Kurt Thomas, the US Pioneer Gymnast Dies at 64

Kurt Thomas, the popular U.S. Gymnast, dies at the age of 64. He was the first male gymnast in the US to have won a world championship gold medal. He died this Saturday on June 6. The entire gymnast world is saddened by his demise. At least two weeks before he died, on May 24, he suffered a stroke, which was supposedly caused because of a tear of the basilar artery in the brain stem. Beckie Thomas, his wife, in extreme despair said, “Yesterday, I lost my universe, my best friend and my soulmate of 24 years. Kurt lived his life to the extreme, and I will be forever honored to be his wife.”

About Kurt Thomas.

Kurt Thomas was born on March 29, 1956, in Miami. Kurt Bilteaux Thomas and was an American Olympic gymnast. Thomas went to college at Indiana State, and he became well known among his classmates for leading them to the 1977 national championship. At Indiana State, he also won the NCAA championship five-times. In 1976, he was selected to represent the US at the Summer Olympics. He was the first American male gymnast to have won a gold medal at the World Championships in 1978.

Later in 1979, he became the only gymnast to break Simone Biles’s 2018 record by winning most medals at the world championship. Throughout his career, Thomas had won two bronzes, three silvers, and three gold medals at the world championships. Also, he won three golds in the American Cup. He could not compete at the Summer Olympics of 1980 because of the nation's boycott. Kurt Thomas was the pioneer of the popular, “Thomas Salto” in the floor exercise and “Thomas Flair” move. He also played a small role in the movie, “Gymkata” in 1985.

The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott.

Thomson could have won many medals at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics games, but he never got the chance to showcase his talent. The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was led by the United States as a part of the protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Later in 1984, the Soviet Union and its allies boycotted the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

After the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, the 65-nations Olympics boycott led by the United States took place. This resulted in 466 Athletes from America not getting an opportunity to compete that summer. Thomas had to face too much of the financial burden after the boycott of 1980 as the amateur Olympians had no way to make any money. Thomas decided to turn pro as he had already been an Olympic athlete.

At the young age of 24, Thomas turned towards beginning a career as a TV commentator, touring shows, exhibitions, and more. This is how he ended up just watching his old teammates win that gold medal and feeling bad — it was he who could have instead set the ball rolling. Had this boycott not happened he would have been the one to put a gold medal around his neck. He turned professional because he had no financial support for him and his family at that time. Back then pros were prohibited from entering the Olympics — there was no turning back. Gradually he came to terms with the summer Olympics of 1980 & 1984 as his friends and colleagues say.