| Olympic medal record | |||
Competitor for the  United States |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Artistic Gymnastics | |||
| Gold | 1984 Los Angeles | Team competition | |
| Silver | 1984 Los Angeles | Vault | |
| Bronze | 1984 Los Angeles | Rings | |
| Bronze | 1984 Los Angeles | Parallel bars | |
Mitchell ("Mitch") Jay Gaylord (born March 10, 1961) is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. He was born in Van Nuys, California to a Jewish family. While attending UCLA, he won the All-Around in the 1983 & 1984 U.S. National Championships, and the 1984 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championship. In the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Gaylord led the gold-medal-winning U.S. men's gymnastics team. There, Gaylord became 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. Gaylord invented techniques performed on the horizontal bar named after himself: the "Gaylord" and the "Gaylord II," which are still performed by gymnasts today. Gaylord appeared in several movies and TV shows. Most notably, he performed as a stunt double for Chris O'Donnell (as Robin) in the 1995 movie Batman Forever. He also was notable for his role in American Anthem, starring opposite Janet Jones (now Mrs. Wayne Gretzky). In the film, he plays a moody, stubborn gymnast who is looking to return to the sport after time off because of injury. He also appeared in several other films and frequently appeared on Hollywood Squares back in the 1980s. Mitch is launching his new workout program via DRTV and website (www.MitchGaylord.com) nationwide this year. Mitch Gaylord is married to World Artist Singer/Songwriter Valentina (www.ValentinaGaylord.com). The couple married on July 8, 2005 in a private ceremony. After marrying her husband, Mitch Gaylord, Valentina converted to Judaism on June 5, 2006. Valentina embraced Judaism and felt that, in honour of her Husband and Faith, that it was important that their children be born Jewish, as the couple plan to raise their family in a Jewish home.
