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Louis Smith (gymnast)
Encyclopedia
Louis Antoine Smith is an English
artistic gymnast
from Eye
near Peterborough
. He is a member of the Huntingdon Gymnastics club, training alongside teammate Daniel Keatings
under coach, Paul Hall.
His strongest event is the pommel horse
, in which he has been a 2-time European Silver medallist and Commonwealth Games Champion. He represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
In 2010 Louis joined Lucozade Sport as an Ambassador.
He won Gold on Pommel Horse for England at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne, Australia beating Prashanth Sellathurai
.
In 2007 he came 4th in the Pommel Horse final at the European Championships. He attended his first World Championships competing for Great Britain at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
in Stuttgart, Germany. There he won a Bronze medal in the Pommel Horse final. He also won a Silver on the pommel horse at the World Cup in Ghent the same year.
In 2008 he won a Silver on Pommel Horse again at the World Cup in Moscow.
won a silver medal in 1908
and the first Briton to win a medal in gymnastics at the Olympic Games since the women's team won a bronze medal in 1928
. He is also the second black male gymnast to win a medal in an Olympic competition. The first was Jair Lynch
of the United States in 1996
, a silver medalist on the parallel bars.
In 2010 he helped the British men's team to win Silver at the European Championships, and once again took the Silver medal in the Pommel Horse. He went on to the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
in Rotterdam where he beat Prashanth Sellathurai
once again to take the Silver medal.
In 2011, he made the Pommel Horse finals but did not perform at his best and finished in 6th at the European Championships in Berlin . In October, he was chosen to be on the British team for the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
in Tokyo. The men's team were expected to qualify through to the team finals easily, but had a poor performance in the preliminary rounds. Louis was only chosen to perform on Pommel Horse where he performed well, qualifying through to the Pommel Horse finals ranking 2nd behind the 2010 World Champion, Krisztian Berki
. On October 14th, he performed the most difficult routine out of all the finalists, but fell on his dismount, lowering his execution score. Despite this, he still placed 3rd behind risztian Berki] and Cyril Tommasone to win the Bronze medal - the only medal won by the British men and women at that championships.
in Glinton
near Peterborough.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artistic gymnast
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
from Eye
Eye, Cambridgeshire
Eye is a village in the unitary authority area of Peterborough in England, south of Crowland and Eye Green. It was formerly in the Soke of Peterborough in Northamptonshire....
near Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. He is a member of the Huntingdon Gymnastics club, training alongside teammate Daniel Keatings
Daniel Keatings
Daniel Ryan Keatings is a British artistic gymnast. He trains at the Huntingdon Olympic Gymnastics Club under coach, Paul Hall alongside teammate Louis Smith....
under coach, Paul Hall.
His strongest event is the pommel horse
Pommel horse
The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, modern pommel horses have a metal body covered with foam rubber and leather, with plastic handles .- History :The pommel...
, in which he has been a 2-time European Silver medallist and Commonwealth Games Champion. He represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
In 2010 Louis joined Lucozade Sport as an Ambassador.
Before Beijing
As a Junior he was a two-time European Champion on Pommel Horse, winning the title in both 2004 and 2006. In 2006 he took 5th place in the World Cup final.He won Gold on Pommel Horse for England at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne, Australia beating Prashanth Sellathurai
Prashanth Sellathurai
Prashanth Sellathurai is an Australian gymnast. His Tamil parents migrated to Australia in 1983 from Sri Lanka.He was part of the Australian men's squad which won its first team gold medal in Commonwealth Games at the 2010 event in New Delhi, which was sealed by his performance on the rings...
.
In 2007 he came 4th in the Pommel Horse final at the European Championships. He attended his first World Championships competing for Great Britain at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 40th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany, from 1 to 9 September 2007.Oldest and youngest competitors- Men :- Women :- Finals :- Qualifications :- Floor :...
in Stuttgart, Germany. There he won a Bronze medal in the Pommel Horse final. He also won a Silver on the pommel horse at the World Cup in Ghent the same year.
