Raj Bhavsar

Raj Bhavsar
Bhavsar in 2008
Personal information
Full nameStephen Raj Bhavsar
Country representedUnited States
Born (1980-09-07) September 7, 1980 (age 43)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight54 kg (119 lb)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team2001–2009
GymHouston Gymnastics Academy
Team Chevron
Cypress Academy
College teamOhio State Buckeyes
Head coach(es)Kevin Mazekia, Miles Avery
Assistant coach(es)Doug Stibel, Dmitri Bilozerchev
Eponymous skillsBhavsar (Parallel bars)
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's artistic gymnastics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 0 1
World Championships 0 2 0
Pan American Games 0 1 0
Pacific Rim Championships 1 0 0
Total 1 3 1
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2001 Ghent Team
Silver medal – second place 2003 Anaheim Team
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1999 Winnipeg Team
Pacific Rim Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 San Jose Team

Stephen Raj Bhavsar (born September 7, 1980) is an American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and competed at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships U.S. team. He earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. He was originally an alternate but was named to the team following the injury withdrawal of Paul Hamm.[1] At the Games, Bhavsar earned a bronze medal with the U.S. team in Artistic Gymnastics with teammates Alexander Artemev, Joey Hagerty, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring, and Kai Wen Tan.

He was a contender for the 2004 Olympic Team and was named as an alternate.

Early life and education

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Raj Bhavsar is a Gujarati.[2] He is the son of Jyotindra and Surekha Bhavsar.[citation needed] His father is from Vadodara, Gujarat, and his mother was born in Kampala, Uganda but educated in Gujarat.[2] He was born in Houston.[3] He was raised in Greater Houston and attended Bear Creek Elementary, Wolfe Elementary, Mayde Creek Junior High, and Mayde Creek High School. During this time he trained at Cypress Academy of Gymnastics under his coach Bill Foster.

Gymnastics career

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Bhavsar was a member of the United States team at the 2001 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and won the silver medal with the team. He won a second silver medal at the 2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

At the 2004 Olympic Trials, he was in contention for the U.S. Olympic Team. He was named as an alternate. In 2004 he was first in the rings in the trials, and fourth overall in the national championships, yet was passed over. In 2008 he was third in the Olympic trials and the Visa Championships and again wound up an alternate to the 6-man team. This was due to the fact that his strongest events overlapped with those of Paul Hamm and Morgan Hamm, and the team needed gymnasts who were stronger in other disciplines. After Paul Hamm was injured, Bhavsar was selected to the team which earned a bronze medal.

He attended Ohio State University and won the NCAA title with that team. He won the All-Around at the 2002 NCAA Championships.

Personal life

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After achieving his goals as an Olympic gymnast, in 2010 Bhavsar started working for Cirque du Soleil as an artist for their performance show Iris which debuted in July 2011.[4][5] His cousin, Akash Modi, was also a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team.

Eponymous skills

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Bhavsar currently has one named element on the parallel bars and one formerly named element on the rings.[6][7]

Gymnastics elements named after Raj Bhavsar
Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[a] Added to Code of Points
Parallel bars Bhavsar "Swing forward, straddle cut backward, and regrasp with straight body at horizontal." E, 0.5 2009. Performed at the 2009 Moscow World Stars[8]
Rings Bhavsar "Pull with straight body and arms through moment. front lever to swallow (2s.)." Removed from CoP on December 31, 2021. 2001
  1. ^ Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points

References

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  1. ^ "Hamm's replacement named" Los Angeles Times, July 28, 2008
  2. ^ a b Crumlish, John (2009-03-05). "IG Online Interview: Raj Bhavsar (USA)". International Gymnast Magazine.
  3. ^ Oaklander, Mandy. Houston Press. Tuesday August 16, 2011. 2. Retrieved on October 20, 2011.
  4. ^ "A day in the life of Raj Bhavsar, artist on IRIS". Cirque du Soleil (Media). Retrieved 2011-04-13.[dead YouTube link]
  5. ^ "Raj Bhavsar joins Cirque du Soleil". Full Twist. 2010-12-15. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  6. ^ "Table of Named Elements Men's Artistic Gymnastics" (PDF). gymnastics.sport. December 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  7. ^ "Men's Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points 2025–2028" (PDF). gymnastics.sport. July 3, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "MGYM: Former Buckeye Shows Off Original Skill at World Competition – Ohio State Buckeyes". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. June 3, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
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