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Tomás González (gymnast)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Sepúlveda.

Enrique Tomás González Sepúlveda (born November 22, 1985[2]) is a Chilean former artistic gymnast. He became the first athlete from his country to earn medals at FIG World Cup events and to qualify for the Summer Olympic Games.[1] His competitive specialties were the vault and floor exercise apparatuses.[3]

Career

González represented Chile in various international gymnastics competitions. His accolades include nine FIG World Cup medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze), six Pan American Games medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze), and seven South American Games medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze).[4][5] At the 2012 London Olympics test event, he secured a gold medal in floor exercise, thereby qualifying for the Olympic Games.[1]

González competed in eight World Championships (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017), achieving notable placements including 7th (2009), 6th (2011), 8th (2015), and 5th (2017) in floor exercise finals. In the all-around, he placed 15th in 2010 and 22nd in 2011.[6] In April 2011, he attained the World No. 1 ranking in both floor exercise and vault, a first for a Chilean gymnast.[7]

Olympic performances

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, González reached two event finals, placing fourth in both floor exercise (15.366) and vault (16.183). His vault execution score of 9.383 marked the highest among finalists.[8]

Four years later at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he advanced to the vault final, finishing seventh.[9] His final Olympic appearance occurred at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he competed in the floor exercise.[10][11]

Personal life

González publicly came out as gay during a July 15, 2023 interview with La Tercera, coinciding with the release of his autobiography Champion.[12] On November 24, 2023, he married his partner Juanes in a private ceremony in El Monte, Chile.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Updated: May 3, 3:43p ET. "Tomas Gonzalez bio – Gymnastics News". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2012-08-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "nacion.cl – El extraño caso de Tomás González". La Nación. Lanacion.cl. 2009-10-21. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  3. ^ "Sitio oficial del gimnasta chileno Tomás González Sepúlveda". Tomasgonzalez.cl. 1985-11-22. Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  4. ^ "Medallas de los chilenos en los Juegos Odesur de Buenos Aires 2006". Cooperativa.cl. Archived from the original on 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  5. ^ "Tomás González cerró su paso por los Juegos Sudamericanos con cuatro medallas". Cooperativa.cl. Archived from the original on 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  6. ^ "Athletes: Tomás González". International Gymnastics Federation. Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  7. ^ "Perfil oficial". Tomasgonzalez.cl. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  8. ^ "Enrique Tomas Gonzalez Sepulveda". London2012.com. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  9. ^ T13 (2016-08-15). "Tomás González finaliza séptimo en salto de Río 2016". Teletrece (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "GONZALEZ Tomas – Tokyo 2020 Profile". Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  11. ^ S.A.P, El Mercurio (2021-07-24). "Tomás González concluye participación en Tokio 2020". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  12. ^ ADN (2023-07-15). "Tomás González se declara públicamente gay". ADN (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  13. ^ Martínez, César Vega (2023-11-25). "Tomás González contrae matrimonio". BioBioChile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-28.