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The Most Famous

GYMNASTS from United States

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This page contains a list of the greatest American Gymnasts. The pantheon dataset contains 183 Gymnasts, 23 of which were born in United States. This makes United States the birth place of the 4th most number of Gymnasts behind Sweden and Romania.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary American Gymnasts of all time. This list of famous American Gymnasts is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of American Gymnasts.

Photo of Larry Nassar

1. Larry Nassar (1963 - )

With an HPI of 47.05, Larry Nassar is the most famous American Gymnast.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages on wikipedia.

Lawrence Gerard Nassar (born August 16, 1963) is a former American physiatrist. For 18 years, he was the team doctor of the United States women's national gymnastics team, where he used his position to exploit and sexually assault hundreds of young athletes. In 2016, Nassar was charged with sexually assaulting at least 265 young women and girls under the guise of medical treatment. His victims included numerous Olympic and United States women's national gymnastics team gymnasts.Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on December 7, 2017, after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography and tampering with evidence on July 11, 2017. On January 24, 2018, Nassar was sentenced to an additional 40 to 175 years in Michigan State Prison, after pleading guilty in Ingham County to seven counts of sexual assault. On February 5, 2018, he was sentenced to an additional 40 to 125 years in Michigan State Prison after pleading guilty to an additional three counts of sexual assault in Eaton County.On the orders of the judge in charge of the federal case, his state prison sentences are to run consecutively with his federal sentence, ensuring a de facto sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Nassar will be transferred to a Michigan state prison when he is released from federal custody; his two state sentences will be served concurrently. He is a central figure of the 2020 film Athlete A, a documentary about the scandal.

Photo of Herman Glass

2. Herman Glass (1880 - 1961)

With an HPI of 44.08, Herman Glass is the 2nd most famous American Gymnast.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Herman Theobald Glass (October 15, 1880 – January 13, 1961) was an American gymnast who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. In 1904, he won the gold medal in the rings event.

Photo of Simone Biles

3. Simone Biles (1997 - )

With an HPI of 43.74, Simone Biles is the 3rd most famous American Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

Simone Arianne Biles Owens (born Simone Arianne Biles; March 14, 1997) is an American artistic gymnast. The most decorated American gymnast in history, she is widely considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Her seven Olympic gymnastics medals are ninth-most of all time and tied with Shannon Miller for the most by a U.S. gymnast.At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Biles won individual gold medals in the all-around, vault, and floor; bronze on balance beam; and gold as part of the United States team, dubbed the "Final Five". At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she was favored to win at least four of the six available gold medals, she withdrew from most of the competition due to "the twisties", a temporary loss of air awareness while performing twisting elements. She won a silver medal with her team and a bronze medal on the balance beam. Biles is a six-time World all-around champion (2013–2015, 2018–2019, 2023), six-time World floor exercise champion (2013–2015, 2018–2019, 2023), four-time World balance beam champion (2014–2015, 2019, 2023), two-time World vault champion (2018–2019), an eight-time United States national all-around champion (2013–2016, 2018–2019, 2021, 2023), and a member of the gold medal-winning American teams at the 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She is also a four-time World silver medalist (2013–2014 and 2023 on vault, 2018 on uneven bars) and a four-time World bronze medalist (2015 on vault, 2013 and 2018 on balance beam). In 2019, Biles broke the record for most World Championship medals in gymnastics; she won her 24th and 25th medals at the event, surpassing Vitaly Scherbo's 23 World medals. Biles has since secured an additional five World medals, for a total of 30. She holds the record for World all-around titles (6), and is the sixth woman to win an individual all-around title at both the World Championships and the Olympics, the first since Lilia Podkopayeva in 1996 to hold both titles simultaneously. Biles is the tenth female gymnast and first American female gymnast to win a World medal on every event, and the first female gymnast since Daniela Silivaș in 1988 to win a medal on every event at a single Olympic Games or World Championships. In 2022, Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2023, she won her eighth U.S. Gymnastics title, breaking the 90-year-old U.S. Gymnastics title record previously held by Alfred Jochim.

Photo of Bart Conner

4. Bart Conner (1958 - )

With an HPI of 41.85, Bart Conner is the 4th most famous American Gymnast.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Barthold Wayne Conner (born March 28, 1958) is a retired American Olympic gymnast. As a member of the US men's gymnastics team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Conner won two gold medals. He owns and operates the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma, along with his wife, Romanian Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comăneci. In addition, both Comăneci and Conner are highly involved with the Special Olympics.

