Mitch Gaylord, a member of the United States men’s gymnastics team that won a gold medal last night, is one of 19 Jewish members on the United States Olympic team participating in the summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Gaylord, whose parents are members of a Reform synagogue in Van Nuys, Calif, where he was Bar Mitzvah, is one of six members of the U.S. men’s gymnastics squad. In upsetting the defending champion Chinese team, the U.S. team won America’s first team gymnastics gold medal in Olympic history.
Gaylord electrified the crowd of 9,000 spectators viewing the competition in the Pauley Pavilion hall on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles with his performance on the horizontal bar that included a stunt that has become known as the “Gaylord II.” His score of 9.95 out of a possible 10, help preserve the narrow margin of victory for the American team.
The 23-year-old Gaylord has in the past several years won a host of national and international gymnastic competitions, both in the team and individual events. He participated in the 1980 Maccabiah games in Israel and in 1984 was selected NCAA Collegiate Gymnastic Champion.
OTHER JEWISH ATHLETES
Along with Gaylord, the other Jewish athletes on the United States Olympic team are:
JUDO: Bob Berland, Wilmette, III.
PISTOL: Ronald Krelstein, Memphis; Herb Rosenbaum, Birmingham, Ala.
FENCING: Jeffrey Bukantz, foil; Russ Wilson, sabre; Edgar House, sabre; Joel Glucksman, sabre.
CYCLIST: Doug Shapiro, U. of Florida.
GYMNASTICS: Mitch Gaylord, UCLA
TRACK and FIELD: Gary Williky, Arizona State University, shotput and discus; Boris Djerass, Northeastern University, hammer throw; Brian Mondschien, decathlon.
WOMEN’S MARATHON: Irene Carmichael
COACHES: Douglas Beal, Cleveland, men’s volleyball; Arie Selinger, Israel, women’s volleyball; Abie Grossfeld, U. of Connecticut, men’s gymnastics; Mel Rosen, Auburn, assistant track and field; Alla Svirsky, rhythmic gymnastics; Paul Katsen, wrestling.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
