Katherine O'Donnell Nelson (born 27 December 1977), known as Kate Nelson, is a retired American rhythmic gymnast. She was part of the national senior group.
| Kate Nelson | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Katherine O'Donnell Nelson | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 December 1977 Evanston, Illinois, United States of America | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Rhythmic Gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | International Elite | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 1994–1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Rossitza Todorova | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography edit
Kate practiced ballet and tumbling getting her start in gymnastics at the YMCA, switching from artistic to rhythmic when she was 10–11 years old.[1] Later she was on the US national rhythmic gymnastics team from 1994 to 1996, being part of the national senior group along Aliane Baquerot, Lori Fredreickson, Mandy James, Ginny Ledgerwood, Becky Turner, Brandi Siegel and Challen Sievers.[2] They all lived together in suburban Chicago largely due to Sievers’ father, Ron, whose construction firm renovated the house where the gymnasts lived and converted a former racquetball complex into the gym where they trained.[3]
In 1994 the group was 19th at the World Championships in Paris.[4] They won silver at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, and placed second in the group at the 1995 Four Continents Championships.[5]
In the summer of 1996 Kate, Mandy James, Aliane Baquerot, Becky Turner, Brandi Siegel and Challen Sievers were selected to compete at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, the first edition to feature the group competition.[6] They finished in 9th place and so did not advance to the final.[7]
In 2012 she opened the YMCA National Championships and Summer Fest in Milwaukee.[8] Nelson married and later settled in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, with her husband and two sons Will and Tyler.[9]
References edit
- ^ "Kate Nelson interview". StoryCorps Archive. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ "Olympedia – Becky Turner". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ^ Tribune, Chicago (1996-05-14). "ALWAYS IN RHYTHM, EVEN AT THE MALL". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ^ "18. World Championships in Paris, France (6.-9. October 1994)". www.rsg.net. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ^ "Sports 123: Rhythmic Gymnastics: Pan American Games: Groups". 2007-12-10. Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ^ Writer, MARC HARPER Staff (1996-07-12). "SHE'S HOPING HER GYMNASTICS WILL GET A BOOST". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ^ "1996 Olympic Games Results" (PDF). static.usagym.org.
- ^ Koven, Kent (2012-07-11). "1996 Rhythmic Olympian opens YMCA National Championships • USA Gymnastics". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ "What it's like to walk into the Olympic Games". e-edition.dailyherald.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.