Blaine Carew Wilson (born August 3, 1974) is a retired American

gymnast Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

who was a member of the

United States men's national artistic gymnastics team The United States men's artistic gymnastics team represents the United States in Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, FIG international competitions. History The first national team roster was established in 1998. The team has competed at ...

. He is a five-time U.S. national champion (1996-2000), a three-time Olympian (1996, 2000, 2004), and an Olympic silver medalist in the team competition at the

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Early life and education

Blaine Wilson was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

. He comes from a sports-minded family and is named after baseball great

Rod Carew Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman, first baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minneso ...

and former Dallas Cowboys guard

Blaine Nye Blaine Francis Nye (born March 29, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, known th ...

. Wilson's father started him in gymnastics at age four because he was so energetic. Wilson competed in college for

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, where he was coached by 1976 bronze-medal winner

Peter Kormann Peter Martin Kormann (born June 21, 1955) is an American retired gymnast and gymnastics coach. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team. At the 1976 Olympics, he became the first American to medal in a competi ...

. In 1997, Wilson won the 1997

Big Ten Athlete of the Year The Big Ten Athlete of the Year award is given annually to the top male and female collegiate athletes in the Big Ten Conference. It was first awarded in 1982, with winners being selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submi ...

award as well as the

Nissen Award The Nissen-Emery Award is presented to the most outstanding senior male collegiate gymnast in the United States. The award reflects admirable scholarship, moral characteristics, and sporting success. List of winners Total wins by school See a ...

(the "

Heisman The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

" of men's gymnastics).

Career

Wilson won his first national all-around title at the 1996 Coca-Cola National Championships and won the next four consecutive national titles. Wilson was the first man to win five consecutive national all-around titles since USA Gymnastics was named the sport's national governing body, and the third man to win five consecutive U.S. all-around titles (or more) in gymnastics history. Wilson won the silver medal with the U.S. team in the team competition at the

2004 Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. He also placed fifth with the U.S. team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. At the 1999 World Championships, he placed fourth in the all-around and sixth in the team competition. In 1995, in his first World Championship appearance, he was the highest U.S. all-around finisher (25th). Wilson won his first World Championship medal at the 2003 World Championships where he helped the U.S. team win the silver medal. Months later, at the 2004 Visa

American Cup The American Football Association Challenge Cup (also known as the American Association Cup or simply American Cup) was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1884, and organised by t ...

, Wilson tore his left biceps tendon and vowed to return for the 2004

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. His hard work and determination earned him a spot on his third Olympic team. Wilson and the U.S. team went on to win the silver medal in Athens. On May 22, 2008, during the first night of competition at the Men's USA Championships, Wilson announced his retirement from gymnastics competition. In 2013, he was inducted into the

International Sports Hall of Fame The International Sports Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is a section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2012 by Dr. Robert M. Goldman to honor exceptional athletes and sporting figures for their accomplishments and dedication to furthering ...

Personal life

Wilson married professional volleyball player Makare Desilets on March 28, 2001, whom he met at the

United States Olympic Training Center The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Spr ...

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

. They celebrated the birth of their first living child, a daughter, on October 4, 2002, after suffering the loss of a son. Blaine and Makare divorced in 2006. Wilson married

rhythmic gymnast Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon and rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, fle ...

Aliane Baquerot. The couple was both performing on The Tour of Gymnastics Superstars and after their stop in Sacramento traveled to

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, and married there. Blaine and Aliane have two sons, Jackson and Bodhi. Blaine currently resides in Columbus where he owns and manages his own gymnastics, cheerleading, and volleyball training facility, Integrity Athletics, in

Plain City, Ohio Plain City is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Madison County, Ohio, Madison and Union County, Ohio, Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio, along Big Darby Creek. The population was 4,065 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Blaine 1974 births Living people American male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1996 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2000 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Ohio State Buckeyes men's gymnasts Olympic silver medalists for the United States in gymnastics Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen