Alexa Citlali Moreno Medina (born 8 August 1994) is a Mexican

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different types of apparatus. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which assigns the '' Code of Points'' used ...

. She is the 2018 World bronze medalist on

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosur ...

, the first Mexican female gymnast to medal at the

World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships are the world championships for artistic gymnastics governed by the International Gymnastics Federation, Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). The first edition of the championships was held ...

. She represented

Mexico at the 2016 Summer Olympics Mexico competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's twenty-third appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Mexican Olympic Committee () sent the nation's largest delegation to the Ga ...

where she was the second reserve for the all-around final and at the 2020 Olympics where she placed fourth in the vault final. She represented

Mexico at the 2024 Summer Olympics Mexico competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. It was the nation's twenty-fifth appearance at the Summer Olympics. Mexico won a total of five medals, three being silver and two bronze. Medalists , width="7 ...

, where she was first reserve for the vault final. She is the 2023 Pan American champion on vault. She won a silver medal on vault at the

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish: ''XXI Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Mayagüez 2010'') took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from 18 July 2010 to 1 August 2010. Bid It was understood that Mayagüez was going to b ...

and a bronze medal on vault at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships. She is also a seven-time medalist on the FIG World Cup circuit. She is the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...

and

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and 2018 Pan American Championships team bronze medalist and the 2010,

, and

2023 Central American and Caribbean Games The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish language, Spanish: Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos y del Caribe San Salvador 2023), also known as the 24th Central American and Caribbean Games and commonly known as San Salvador 2023, wa ...

team gold medalist.

Career

Moreno began gymnastics when she was three years old.

2010—2013: Early senior career

Moreno won the bronze medal on the vault at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships behind

Dominique Pegg Dominique Pegg (born May 24, 1995) is a Canadian artistic gymnast and competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Junior career 2007 In May, Pegg competed at the Canadian Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan. She placed fifth in the all around ...

and

Emily Little Emily Little (born 29 March 1994) is an Australian artistic gymnast. She won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the team women's artistic gymnastic events. She was chosen to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Personal ...

. Then at the

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for 32 countries and ...

, she won the team gold medal and also won the vault silver medal behind teammate Elsa García. The Mexican team finished twenty-first during the qualification round for the 2010 World Championships. Moreno did not compete at the

due to a meniscus injury the day before the competition began, but she still received the bronze medal the Mexican team won. Then at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

, the Mexican team finished seventeenth in the qualification round, and Moreno qualified for the vault final where she finished seventh. At the 2012 Zibo World Challenge Cup, Moreno won the silver medal on the vault behind

Cheng Fei Cheng Fei ( zh, c= , p=Chéng Fēi; born May 29, 1988) is a Chinese retired artistic gymnast. She is a three-time World Champion on the vault (2005–2007) and 2006 World Champion on floor exercise. She was a member of the gold medal-winni ...

. Then at the Ghent World Challenge Cup, she won her first

FIG World Cup FIG World Cup refers to a number of events organized by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) across seven competitive gymnastics disciplines: 1) acrobatic gymnastics, 2) aerobic gymnastics, 3) men's artistic gymnastics, 4) women's artistic ...

gold medal on the vault. Moreno finished fourth with the Mexican

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...

at the 2013 Universiade, and she placed fifth in the vault final.

2014—2017: First Olympics

Moreno won a bronze medal with the Mexican team at the 2014 Pan American Championships. She also placed sixth in the all-around, seventh in the vault, and fifth in the

uneven bars The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is made of a steel frame. The bars are made of fiberglass with wood coating, or less commonly wood. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is UB or ...

. At the 2014 World Championships in

Nanning, China Nanning; is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. It is known as the "Green City (绿城) " because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of Guangxi, Nanning is surrounded by a hil ...

