Guillermo Alvarez (2008 Gymnastics Hopeful)

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

02 Jun 2008 11:36 PM

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. We looked at swimmers last week, we're heading inside to the gymnastics floor this week.

Meet Guillermo Alvarez

Guillermo Alvarez is the youngest child of Janet, who works in the radiology department at Idaho State University, and Amando Alvarez, a Spanish instructor at Idaho State University. He has two brothers and a sister: Jaime, Magdalena and Marco Antonio. In 2005, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in psychology and was awarded the NCAA Nissen-Emery Award as an outstanding senior collegiate gymnast, college gymnastics' highest honor. He plans to go to graduate school. Guillermo's hobbiest include reading and teaching himself the piano.

Why Root For Him?

Guillermo was a member of the 2006 and 2007 World Championships teams. At the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, Guillermo placed 18th, the highest-ranking American all-around finisher. At the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, Guillermo just missed the podium with a fourth place finish in both the team and individual floor exercise.

Performance Record

• 2007 Visa Championships all-around & vault silver medalist; floor exercise & pommel horse bronze medalist
• 2007 FIG World Championships team & floor exercise fourth place
• 2007 Pan American Games floor exercise silver medalist
• 2007 Winter Cup Challenge all-around & vault bronze medalist, pommel horse silver medalist
• 2006 Visa Championships all-around & pommel horse bronze medalist
• 2006 Winter Cup Challenge all-around bronze medalist
• 2006 FIG World Championships team member
• 2005 Visa Championships floor exercise champion, pommel horse silver medalist

The U.S. Gymnastics Team trials take place in June 19 to June 22 in Philadelphia, PA.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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