Leyanet Gonzalez
Encyclopedia
Leyanet Gonzalez is a Cuban
gymnast
. An Olympian who finished 22nd in the 2004 Olympics all-around, she is exceptionally unusual in gymnastics. Not only has she enjoyed a long career, but she remained in high level competition after having given birth. Most female elite gymnasts are in their late teens and early 20s, and seldom in recent years have many been parents. In the 1950s and 1960s it was not unknown, the great Soviet Larisa Latynina having given birth during her competitive career, and won numerous Olympic and world titles.
In recent times, Gonzalez's combination of Olympic level gymnastics and motherhood makes her highly unusual. Oksana Chusovitina
has done the same and has won more medals, but unlike Gonzalez she no longer competes on every piece of apparatus: Leyanet is a solid all-arounder. Older gymnasts are more likely to specialise because training all four pieces is harder (e.g. Annia Hatch in the 2004 Olympics).
Leyanet has now retired, and still lives in Cuba.
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
. An Olympian who finished 22nd in the 2004 Olympics all-around, she is exceptionally unusual in gymnastics. Not only has she enjoyed a long career, but she remained in high level competition after having given birth. Most female elite gymnasts are in their late teens and early 20s, and seldom in recent years have many been parents. In the 1950s and 1960s it was not unknown, the great Soviet Larisa Latynina having given birth during her competitive career, and won numerous Olympic and world titles.
In recent times, Gonzalez's combination of Olympic level gymnastics and motherhood makes her highly unusual. Oksana Chusovitina
Oksana Chusovitina
Oksana Aleksandrovna Chusovitina is an Olympic medalist and World Champion gymnast who has competed for Germany since 2006. She was formerly a citizen of, and a competitor for, the Soviet Union and Uzbekistan ....
has done the same and has won more medals, but unlike Gonzalez she no longer competes on every piece of apparatus: Leyanet is a solid all-arounder. Older gymnasts are more likely to specialise because training all four pieces is harder (e.g. Annia Hatch in the 2004 Olympics).
Leyanet has now retired, and still lives in Cuba.