, she helped the Mexican team place fourteenth with qualified the team for the 2015 World Championships. She qualified for the vault final and placed seventh. Then at the

, she won the gold medal with the Mexican team and also placed ninth in the all-around and eighth in the uneven bars. Moreno won the bronze medal in the all-around at the 2015 Mexican Championships. She also won the all-around bronze medal at the Olimpiada Nacional. Then at the Anadia World Challenge Cup, she won the silver medal on the vault behind

Marcia Videaux Marcia Teresa Videaux Jiménez (born 21 July 1999) is a Cuban artistic gymnast. She is the 2015 Pan American Games champion and the 2018 Pan American Championships silver medalist on the vault. She is the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Game ...

. She missed the

2015 Pan American Games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

due to a broken cheekbone. She returned to competition at the

and finished seventh in the vault final. After the World Championships, she finished seventh in the all-around at the Arthur Gander Memorial. Then at the Swiss Cup, she competed on a mixed-team with Daniel Corral, and they finished eighth. Moreno

qualified Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

for the

2016 Olympic Games The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

at the Olympic Test Event where she finished twenty-second in the all-around. She then won the silver medal on the vault at the Anadia World Challenge Cup behind

. She represented

and finished thirty-first in the all-around during the qualification round, making her the second reserve for the all-around final. Moreno did not compete in 2017 to focus on her studies.

2018—2021: World medalist and second Olympics

Moreno won the all-around bronze medal at the 2018 Mexican Championships and won the vault title. Then at the Mexican Trial Meet, she won the silver medal in the all-around behind Frida Esparza. She won the team bronze medal at the Pan American Championships and also placed fourth in the all-around. She won the vault bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

behind

Simone Biles Simone Arianne Biles Owens ( Biles; born March 14, 1997) is an American Artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. Her 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals make her the most decorated gymnast in history. She is widely regarded as one ...

and Shallon Olsen and became the first Mexican female gymnast to win a medal at the

. She was only the second Mexican gymnast to win a World medal after Daniel Corral won a silver medal on the pommel horse in 2013. After the World Championships, she competed at the Cottbus World Cup and finished fourth on the vault. Additionally, the Mexican team placed nineteenth in the qualification round. She then competed at the Toyota International and won the gold medal on the vault and placed eighth on the

floor exercise In gymnastics, the floor is a specially prepared exercise surface, considered an apparatus. The floor exercise (English abbreviation FX) is the event performed on the floor, in both women's and men's artistic gymnastics (WAG and MAG). The same flo ...

. Moreno finished fourth on the vault at the 2019 Melbourne World Cup. She then won the bronze medal on the vault at the Baku World Cup behind

Jade Carey Jade Ashtyn Carey (born May 27, 2000) is an American artistic gymnast. She represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics as an individual, and at the 2024 Summer Olympics as a member of the U.S. women's team, nicknamed the "Golden Girl ...

and

Oksana Chusovitina Oksana Aleksandrovna Chusovitina (; born 19 June 1975) is an Uzbekistani gymnastics, artistic gymnast who previously represented the Soviet Union and Germany. Chusovitina's career as an elite gymnast has spanned more than three decades. She wo ...

. She once again placed fourth on the vault at the Doha World Cup. At the Mexican Championships, she won the vault title and placed seventh in the all-around. Then at the Korea Cup, she won the bronze medal on the vault behind

Yeo Seo-jeong Yeo Seo-jeong (; born 20 February 2002) is a South Korean artistic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2023 World bronze medalist, the 2018 Asian Games champion, and a two-time Asian champion on vault. She is the first South ...

and

. At the 2019 World Championships in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, she finished sixth in the vault final and qualified for the 2020 Olympics with her fortieth-place all-around finish in the qualification round. Moreno represented

Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics Mexico competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's twenty-fourth appe ...

and became only the second Mexican female gymnast to qualify for a final after

Denisse López Denisse López Sing (born December 8, 1976) is a retired Mexico, Mexican gymnast. She was the first gymnast from Mexico ever to qualify for an event final at the World Gymnastics Championships and the Olympic Games. Lopez began gymnastics at the ...

qualified for the vault final at the

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. She finished fourth in the vault final by less than one-tenth behind bronze medalist

. She announced her retirement after the Olympics.

