Iowa State Gymnastics Adds Nilson Medeiros as Assistant Coach

Iowa State Gymnastics Adds Nilson Medeiros as Assistant Coach

Nilson Medeiros just returned from Brazil where he coached Jessica Lopez to a seventh place finish in the all-around at the Rio Olympics. Now, he is headed

Aug 22, 2016 by Rebecca Johnson
Iowa State Gymnastics Adds Nilson Medeiros as Assistant Coach
Nilson Medeiros just returned from Brazil where he coached Jessica Lopez to a seventh place finish in the all-around at the Rio Olympics. Now, he is headed to Ames, Iowa to begin an assistant coaching position with the Iowa State Cyclones women's gymnastics team.

With three decades of coaching experience, Medeiros will provide an impressive amount of knowledge to the Cyclones program. Head coach Jay Ronayne is very pleased with the addition.

He has had success as an NCAA coach, club coach and Olympic-level coach. His knowledge and energy will be a tremendous asset to Iowa State Gymnastics.

Release via Cyclones Athletics

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State gymnastics has hired Nilson Medeiros as an assistant coach, head coach Jay Ronanye announced Monday. Medieros, a native of Brazil, comes to the Cyclones fresh off a trip to the Rio Olympics and with three decades of coaching experience across many levels.

"Nilson brings an amazing amount of experience, and expertise to our staff," Ronayne said. "He has had success as an NCAA coach, club coach and Olympic-level coach. His knowledge and energy will be a tremendous asset to Iowa State Gymnastics."

Medeiros is completing a stint of coaching Olympic gymnast Jessica Lopez of Venezuela, who he also worked with in his time as an assistant coach at Denver. Medeiros guided Lopez to a seventh place finish in the all-around and sixth on the uneven bars at the Rio 2016 Olympics, both were the highest finishes by a South American gymnast in Olympic gymnastics history. Her trip to the uneven bars final was the first event finals appearance by a Venezuelan gymnast.

During that time, Medeiros also served as the President of Classic Events USA, an independent company that ran and operated the Cancún Classic, a gymnastics even that brought hundreds of Junior Olympic competitors and NCAA squads to Mexico for competition.

His time in the NCAA has seen Medeiros work at a pair of current Big 12 members: Denver and Oklahoma. In his three seasons at Denver, he helped guide the Pioneers to the 2008 NCAA Gymnastics Championships and coached the aforementioned Lopez. In Norman, Medeiros served as recruiting coordinator and uneven bars coach for nine years, helping guide the Sooners to five NCAA Gymnastics Championships trips.

Medeiros has worked with some of the biggest and best names and organizations. In 1988, Medieros spent time in the Soviet Union studying technique and strategy from some of the world's top coaches at the time. When he moved to the United States, Medieros had the opportunity to work with former Romania and USA Gymnastics National Team head coach Bela Karolyi.

From 1987-90, he served as the head coach of his native Brazil's Junior National Team, while also serving as a coach to several members of Brazil's Senior National Team.

Medeiros graduated from Universidade Gama Filho in 1986 with a bachelor degree in physical education and a teaching certificate. He also earned a post graduate degree in exercise physiology in 1987.