Nathan Gafuik
| Nathan Gafuik | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — Gymnast ♂ — | |||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |
 Canada | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
June 12, 1985 Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Tony Smith | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Nathan Gafuik (born June 12, 1985) is a Canadian gymnast, who has competed at two Summer Olympics (2008 and 2012) and has won medals at Commonwealth level.[1][2]
Early life
He took up gymnastics at the age of four and has achieved gymnastic success despite a diagnosis of Addison's disease at the age of 15.[2] He won the Canadian junior all-round title at the 2003 Canadian National Championships, leading him to be named as Canada's alternate at the 2004 Olympic Games, although he was unused.[3][4]
Gymnastics career
Early gymnastics career
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, he won three medals, a gold and two silvers.[4][5] The gold came in the men's team event, with the silvers coming in the men's all-round and the men's vault. That year he was also part of the Canadian men's team that came 6th at the World Gymnastics Championship in Aarhus, the best result ever for a Canadian team.[4] He won senior Canadian national titles in the vault (2005, 2006 and 2008), the parallel bars (2006) and the floor (2008).[3]
2008 Summer Olympics
He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing in 17th place in the men's all-round, the second best performance ever by a Canadian gymnast.[6]
2012 Summer Olympics
Canada's only male gymnast to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Gafuik's preparation for the Games was hampered by a thumb injury, severe enough to require surgery.[6] He did not compete in all of the events, sitting out the other apparatus qualifiers to concentrate on the high bar, his favoured event.[6] Unfortunately, his score of 13.866, due to a fall from the bar, was not enough to qualify him for the final.[6]
2014 Commonwealth Games
He was part of the Canadian team that took bronze in the men's team event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[7]
References
- ↑ "Nathan Gafuik Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
- 1 2 "Glasgow 2014 - Nathan GAFUIK Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
- 1 2 "Interview: Nathan Gafuik (Canada)". International Gymnast Magazine Online. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
- 1 2 3 Canada, Gymnastics. "Chant, Lytwyn Commonwealth Games athletes". HamiltonScores. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
- ↑ "Addison’s disease makes Gafuik a fighter". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
- 1 2 3 4 "Canada’s Nathan Gafuik fails to advance in men’s high bar". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
- ↑ "Commonwealth Games: Canada's medallists". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-21.