Courtney Anne Kupets (born July 27, 1986 in Bedford, Texas) is an American gymnast. She is best known for her 2003 and 2004 all-around national championships (with Carly Patterson as co-champion in 2004); her membership on the 2002 and 2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and 2004 Olympic teams; and her individual bronze medal on the uneven bars at the 2004 Olympics. Gymnastics has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bedford is a suburban city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas in the mid-cities area between Dallas and Fort Worth. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq. ... Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics or rhythmic gymnastics. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Carly Rae Patterson (born February 4, 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American gymnast. ... The 37th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Anaheim, a city in the U.S., in 2003. ... (Redirected from 2004 Olympic Games) The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, commonly known as the 2004 Summer Olympics were the 28th Summer Olympic Games. ... The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is a artistic gymnastics apparatus. ...

During her elite career, Kupets resided in Gaithersburg, Maryland and trained at Hill's Angels, former gym of Olympians Dominique Dawes and Elise Ray, for 35 hours each week. Her older sister, Ashley Kupets, is a gymnast at the University of Georgia, and her father was a college football player. Motto: Nickname: Location in Maryland Founded Incorporated 1802 April 5, 1878  County Montgomery County Borough Parrish Mayor Sidney A. Katz Area  - Total  - Water 26. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,417 sq. ... Dominique Margaux Dawes (born November 20, 1976, in Silver Spring, Maryland) is a United States gymnast. ... Elise Ray is an American gymnast. ... The University of Georgia, is located approximately 70 miles north-east of Atlanta in Athens, Georgia and is the largest institution of higher learning and research in the State of Georgia. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ...

While the uneven bars is considered to be Kupets' best apparatus, she excels on the other events as well. During her elite career, her balance beam routine was valued at a 10.0 start value, the same as her bars routine. Her lowest-valued skill was her Podkopayeva vault, which had a 9.7. start value under the 2001-2005 Code of Points. Kupet's floor exercise routine was valued at a 9.9 usually - until 2004, where she had a 9.8 Start Value routine. She also had a reputation as one of the USA's most versatile tumblers, performing, at various points in her career, the double layout, triple twist, double Arabian, double front, double pike and various combination tumbling passes. The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is a artistic gymnastics apparatus. ... The Balance Beam is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. ... The vault, formerly known as vaulting horse, is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. ... A Canadian gymnast trains on a floor. ...

Early gymnastics history

Kupets began competing in gymnastics in 1989, earned a place on the TOPS developmental team in 1994, and tested elite in 1999. At her first US National Championships, in 1999, she placed eighth in the junior division and became a member of the national team. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

In her first year as a senior competitor, 2002, Kupets placed a close second in the American Cup competition, behind Olympian Tasha Schwikert, and placed eighth at Nationals. Nonetheless, her selection to the US team for the 2002 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Debrecen, Hungary was seen as a surprise by many. At Worlds, Kupets passed all other competitors, including five-time defending champion Svetlana Khorkina, to win the uneven bars event, making her only the third American woman ever to achieve the feat. Tasha Schwikert (born November 21, 1984 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American gymnast who is a 2000 Olympian, a World Gymnastics Championships gold medallist, and the 2005 NCAA all-around national champion. ... Logo The 36th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Debrecen, Hungary, in 2002. ... Debrecen (approximate pronunciation: deh-breh-tsen; German: ; Polish: ; Romanian: ; Slovak: ) is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. ... Svetlana Vasilievna Khorkina (Russian: Светлана Васильевна Хоркина, born January 19, 1979 in Belgorod, Russia) is Russias most successful female gymnast to date; winner of several world championship events and Olympic medals. ... The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is a artistic gymnastics apparatus. ...

