Epke zonderland biography template
Ever more daring, ever higher &#; gymnasts have always been innovators, striving to nourish their sport with new moves and greater difficulty. Beyond medals and records, the supreme honor for a gymnast is to introduce a skill that comes to bear his or her name, allowing them to leave their mark on history.
While there are dozens of elements in the code of points named after the gymnast who first performed them, here are six things that could make a difference in the men&#;s competition.
High Bar: Connecting Kovacs release moves
For all the eye-catching skills in Gymnastics, nothing slays the crowd (or the judges) more than consecutive release moves on High Bar, in which the gymnast releases the bar, sails over it while performing flips or twists, and regrasps it on the way back down. The gymnast that connects these releases wins valuable bonus points. The best example is done by Dutchman Epke Zonderland, whose consecutive release skills contain both flips and twists, all variations of the basic &#;Kovacs&#; skill in which a gymnast flips twice over the bar before regrasping it. Zonderland&#;s smooth moves shot him to Olympic gold and the past two World titles on High Bar.
Parallel Bars: Mind the dismount
A lot hinges on a gymnast&#;s dismount from the Parallel Bars. While most opt for a standard double back flip with the body piked, those who attemptsomething more original often get rewarded. Germany&#;s Marcel Nguyen added a full twist to his dismount and earned an Olympic silver medal in , while several potential finalists have begun doing forward-flipping dismounts to stand out.
Floor Exercise: The quadruple twist Nickname Flying Dutchman (, 13 Apr ) Occupation Athlete, Doctor Education Medicine - University of Groningen: Netherlands Family Wife Linda, sons Bert [], Jan [] Spoken languages Dutch, English Coach Bram van Bokhoven [national], NED; Daniel Knibbeler [personal], NED Sporting relatives His brothers Herre and Johan have represented the Netherlands in gymnastics. Herre competed at five editions of the world championships between and , while Johan participated in the European Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia. (SportsDeskOnline, 15 Nov ; , 30 Jun ) Injuries In December he underwent surgery on his sinuses to cure a chronic cold he had been suffering from during In November he underwent a second surgery on his sinuses. (, 21 Nov ; , 09 Dec ) Start sporting career He took up gymnastics at age four at the DOS club in Lemmer, Netherlands. Reason for taking up the sport He took up gymnastics because his siblings were already involved in the sport. Hero / Idol Japanese gymnast Hiroyuki Tomita, Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov. (, 27 May ) Awards In June he was presented with the Flatow Award by the German Gymnastics Federation. He was the first non-German gymnast to receive the award, which is given to athletes who have shown exemplary conduct and integrity. (, 14 Jun ) Additional information TOKYO STRUGGLES Did you always have those muscles? Gymnastics give you significant muscles. Because I started very young, I have had big muscles since that age. But, before I started with gymnastics my biggest bulge was my belly. Beside your gymnastics, do you have another job? I am still studying and with the training and the sport obligations, my days are full. Did you have to give up anything for gymnastics? Anyone who wants to be a top athlete has to give up many things. From a very young age, I trained every day. My friends went out to play, and I usually couldn&#;t, because I had to go to the gym. You really need to be motivated and give %. The free time I have left after school and training, I usually spend giving interviews, meeting with my sponsors, or giving demonstrations. Despite my busy schedule, I will always make time to relax. Otherwise, I would burn out. My favourite pastime is sitting on the couch in front of the television. When did you have your first win? I often won, even when I was young. The silver medal at the horizontal bar during the European Championships in Slovenia in was my international breakthrough. Do you have any other hobbies apart from gymnastics? If you don’t drink enough before or during exercise, does this affect your performance? Yes, I would feel tired and sluggish. Do you eat or drink in between exercises? If so, what? Sports drinks, like an isotonic AA Drink, fruit and granola bars. Do you feel hungry after exercising? If so, what do you eat? Yes, recovery drink from AA Drink and fruit. Has your diet changed since your performance became better? After I started to become more conscious about my diet. Do you follow a certain diet? Or do you eat certain things, or not? No saturated fat (biscuits and deep-fried food). What do you eat during a day? .
When the long-anticipated back flip with four twists was finally performed on Men&#;s Floor exercise, notably by Japan&#;s Kenzo Shirai in , it was all the more stunning because the teenage tumbling sensation did it at the end of his routine, a time when most gymnasts are too winded to attempt something so difficult. Shirai, obviousl
He sustained a concussion after a fall during training in August He returned to competition in October (, 03 Oct )
In January he suffered an inflammation of a nerve in his shoulder. (, 19 May )
In April the gymnastics centre in Heerenveen, Netherlands, was renamed in his honour in recognition of the gold medal he won at the Olympic Games in London. (, 01 Jun ; , 26 Apr )
In , , and he was named Dutch Male Athlete of the Year. (, 17 Dec )
In he was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau by the Dutch government. (, 21 Oct )
He struggled with his shape and fitness in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in Tokyo and considered skipping t Frequently asked questions