Steven Michael Legendre (born May 5, 1989) is a retired American gymnast who competed for the University of Oklahoma Sooners men's gymnastics team from 2008 to 2011 [1] and was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team.

Steven Legendre
Full nameSteven Michael Legendre
Country representedUnited States
Born (1989-05-05) May 5, 1989 (age 35)
Port Jefferson, New York, U.S.
Height5��ft 7 in (170 cm)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team2008–2017
GymBart Conner Gymnastics Academy
Team Hilton Honors
World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
College teamOklahoma Sooners
Head coach(es)Mark Williams
Assistant coach(es)Rustam Sharipov, Daniel Furney
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's artistic gymnastics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Championships 0 1 1
Pan American Games 1 0 0
Total 1 1 1
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2013 Antwerp Vault
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Tokyo Team
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2015 Toronto Team

Early life and education

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Steven was born to Raymond and Lisa Legendre, and has 2 sisters (Jaime and Jessica) and one brother, Michael. Jessica played softball for the University of Oklahoma. He attended Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson, New York, where he competed on the wrestling team, and then Spring Creek Academy in Plano, Texas, when he began training under Yuri Kartsev at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy. On leaving high school he was recruited by the University of Minnesota, the University of Illinois, and Ohio State University; he ultimately decided to attend the University of Oklahoma.[2]

Gymnastics career

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NCAA career

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During his collegiate career, Legendre won 12 All-America honors and 6 NCAA titles. In 2008, he became the first Sooner men's gymnast to win 2 NCAA event titles (floor and vault). In 2009, he won the all-around, floor, and vault titles – the highest number of titles by a gymnast that year. In 2010, he claimed his 3rd consecutive floor title - tying him with Jonathan Horton's Oklahoma gymnastics record. In 2011, Legendre won the Nissen Award (the "Heisman" of men's gymnastics).[3]

International career

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Legendre joined the Senior National Team in 2008 and was chosen to compete in the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London, England. He made the floor final where he placed 8th. The following year he traveled to Melbourne where he was part of the gold medal team in the Pacific Rim Championships, also winning the bronze medal for the floor exercise. Later he traveled to the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam where he helped the team to a 4th-place finish in the team competition and again came 8th in the floor finals. In 2011 he was part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. He again competed in the floor final, where he managed to improve on his previous rankings at past world competitions, finishing in 5th place behind bronze medalists Alexander Shatilov and Diego Hypólito. In 2013, he competed at the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. He tied with Hypolito for 5th place once again in the floor final and earned his first individual world medal, a silver on the vault behind Yang Hak Seon and ahead of Kristian Thomas.

Personal life

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On April 27, 2013, he married Alaina Williams.[4][dead link] It was announced that he would serve as an assistant coach for the Oklahoma Sooners men's gymnastics team.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Player Bio: Steven Legendre - SoonerSports.com - Official Athletics Site of the Oklahoma Sooners". Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2011-10-15. Sooners Player Bio
  2. ^ "Player Bio: Steven Legendre - SoonerSports.com - Official Athletics Site of the Oklahoma Sooners". Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2011-10-15. Sooners Player Bio
  3. ^ ":: USA Gymnastics :: Nissen Emery Award ::". Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  4. ^ "Williams and Legendre Get Married".
  5. ^ "OU Hires Former Standout Legendre".
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