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Kim Zmeskal
Kimzmeskal
Zmeskal at the 1992 Olympic Games

Full name

Kimberly Lynn Zmeskal Burdette

Country represented

800px-Flag of the United States (Pantone) United States of America

Born

February 6 1976 (1976-02-06) (age 48)
Houston, Texas, USA

Years on National Team

1989-1992, 1998-1999

Club

Karolyi's Gymnastics, Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy, Texas Dreams Gymnastics (coach)

Coach(es)

Bela & Marta Karolyi, Mary Lee Tracy

Current status

Retired

Twitter

@KimZmeskal

Kimberly Lynn "Kim" Zmeskal Burdette (born February 6, 1976) is a retired American gymnast and a former National and World gymnastics champion in the early 1990s.

Early Life and Training[]

Zmeskal was born in Houston, Texas. From a young age, Zmeskal trained with coaching great Béla Károlyi, who had bought a run-down gym in Zmeskal's Houston, Texas neighborhood. This gave Zmeskal the opportunity to observe and interact with her heroine, Mary Lou Retton.

In 1989, at the age of 13, Zmeskal became the U.S. Junior National Champion. She also took first place in the American Classic, the Swiss Cup Mixed Pairs (with Lance Ringnald), and the Arthur Gander Memorial. Zmeskal went on to become a three-time consecutive U.S. National Champion. In international events, she began a rivalry with the Soviet Union's Svetlana Boginskaya.

1992 Barcelona Olympics[]

At the World Championships in 1991 in Indianapolis, the team silver medal was a first for the Americans, and Zmeskal became the first American to achieve the World All-Around gold medal. So, Americans had high hopes for Zmeskal and the U.S. team heading the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, with Zmeskal earning the cover of both Time and Newsweek magazines before the Games. In the U.S. National Championships and Olympic Trials, Zmeskal battled an emerging Shannon Miller, with Miller defeating Zmeskal at the Trials.

Zmeskal disappointed at the Games, falling off the balance beam during her compulsory routine on the first night of competition. Although she would rebound with performances on the floor, vault, and bars, Zmeskal was in 32nd place after the compulsories and 5th on the American team. She would further rebound with impressive scores of 9.912 on beam, 9.95 on vault, 9.9 on uneven bars, and a 9.925 on floor during the finals of the team competition, moving Zmeskal into 12th place and into the all-around competition by finishing third among the American women. Her combined score of 39.687 for the night was the highest of any competitor.

Although earning enough points to compete in the all-around competition, Zmeskal would again falter during her first event, the floor exercise, stepping out of bounds. It would later be revealed that Zmeskal was suffering from a stress fracture in her ankle before the Olympics began.

Comeback and Retirement[]

Any dreams for a comeback to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games would be dashed due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee suffered during a floor exercise.

In 1998, Zmeskal returned to competition with a decent showing at the U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis. By 1999, she was even considered a possibility for the 2000 Olympics team and represented the U.S. internationally. However, a torn Achilles tendon on a double tuck on floor ended her career that year.

Post-Retirement[]

Zmeskal and her husband Chris Burdette now work as coaches at their own gym, Texas Dreams Gymnastics. The gym has seen many of the country's top elite gymnasts including Chelsea Davis, Bailie Key, Kennedy Baker, and Nica Hults.

Medal Count[]

Year Event TF AA VT UB BB FX
1988 Junior U.S. Classic 17
1989 Junior U.S. National Championships 1st
Junior American Classic 1st
Junior U.S. Classic 1st
Swiss Cup Zurich 1st
Arthur Gander Memorial 1st
DTB Cup 4
1990 Blume Memorial 6
DTB Cup 5
Arthur Gander Memorial 3rd
American Cup 1st 1st
International Mixed Pairs 1st
U.S. National Championships 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd
1991 American Cup 2nd 1st 1st
International Mixed Pairs 1st
U.S. National Championships 1st 1st 2nd 2nd
Indianapolis World Championships 2nd 1st 7 3rd
1992 American Cup 1st 1st
Paris World Championships 1st 1st
U.S. National Championships 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 1st
U.S. Olympic Trials 2nd
Barcelona Olympic Games 3rd 10 8 6
1998 U.S. Classic 3rd 3rd
U.S. National Championships 11

Floor Music[]

1991 - "Hooked on Swing" by Larry Elgart & His Manhatten Swing Orchestra

1992 - "Rock Around the Clock"

1998 - "Salome/Feuerfest" by Andre Rieu

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