Blaine Wilson

Not to be confused with the Australian footballer, Blayne Wilson.
Blaine Wilson
Personal information
Full name Blaine Carew Wilson
Born August 3, 1974 (1974-08-03) (age 42)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

Blaine Carew Wilson (born August 3, 1974) is a retired American gymnast.

Biography

Wilson was born Columbus, Ohio.[1] He comes from a sports-minded family and is named after baseball great Rod Carew and former Dallas Cowboys guard Blaine Nye. Wilson's father started him in gymnastics at age four because he was so energetic. Before the 2004 Olympics, Wilson was also a member of the 2000 and 1996 Olympic Teams. Both teams placed fifth. Wilson also finished fourth at the 1999 World Championships. He won his first national title at the 1996 Coca-Cola National Championships. In 1995, at his first World Championships competition, he was the highest U.S. all-around finisher (25th).

Wilson competed in college for Ohio State University, where he was coached by 1976 bronze-medal winner Peter Kormann. In 1997, Wilson won the 1997 Big Ten Athlete of the Year award as well as the Nissen Award (the "Heisman" of men's gymnastics).[2]

Wilson won his first World Championships medal at the 2003 Worlds when he helped the team to a silver-medal finish. Months later, at the 2004 Visa American Cup, Wilson tore his left biceps tendon, and vowed to return for the 2004 Olympic Games. His hard work and determination earned him a spot on the men's Olympic Team, and in Athens the team battled for a silver medal victory.

Wilson was the first man to win five consecutive national titles since USA Gymnastics was named the sport's National Governing Body, and the third man to win five consecutive U.S. all-around titles (or more) in gymnastics history.

Wilson married professional volleyball player Makare Desilets on March 28, 2001, whom he met at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They celebrated the birth of their first living child, a daughter, Wakaya, on Oct. 4, 2002, after suffering the loss of a son. Blaine and Makare divorced in 2006. Wilson married rhythmic gymnast Aliane Baquerot. The couple are both performing on The Tour of Gymnastics Superstars, and after their stop in Sacramento, traveled to Reno, Nevada and married there.[3] Blaine and Aliane have two sons, Jackson and Bodhi.

On May 22, 2008, during the first night of competition at the Men's USA Championships, Wilson announced his retirement from the sport of gymnastics.[4]

Blaine currently resides in Columbus.

References

  1. "Blaine Wilson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20121104095000/http://usagym.org/pages/home/college/nissenemery.html. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Gymnast Blaine Wilson weds
  4. Blaine Wilson Retires – Gymnast.com Archived May 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
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