| Michael Rodrigues | |
|---|---|
| Country represented | United States |
| Born | August 31, 1982 |
| Hometown | Livermore, California |
| Discipline | Acrobatic Gymnastics |
| Level | Senior International |
| Gym | Mission Hills Gymnastics, West Coast Training Center |
| Head coach(es) | Youri Vorobyev Marie Annonson |
| Retired | 2010 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for United States | ||
| Acrobatic Gymnastics | ||
| World Games | ||
| Gold | 2009 World Games | Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships | Wroclaw, Poland |
| Silver | 2008 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Bronze | 2006 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships | Coimbra, Portugal |
| World Cup | ||
| Gold | 2009 World Cup | St. Paul, USA |
| Silver | 2006 World Cup | Puurs, Belgium |
Michael Rodrigues (born August 31, 1982[1]) is a retired elite acrobatic gymnast who now performs in the Cirque du Soleil show Viva ELVIS in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with his former mixed-pairs partner, retired elite acrobatic gymnast Kristin Allen.[2]
Allen and Rodrigues won the gold medal in the mixed-pair all-around at the 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships in Wroclaw, Poland. They also won the all-around title at 2010 U.S. National Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships in Kissimmee, Florida, placing first in the all-around, dynamic and balance.[3]
They became the first U.S. athletes to win the mixed-pairs gold medal at the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, which are considered the equivalent of the Olympic Games for acrobatic gymnastics.[4] At the 2009 Acro Cup in Albershausen, Germany, the pair placed first in dynamic and second in the all-around and in balance.[5]
The previous year, Rodrigues and Allen won the mixed-pair all-around silver medal at the 2008 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. At the 2008 National Championships and Junior Olympics Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, the pair won the all-around, dynamic and balance.[6])
Allen and Rodrigues trained together at West Coast Training Center in Livermore, California, with coach Marie Annonson.[7] The pair became partners in August 2007.[8]
Rodrigues was a member of the U.S. Senior National Team from 2002–11, and Allen was a member of the U.S. Senior National Team from 2006-11.[9]
Prior to competing with Allen, Rodrigues was the base of an elite mixed pair with now-retired acrobatic gymnast Clare Brunson, and they trained together at Empire AcroGymnastics in Riverside, California and Mission Hills Gymnastics, also in Riverside.[10] The pair were trained by Russian coach Youri Vorobyev,[11] who is now owner and head acrobatics coach of Realis Gymnastics Academy in Moreno Valley, California.[12]
In 2006, Michael Rodrigues and Clare Brunson won the mixed-pair all-around bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships in Coimbra, Portugal. They also won the all-around silver medal at the 2006 World Cup in Puurs, Belgium.[13]
In 2005, Rodrigues and Brunson placed fourth all-around at the 2005 World Games in Duisburg, Germany.[14]