Photo of Edward Hennig

5. Edward Hennig (1879 - 1960)

With an HPI of 41.16, Edward Hennig is the 5th most famous American Gymnast.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Edward August Hennig (October 13, 1879 – August 28, 1960) was an American gymnast who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. He died in Summit County, Ohio.Hennig won two gold medals, one of them at club swinging. In the horizontal bar event he and his countryman Anton Heida had the same score and the gold medal was shared between them. He also competed in the pommel horse event without winning a medal. In the all-around event he finished 50th, in the team competition he was a member of the Turnverein Vorwärts (Cleveland) which finished 13th. In the gymnastics triathlon he finished 59th and in the athletics triathlon he finished 36th.

Photo of Mary Lou Retton

6. Mary Lou Retton (1968 - )

With an HPI of 34.23, Mary Lou Retton is the 6th most famous American Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American retired gymnast. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals.Retton's performance made her one of the most popular athletes in the United States. Her gold medal win was historic as Retton was the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics.

Photo of McKayla Maroney

7. McKayla Maroney (1995 - )

With an HPI of 28.53, McKayla Maroney is the 7th most famous American Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

McKayla Rose Maroney (born December 9, 1995) is an American retired artistic gymnast. She was a member of the American women's gymnastics team dubbed the Fierce Five at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she won a gold medal in the team and an individual silver medal in the vault event. Maroney was also a member of the gold-winning American team at the 2011 World Championships, where she won gold medals in the team and vault competitions. She defended her World title and won the gold medal on vault at the 2013 World Championships, becoming the first U.S. female gymnast to defend a World Championship vault title. A photograph of her with a "not impressed" expression, taken after winning silver in the 2012 Olympics, became an Internet meme. In 2016, she retired from competitive gymnastics.

Photo of Aly Raisman

8. Aly Raisman (1994 - )

With an HPI of 27.69, Aly Raisman is the 8th most famous American Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Alexandra Rose Raisman (born May 25, 1994) is an American retired artistic gymnast and two-time Olympian. She was captain of both the 2012 "Fierce Five" and 2016 "Final Five" U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics teams, which won their respective team competitions. At the 2012 Olympics in London, she won gold medals in the team and floor competitions, as well as the bronze medal on the balance beam, making her the most decorated American gymnast at the Games. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she won a gold medal in the team event, making her and teammate Gabby Douglas the only Americans with back-to-back team gold medals. Raisman also won silver medals in the individual all-around and on the floor exercise. She is the third-most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history behind Shannon Miller and Simone Biles, with six Olympic medals. Raisman was also a member of the gold-winning American teams at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships, and the World bronze medalist on floor exercise in 2011. She is also a two-time national champion on floor exercise (2012, 2015), the 2012 national champion on balance beam, and a five-time medalist in the all-around at the national championships (silver in 2016, bronze in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015).

Photo of Shawn Johnson East

9. Shawn Johnson East (1992 - )

With an HPI of 26.70, Shawn Johnson East is the 9th most famous American Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Shawn Johnson East (born Shawn Machel Johnson; January 19, 1992) is an American former artistic gymnast. She is the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and team, all-around and floor exercise silver medalist. Johnson is also the 2007 all-around World Champion, and a five-time Pan American Games gold medalist, winning the team titles in 2007 and 2011, as well as titles in the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam in 2007. Johnson became a member of the U.S. senior team in 2007. Her rookie season included winning the all-around at the American Cup, Pan American Games, U.S. National Championships, and World Championships. Johnson is also the 2007 individual all-around World Champion, 2007 World Champion on floor exercise, and a member of the 2007 gold medal-winning U.S. gymnastics team. As well as being the 2007 U.S. Champion on balance beam and floor exercise, the 2008 U.S. Champion on floor exercise and silver medalist on balance beam, Johnson is a three-time U.S. all-around Champion, winning once as a junior and twice as a senior. In May 2009, Johnson was the winner of season eight of Dancing with the Stars, and in November 2012 she earned second place on the all-star edition. Johnson announced her retirement from gymnastics on June 3, 2012.

Photo of Julianne McNamara

10. Julianne McNamara (1965 - )

With an HPI of 26.35, Julianne McNamara is the 10th most famous American Gymnast.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Julianne Lyn McNamara (born October 11, 1965) is an American former artistic gymnast, who was born to Australians Jean and Kevin McNamara. She was the winner of the U.S. women's first individual event gold medal in Olympic history.

Pantheon has 23 people classified as gymnasts born between 1879 and 2003. Of these 23, 21 (91.30%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living gymnasts include Larry Nassar, Simone Biles, and Bart Conner. The most famous deceased gymnasts include Herman Glass and Edward Hennig. As of April 2022, 4 new gymnasts have been added to Pantheon including Larry Nassar, Herman Glass, and Edward Hennig.

Living Gymnasts

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Deceased Gymnasts

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Newly Added Gymnasts (2022)

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