Paul O'Neill (gymnast)
| Paul O'Neill | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — Gymnast — | ||||||||||
| Country represented |
 United States | |||||||||
| Born | May 8, 1965 | |||||||||
| Hometown | Denver, Colorado | |||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||
| Club | U.S. Olympic Training Center | |||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Ron Brant & Jim Holt | |||||||||
| Eponymous skills | O'Neill (still rings) | |||||||||
Medal record
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Paul O'Neill (born May 8, 1965) is an American gymnast most noted for his work on rings.
Biography
Early life and education
O'Neill was born to Evelyn and John O'Neill, one of the family's four sons. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School for two years and Aurora Central for one. He was State Champion on rings in 1983. He went to Houston Baptist University from 1985–1987 and the University of New Mexico from 1987-1989.
Gymnastics career
O'Neill was a three-time NCAA champion on rings, winning in 1987, 1988, and 1989,[1] as well as holding the highest qualifying average record (9.93) in 1987 and 1989. After college, he went on to compete internationally. O'Neill was the highest American male finisher (4th) at the 1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, then became the first American man to win a medal at the world championships in fifteen years when he won the silver medal in men's rings at the 1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Brisbane.[2] International Competitions World Championships Brisbane Australia- Silver Medalist World Championships Paris France 4th Rings, D.T.B Pokal Stuttgart Germany 1995 3rd Still Rings, D.T.B Pokal Stuttgart Germany 1994 5th Still Rings, Swiss Cup Zurich Switzerland 1995 7th Still Rings, Swiss Cup Zurich Switzerland 1994 8th Still Rings, Kosice Cup Kosice Slovakia 1993 1st Still Rings, Professional Competitions and Performances; Reeses Cup Portland Oregon 1996 1st Still Rings 4th Floor Exercise; Reeses Cup Portland Oregon 1995 1st still rings 3rd floor exercise; Subaru World Open St. Paul Minnesota 1993 1st still rings, Bart Conners Tour of Gymnastics Champions October 1989, five East Coast cities Mystery and magic of Nadia Reno Navada, March 1990 televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports, Sudafed Symphony of Sports Vail Colorado 1990, National Competitions U.S.A Championships New Orleans LO. 1995 1st still rings, US Winter National Championships 1998 1st still rings, 1992 1st still rings, 1994 1st still rings, N.C.A.A Championships 1986 2nd still rings, 1987 1st still rings, 1988 1st still rings, 1989 1st still rings. O'Neill was all so USA Gymnastics male athlete of the year in 1994! Paul currently write songs and is lead singer for the band Skinwalker, he also owns his own personal training company.
Acting/Modeling 1996- AT&T Olympic Commercial 1995- Model for BadBoy Inc. (95)
Published Articles-Progressions of The O'Neill, Technique Magazine (93), Strength Development for inverted cross and Maltese Technique (93), Progressions for the double layout with full twist, Technique (93), Development of the Azarian, Technique (93), Living a dream, International Gymnast Magazine aug/Sept (94)
Gymnastics legacy
The still rings element the O'Neill is named after him; it consists of a stretched double felge backward to hang and was first performed by O'Neill at the 1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Paris.[3]
Marriage and children
O'Neill is divorced and has three children: Geno, Demi and Christian.
References
- ↑ "GYMNASTICS; New Mexico's Fox, O'Neill Dominate Events at NCAAs". Washington Post. 1989-04-16. "Fox's teammate, Paul O'Neill, won his third straight rings championship, only the sixth person to win three event titles in a row."
- ↑ "GYMNASTICS / WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS O'Neill Wins Rare Medal for American Men". Los Angeles Times. 1994-04-28. "Paul O'Neill, 28, of Mandan, N.D., became first American man to win a medal at the World Gymnastics Championships in 15 years when he won a silver medal in the rings event Saturday at Brisbane, Australia."
- ↑ "Move named after O'Neill". Denver Post. 1992-10-25. p. 10B.