James Hartung (born June 7, 1960) 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 ...

. He 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 ...

and won a gold medal at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Early life and education

Hartung was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. He competed for the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

and was a member of four straight national championship teams: 1979–1982. He was the all-around NCAA champion in 1980 and 1981. During his career, he also won five apparatus gold medals at NCAA championships. In 1982, Hartung won the Nissen Award (gymnastics's " Heisman").

Gymnastics career

In 1979, Hartung was a member of the U.S. bronze-medal winning

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 ...

team. He was also part of the 1978 Worlds,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

and 1983 Worlds squads. Hartung was a member of the 1980 Olympic team but did not compete due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. As a consolation, he was one of 461 athletes to receive a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

many years later. In 1984, he was a member of the gold-medal winning Olympic Team. At USAG national championships, Hartung won the all-around gold in 1981. Over several years, he collected 13 golds on apparatuses. He is also considered one of the best NCAA men's gymnasts of all time as the leader of the 5-time in a row winning Nebraska team and because of his record 22 All-Americans. He was also the 1980 and 1981 NCAA all-around champion.

Post-competition career

After gymnastics, Hartung became a high-level gymnastics judge. Since 2006, he has been an assistant coach of the men's gymnastics team at the University of Nebraska.

Awards and honors

Hartung entered the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a member of the gold medal Olympic team in 1984 and then in 1997 as an individual. In 2006, he and his 1984 teammates were inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Hartung is also a member of the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame and the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartung, Jim 1960 births Living people American male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in gymnastics Nebraska Cornhuskers men's gymnasts Sportspeople from Omaha, Nebraska Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Congressional Gold Medal recipients 20th-century American sportsmen