Annia Hatch

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Annia Hatch
Full nameAnnia Portuondo Hatch
Country represented 
Women's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Years on national team1988–1996 (CUB)
2002–2004 (USA)
ClubStars Elite
Head coach(es)Alan Hatch
Former coach(es)Rene Sanson Rivera
RetiredAugust 22, 2004
Medal record
Artistic Gymnastics
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens Team
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens Vault
Representing  Cuba
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Puerto Rico Vault
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place Mar del Plata 1995 Team
Silver medal – second place Mar del Plata 1995 Balance beam
Bronze medal – third place Mar del Plata 1995 Vault
Bronze medal – third place Mar del Plata 1995 Uneven bars

Annia Portuondo Hatch (born June 14, 1978, in

Cuban-American artistic gymnast who competed for the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics
.

Career in Cuba

Hatch began gymnastics in her native Cuba at the age of four.[2][3] She won her first Cuban National Championships when she was ten;[3] over the course of her career, she would win the title seven times.[3][4]

Competing for Cuba, Hatch made her debut at the

vault and uneven bars, as well as fourth in the all-around.[1] The following year, she became the first Cuban gymnast to win a medal at the World Championships, with a bronze on the vault.[1][4]

Hatch qualified to the

West Haven, Connecticut.[1] In 2001, she became an American citizen.[2][4]

Career in the United States

Hatch resumed training at the elite level in 2001, with her husband as her coach.

Yurchenko) and establishing herself as a contender for a medal at the 2002 World Championships: Muriel Grossfeld, a former national champion who worked with Hatch, called her "probably the best vaulter in the world".[7]

Although Hatch was a U.S. citizen, Olympic rules stated that during the first year after obtaining citizenship in a new nation, an athlete needed permission from her former country of citizenship to represent the new one in international competition.[7] Fidel Castro refused to give Hatch permission to compete for the U.S., prompting American government officials and former President Jimmy Carter to petition Cuba, unsuccessfully, on her behalf.[7] Because Cuba would not release her, Hatch had to wait until 2003 to represent the United States internationally.[4]

Hatch won the vault title at the 2003 National Championships

2004 Olympics in Athens.[9][10]

In the

vault event final, where she won a silver medal behind Monica Roșu of Romania.[2][12] She was the first American woman to win an Olympic vault medal since Mary Lou Retton in 1984.[13]

Post-Olympics

After the Olympics, Hatch turned to coaching, while also working in fashion (including developing her own clothing line). In January 2012, she moved to Ashburn, VA where she resides now. Her Annia Cares project organization was launched in 2016 to help and support athletes and families around the world.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Annia Hatch" (PDF). usagym.org. USA Gymnastics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  2. ^ a b c d Walsh, Laura (2004-08-23). "West Haven celebrates Annia Hatch's Olympic silver medal". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2005-05-05. Retrieved 2016-07-25 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ^
    ISSN 0458-3035
    . Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  4. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  5. ^ a b Rosewater, Amy (2003-03-01). "Hatch Comes Back as an American". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  6. ^ "Hatch won't let knee injury derail Olympic dreams". Augusta Chronicle. 2004-04-24. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  7. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  8. ^ "ACL Surgical Recovery Expectations". Emory Healthcare. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  9. ISSN 0458-3035
    . Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  10. ^ Boeck, Greg (2004-07-18). "U.S. women's gymnastics squad finalized". USAToday.com. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  11. ^ Boeck, Greg (2004-08-17). "Romania wins gold in women's gymnastics, U.S. silver". USAToday.com. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  12. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  13. ^ "Hatch gets rare U.S. medal in vault". ESPN.com. 2004-08-23. Retrieved 2016-07-26.

External links

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