The four athletes, one coach and one administrator represent four different disciplines in the sport and are due to be inducted at a ceremony during the 2014 Gymnastics Championships and USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show in Pittsburgh on August 22.

Artistic gymnast Liukin enters the Hall of Fame after winning a total of five medals at Beijing 2008, which saw her tying the US gymnastics record for the most medals at one Olympics with Mary Lou Retton at Los Angeles 1984 and Shannon Miller, who achieved the same feat at Barcelona 1992.

As well as becoming the third of only four American women to win the Olympic all-around gold, Liukin - who has a total of 14 world and Games medals to her name - won silver in the team, balance beam and uneven bars competitions and a floor exercise bronze at those Games six years ago.

She was also part of the team that won the nation's first ever World Championships team gold outside the US in 2007 and was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame as part of that squad in 2013.

Liukin's fellow artistic gymnast Courtney Kupets, the 2002 uneven bars world champion and two-time Olympic medallist, is also a member of the 2014 Hall of Fame class.

She has also previously been inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame as part of a team, as she was a member of the squad that won the first women's team World Championships gold medal for the country in 2003.

Kupets, whose 2002 uneven bars world gold was the first for an American woman since Shannon Miller in 1993, is also a two-time US all-around champion, winning two consecutive titles in 2003 and 2004.

Blaine Wilson heads into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a three-time Olympian ©Getty Images


Blaine Wilson, a three-time Olympian, is the last of the artistic gymnasts heading into the Hall of Fame this year.

As part of the Athens 2004 team, he helped the US to the silver medal, the nation's men's first Olympic team medal since taking the gold in 1984.

He also represented his country at four World Championships - 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2003, winning the team silver in 2003, and won five consecutive US all-around titles between 1996 and 2000.

Three-time US rhythmic gymnastics all-around champion Lisa Wang, who is also a five-time Pan American Games gold medallist, taking the all-around, ribbon, club and rope titles in 2007 and helping her nation to the gold in 2003, completes the list of athletes entering the Hall of Fame this year.

Long-time University of Illinois men's gymnastics head coach Yoshi Hayasaki has also secured a place in US gymnastics history and enters the Hall of Fame after serving in the role for 33 seasons.

His squad captured the National Collegiate Athletic Association team title in 1989, while his teams won the Big Ten title six times in 1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 2004 and 2009.

He also served as the personal coach for three Olympians in the form of Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 competitor Dominick Minicucci, Charles Lakes - who also appeared at Seoul 1988 - and Beijing 2008 athlete Justin Spring.

As a gymnast at the University of Washington, Hayasaki won back-to-back NCAA all-around titles in 1970 and 1971 and the high bar crown in 1970.

Yoshi Hayasaki has served as the University of Illinois men's gymnastics head coach for 33 seasons ©Getty Images


He was the Amateur Athletic Union all-around champion in 1967 and the US champion in 1968, when he also won individual titles for the still rings, parallel bars and horizontal bar.

Finally, acrobatic gymnastics judge and administrator Jola Jones will this year receive the Lifetime Achievement honour as she enters the Hall of Fame after dedicating nearly 40 years of her life to the sport.

She is currently a Brevet Category I judge, the highest level for acrobatics, and continues to judge internationally after having judged every acrobatics Junior Olympic National Championships, National Championships and National Elite Qualifier, as well as more than 40 international events.

"This is an incredible group of individuals, who have contributed to gymnastics in a variety of ways - from the competition floor to the judges' table and as one of the longest-serving university head coaches," said Steve Penny, President of USA Gymnastics.

"Congratulations to all of our inductees, and thank you for your contributions to our great sport."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
April 2013: London 2012 champions inducted into USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame to celebrate 50th anniversary