2023: Comeback

In March 2023, Moreno announced her return to training and intent to attend the 2023 Pan American Championships in Medellín, Colombia. She represented Mexico at the 2023 Pan American Championships, where she earned a gold medal on the vault with a score of 13.700. Additionally, she helped the Mexican team win the silver medal behind the United States. She was the female flag bearer for Mexico at the

San Salvador, El Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

, where she won gold medals with the team and on floor exercise and vault. She also won the silver medal in the all-around and the bronze medal on the balance beam. At the 2023 Paris World Challenge Cup, Moreno won gold in the vault final as well as bronze in the floor exercise final behind

Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos Mélanie Johanna de Jesus dos Santos (born 5 March 2000) is a French artistic gymnast. She was a member of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, 2023 World Championships. She is the 2019 European Arti ...

and

Jade Barbosa Jade Fernandes Barbosa (born July 1, 1991) is a Brazilian artistic gymnast. She is a two-time individual bronze medalist at the World Championships, and represented Brazil at the 2008, 2016, and 2024 Olympic Games. She was part of the historic ...

. Then at the

, the Mexican team finished 14th in the qualification round, missing out on a team quota for the 2024 Olympic Games by two positions. However, Moreno secured an individual quota by finishing third all-around among the eligible athletes. She finished 18th in the all-around final and fourth in the vault final. She represented Mexico at the 2023 Pan American Games despite dealing with a knee injury. She only competed on the uneven bars and helped the Mexican team finish fourth.

2024: Road to Third olympics

Moreno competed in two stops of the

2024 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series The 2024 FIG World Cup circuit in Artistic Gymnastics is a series of competitions officially organized and promoted by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in 2024. The Apparatus World Cup series (the four events held in Cairo, Cottbus ...

. At the Varna World Challenge Cup, she earned a bronze medal on vault with a score of 13.750. At the Koper World Challenge Cup, she earned a gold medal on vault with a score of 13.600. At the

2024 Olympic Games The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Moreno was the first reserve for the vault final.

Awards

In November 2019, Moreno won the ''Premio Nacional de Deportes 2019'' (National Sports Prize 2019) in the "non-professional" category. Also in 2019, she won the Woman of the Year poll in the

El Financiero (, "The Financial") is a Mexican national daily newspaper covering business and the financial markets. It is owned by Grupo Multimedia Lauman, S.A.P.I. de C.V. and has offices in the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City. History began publ ...

newspaper and was recognized as one of the 100 most powerful women in Mexico by

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

Mexico magazine.

Sponsorships

Moreno starred in a

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

commercial during the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, and Toyota is one of her sponsors.

Personal life

During the

2016 Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, Moreno was bullied and fat-shamed on social media. In December 2021, she graduated with a degree in Architecture from the University of the Valley of Mexico, Mexicali campus. She admires Mexican Taekwondo athlete

María Espinoza María del Rosario Espinoza Espinoza (born November 27, 1987) is a Mexican taekwondo practitioner. Espinoza is one of the two women from Mexico who have won an Olympic gold medal, the other being Soraya Jiménez. Early life Espinoza was born ...

. She is a k-pop and anime fan and her floor music at the

2020 Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

is from the anime ' Demon Slayer'.

Eponymous skill

Moreno has one uneven bars release move named after her in the Code of Points.

Competitive history

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moreno, Alexa Living people Mexican female artistic gymnasts 1994 births Sportspeople from Mexicali Gymnasts at the 2011 Pan American Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for Mexico Gymnasts at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic gymnasts for Mexico Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Pan American Games bronze medalists in gymnastics Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Mexico Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Mexico Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Gymnasts at the 2020 Summer Olympics 21st-century Mexican sportswomen Gymnasts at the 2023 Pan American Games Gymnasts at the 2024 Summer Olympics