Mitchell Jay Gaylord (born March 10, 1961) is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist in the 1984 Los Angeles Games….as Gaylord led the gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s gymnastics team….by becoming the first American gymnast to score a perfect 10.00 in the Olympics. He also won the silver medal in vault….the bronze in parallel bars….and the bronze in the rings. In addition to his individual accolades, Gaylord led the US men’s gymnastics team to a gold medal in the team competition for the first and only time in Olympics history….which was a moment that was heralded as a significant upset over the teams from China and Japan.
After the 1984 Olympics he and his fellow Olympic gymnasts went on a six-month promotional tour across the US….selling out arenas in about two dozen American cities. He also wrote his first book during this period….which centered on using gymnastics exercises to train. He was also named by President Ronald Reagan as a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in November 1985.