In 2008 he won a Silver on Pommel Horse again at the World Cup in Moscow.
2008 Summer Olympics
On 9 August 2008 he qualified in 5th place for the Olympic final of the men's pommel horse, and on 17 August he won a bronze medal in the finals, becoming the first in Britain to win a medal in the individual gymnastics at the Olympic Games since Walter TysallWalter Tysall
Walter Tysall was a British gymnast who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born in Birmingham and died in Ashton-on-Ribble.In 1908 he won the silver medal in the individual all-around.-External links:*...
won a silver medal in 1908
Gymnastics at the 1908 Summer Olympics
At the 1908 Summer Olympics, two gymnastics events were contested. No nation was successful in winning more than one medal.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-Sources:...
and the first Briton to win a medal in gymnastics at the Olympic Games since the women's team won a bronze medal in 1928
Gymnastics at the 1928 Summer Olympics
At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, eight events in gymnastics were contested. For the first time at the Olympic Games, women competed in gymnastics. The rope climbing and sidehorse vault events were dropped from the program.-Medal summary:...
. He is also the second black male gymnast to win a medal in an Olympic competition. The first was Jair Lynch
Jair Lynch
Jair Lynch is an American gymnast who won a silver medal in the parallel bars at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta...
of the United States in 1996
Gymnastics at the 1996 Summer Olympics
At the 1996 Summer Olympics, two different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. The artistic gymnastics events were held at the Georgia Dome from July 20–25 and July 28–29. The rhythmic gymnastics events were held at Stegeman Coliseum in nearby...
, a silver medalist on the parallel bars.
2009-2011
In 2009 he won his first silver medal at the European Championships on the Pommel Horse as a Senior.In 2010 he helped the British men's team to win Silver at the European Championships, and once again took the Silver medal in the Pommel Horse. He went on to the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at the Ahoy Rotterdam indoor sporting arena in the Netherlands from 16 to 24 October 2010. In this year's championships, there was a total of 73 participating federations with 615 gymnasts...
in Rotterdam where he beat Prashanth Sellathurai
Prashanth Sellathurai
Prashanth Sellathurai is an Australian gymnast. His Tamil parents migrated to Australia in 1983 from Sri Lanka.He was part of the Australian men's squad which won its first team gold medal in Commonwealth Games at the 2010 event in New Delhi, which was sealed by his performance on the rings...
once again to take the Silver medal.
In 2011, he made the Pommel Horse finals but did not perform at his best and finished in 6th at the European Championships in Berlin . In October, he was chosen to be on the British team for the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 7–16, 2011 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.Due to uncertainty over the nuclear situation following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the International Federation of Gymnastics revealed it was...
in Tokyo. The men's team were expected to qualify through to the team finals easily, but had a poor performance in the preliminary rounds. Louis was only chosen to perform on Pommel Horse where he performed well, qualifying through to the Pommel Horse finals ranking 2nd behind the 2010 World Champion, Krisztian Berki
Krisztián Berki
Krisztián Berki is a Hungarian artistic gymnast. He is a pommel horse specialist.He is 2010 and 2011 World gold medalist and 2007, 2009 World silver medalist. He is also the 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 European Champion on that event. He won the Universiade 2009 in Belgrade...
. On October 14th, he performed the most difficult routine out of all the finalists, but fell on his dismount, lowering his execution score. Despite this, he still placed 3rd behind risztian Berki] and Cyril Tommasone to win the Bronze medal - the only medal won by the British men and women at that championships.
Personal Life
Louis went to school at Arthur Mellows Village CollegeArthur Mellows Village College
Arthur Mellows Village College is a secondary school in Peterborough. The school is a foundation school with a specialism in technology.-External links:*...
in Glinton
Glinton, Cambridgeshire
Glinton is a village to the north of the City of Peterborough, England, United Kingdom.It has a population of 3130 and consists of about 1200 dwellings....
near Peterborough.