In 2003, Kupets won the US Classic and became the U.S. national champion for the first time. She was named to the US team for the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim, California. At Worlds, Kupets competed well in the team qualifying round, contributing to the USA's high placement and qualifying to the all-around and uneven bars final. However, during a practice session before the team finals, Kupets tore her Achilles' tendon and was forced to withdraw from the event, returning home to Maryland immediately for emergency surgery. The US team went on to win the World Championships; Kupets was still considered a member of the squad and received credit and a medal for her contributions in the preliminaries. The 37th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Anaheim, a city in the U.S., in 2003. ... Anaheim is a city in Orange County, south_west California, a part of the greater Los Angeles conurbation to the east of Long Beach. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq. ... Posterior view of the foot and leg, showing the Achilles tendon (tendo calcaneus). ...

In 2004, Kupets was named the co-national champion with Patterson in Anaheim, California, the same place where she had torn her Achilles' the previous year. A few weeks later, Kupets placed highest overall at the U.S. Olympic trials, earning a spot on the Olympic team. Flag Seal Location Location within Orange County, California Government Country State County United States California Orange Mayor Curt Pringle Geographical characteristics Area     City 50. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq. ...

2004 Olympic Games

At the Olympics in Athens, Greece, Kupets won a silver medal with her fellow U.S. team members in the team all-around competition. It had originally been decided that she would compete on each of the events aside from vault; however, after injuring a hamstring in practice between the uneven bars and floor exercise, her balance beam position was given to teammate Mohini Bhardwaj. In the two events she competed in, Kupets received the team's highest score on uneven bars with a 9.662 out of a 10.0 start value — putting the U.S. team temporarily ahead of eventual winner Romania in the standings — but also received the lowest on floor exercise with a 9.187 out of a 9.9 after faltering on a dance combination that had just recently been added to her routine. Gymnastics at the 2004 Summer Olympics was divided into three sub-categories: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampolining. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... Hamstring refers to the common tendon of the muscles making up the ham in animals, primarily the semitendinosus and biceps femoris. ... Mohini Bhardwaj (born September 29, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American gymnast. ...

Kupets competed in the individual all-around at the Olympics after placing 4th overall (37.937) in the qualifying round on the first day of competition, when the team qualifications also took place. Even though she was dealing with her injury, Kupets finished 9th overall in the all-around with a score of 37.112, a little over one point behind the winner, Patterson, who scored a 38.387.

Her final score in the all-around was hurt by an unusually low-scoring routine on the balance beam (8.975), as well as a step out of bounds on the floor exercise, where Kupets scored 9.237. As usual, her highest scoring event was the bars, where she received a 9.625; Kupets also scored a 9.275 on the vault (out of a 9.7). Although she had not been expected to medal after her injury, Kupets said after the event that she was happy she had competed regardless.

Kupets won the bronze medal in the individual uneven bars competition with a score of 9.637, behind Émilie Lepennec of France (9.687) and fellow American gymnast Terin Humphrey (9.662). Kupets also finished 5th in the individual balance beam competition with a score of 9.375 out of a 10.0. Émilie Lepennec (born December 31, 1987) is a gymnast from France. ... Terin Marie Humphrey (born August 14, 1986 in Saint Joseph, Missouri) is a United States gymnast and was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team in Athens, Greece where she helped the team to a silver medal. ...

Post-Olympics and NCAA career

After returning from Athens, Kupets travelled across the United States with other gymnasts on an exhibition tour sponsored by retailer T.J. Maxx. In 2005 she joined the gymnastics team at the University of Georgia on full athletic scholarship. Kupets had a very successful first season with UGA, contributing to the team's first-place finish at the 2006 NCAA National Championships and winning the all-around, bars and beam titles at the same meet. She has debuted some new skills in NCAA, including a new double layout dismount off of bars. She has also joined the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. Drawing of a self-service store. ... T.J. Maxx is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. ... The University of Georgia, is located approximately 70 miles north-east of Atlanta in Athens, Georgia and is the largest institution of higher learning and research in the State of Georgia. ... Alpha Omicron Pi (ΑΟΠ, AOII) is an international fraternity that was founded on January 2, 1897 at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York. ...

External links

• Courtney Kupets on the Web - official website
• International Federation of Gymnastics' profile on Courtney Kupets
• Courtney Kupets' U.S. Olympic Team bio ... with three photo galleries
• Interview Courtney on the fine art of shopping
• USA Gymnastics biography (PDF file)