Gymnasts from 14 Pittsburgh-area gymnastics clubs, led by two-time Olympic gold-medalist Gabrielle Douglas of Virginia Beach, Va./Chow's Gymnastics and Dance, made history on Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente Bridge when they set the record for simultaneous cartwheels at 735, smashing the previous world record of 482 that was set July 9, 2009, in Schothorst, Netherlands.

 

Setting the world record was part of the city’s Olympic Day celebration and promoting the upcoming 2014 P&G Gymnastics Championships, scheduled for Aug. 21-24 at CONSOL Energy Center.  Both the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County declared June 23 Olympic Day in their respective areas, and Suzie McConnell-Serio a two-time Olympic basketball medalist, and Ron Galimore, a 1980 Olympian and COO of USA Gymnastics, joined Douglas as Olympians in attendance. Also, USA Gymnastics announced that both the 1984 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams for men’s and women’s gymnastics will be recognized during the P&G Championships.

 

The 14 Pittsburgh-area gymnastics clubs whose gymnasts set the world record are All Star Athletics & Gymnastics, Arcadia Gymnastics, Falcon Gymnastics, Gemini Gymnastics of Pittsburgh, Gym Dandy’s, Gymkhana, Gymsport Athletic Center, Jewart’s Gymnastics, Monaca Turners, Perfect 10 Gymnastics, Premier Gym and Cheer, Trinity Gymnastics, Ultimate Gymnastics and X-Cel Gymnastics.

 

Pittsburgh’s celebration is among the events taking place in more than 800 communities in the USA from June 14-30 to celebrate Olympic Day in 2014. Olympic Day, created in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games, focuses on the Olympic values and ideals of fair play, perseverance, respect and sportsmanship. In the United States, Olympic Day events range from small gatherings to large, city-wide events that are feature athlete appearances, family-friendly activities and interactive learning experiences.

Release via USAG