadian gymnasts | Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Kyle Shewfelt
Kyle Shewfelt (May 6, 1982) is a Canadian gymnast. His gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics was the first medal ever by a Canadian in an artistic gymnastics event and was the first Canadian gold of the 2004 Olympics.
Shewfelt, a native of Calgary, was considered a medal threat in Athens, but few expected him to win gold. He finished twelfth on the floor at the Sydney Olympics and has won two bronze medals at world championships and two golds at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
His gold medal performance was characteristically precise and error free. He tied the score of Romanian gymnast Marian Dragulescu, but Shewfelt was awarded the gold after a series of tiebreakers that put Dragulescu in second place. The next day Shewfelt competed in the men's vault. He completed two successful vaults with only small steps on landing. Shewfelt finished fourth, amid much controversy, with Dragulescu taking the bronze medal despite a fall on his second vault. Canadian gynmastics offials were expected to appeal the decision but instead asked the technical committee for an explanation of the "technical irregularities" in the scoring. Answers from the chair of the men's technical committee, Adrian Stoica, have not been provided.
Born in Calgary Shewfelt first began practicing gymnastics in 1988 influenced by a neighbour. His father was also an athlete playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings hockey team. While Shewfelt was a skilled hockey player he turned to gymnastics at an early age. Living in southeast Calgary he trains at the Altadore Gymnastic Club under coach Kelly Manjak , who has coached Shewfelt since age six.
His long-held goal of Olympic gold was endangered by an ankle injury in March 2004, but he made a full recovery in time for Athens. Before the Olympics Shewfelt has speculated on moving to Cirque du Soleil after his athletic career is over. A gold medal could easily open many other opportunities for him, however, as he has instantaneously became a household name in much of Canada.
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