View source for Kim Zmeskal

{{short description|American gymnast}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox gymnast
| name            = Kim Zmeskal
| image           = Kim Zmeskal Burdette 2014.jpg
| image_size      =
| caption         = Zmeskal in [[Jesolo]] in March 2014
| full_name       = Kimberly Lynn Zmeskal Burdette
| nickname        = Kimbo; President of the Pumpkin Federation
| country         = {{USA}}
| formercountry   = 
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1976|02|06}}
| birth_place     = [[Houston, Texas]], U.S.<ref name="olympedia">{{cite web |title=Olympedia – Kim Zmeskal |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/29302 |website=Olympedia |access-date=30 December 2022}}</ref><ref name=gym>[https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/archivedbios/z/kzmeskal.html Kim Zmeskal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806215150/https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/archivedbios/z/kzmeskal.html |date=August 6, 2016 }}. usagym.org</ref>
| height          = 
| weight          = 
| discipline      = WAG
| natlteam        = 1988–1993; 1998–2000 ([[United States women's national gymnastics team|USA]])
| club            = Karolyi's Gymnastics, [[Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy|CGA]] <br /> [[Texas Dreams Gymnastics|Texas Dreams]] (coach)
| gym             = 
| collegeteam     = 
| headcoach       = 
| assistcoach     = 
| formercoach     = [[Béla Károlyi]],<br />[[Mary Lee Tracy]]<ref name=gym/>
| choreographer   = Geza Poszar
| music           = 
| eponymousskills = 
| retired         = January 28, 2000
| show-medals     = yes
| medaltemplates  = <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalCount
|total=yes
|[[Gymnastics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]|0|0|1
|[[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]|3|1|1
|[[Goodwill Games]]|0|1|2
|[[American Cup (gymnastics)|American Cup]]|2|1|0
}}
{{MedalCount
|total=yes
|[[Artistic gymnastics|All-Around (OG/WC)]]|1|1|1
|[[Uneven bars|Uneven Bars (OG/WC)]]|0|0|0
|[[Balance beam|Balance Beam (OG/WC)]]|1|0|0
|[[Vault (gymnastics)|Vault (OG/WC)]]|0|0|0
|[[Floor (gymnastics)|Floor Exercise (OG/WC)]]|1|0|1
}}
{{MedalSport|Women's [[artistic gymnastics]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Gymnastics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze|{{GamesName|SOG|1992|Gymnastics}}|[[Gymnastics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around|Team]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1991 Indianapolis]]|All around}}
{{MedalGold|[[1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1992 Paris]]|Balance beam}}
{{MedalGold|[[1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1992 Paris]]|Floor exercise}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1991 Indianapolis]]|Team}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1991 Indianapolis]]|Floor exercise}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Goodwill Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver|1990 Seattle|Team}}
{{MedalBronze|1990 Seattle|Uneven Bars}}
{{MedalBronze|1990 Seattle|Floor Exercise}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[American Cup (gymnastics)|American Cup]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[American Cup (gymnastics)|1990 Fairfax]]|All around}}
{{MedalGold|[[American Cup (gymnastics)|1992 Orlando]]|All around}}
{{MedalSilver|[[American Cup (gymnastics)|1991 Orlando]]|All around}} 
}}

'''Kimberly Lynn Zmeskal Burdette''' (born February 6, 1976) is an American retired [[artistic gymnastics|artistic gymnast]] turned gymnastics coach and the [[1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1991 World All-Around champion]]. A member of the silver medal-winning U.S. team from the 1991 World Championships (the first team medal won by the U.S. women at a world championships), she was the first American woman to win the all-around title at the World Championships, as well as the first to win a world championship medal of any color in the all-around. A three-time [[USA Gymnastics National Championships|United States national all-around champion]] (1990–92), Zmeskal was also the [[1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1992]] world champion on both balance beam and floor exercise, and was a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the [[Gymnastics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around|1992 Summer Olympic Games]] in [[Barcelona, Spain]], the first U.S. team medal won at a fully attended [[Gymnastics at the 1992 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]. She also posted the highest optional all-around score in the qualification round in Barcelona.

Known for her explosive power and tumbling on vault and floor, Zmeskal is regarded as one of the greatest female gymnasts and arguably the best in the world during the early 1990s. Her all-around win sparked the beginning of a dynasty of American dominance in women's gymnastics (since 1992, seven American women have won world all-around titles, and 12 of the last 21 all-around world championship titles (including 10 of the last 14) were won by an American) and the reemergence of power and athleticism in the sport.

She coaches gymnastics and owns [[Texas Dreams Gymnastics]] in [[Coppell, Texas]] and annually hosts the Kim Zmeskal's Texas Prime Meet.

==Early life and training==
Zmeskal was born in [[Houston]], Texas, to Clarice and David Zmeskal. She has one younger sister, Melissa and one younger brother, Eric. From a young age, Zmeskal trained with coaching great [[Béla Károlyi]], who had bought Sundance Gymnastics in Zmeskal's Houston neighborhood. This gave Zmeskal the opportunity to observe and interact with her heroine, [[Mary Lou Retton]], who went on to win the Olympic all-around gold medal in 1984 when Zmeskal was eight. She attended Northland Christian School before graduating from [[Westfield High School (Harris County, Texas)|Westfield High School]] like many of Károlyi's other top gymnasts to accommodate her training schedule, graduating in 1994.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/kim.z.burdette/about?section=education&pnref=about Kim Zmeskal Burdette]. Facebook. Retrieved on 2017-10-17.</ref>

In 1989, at the age of 13, Zmeskal became the U.S. Junior National Champion.<ref>{{cite news |last=Litsky |first=Frank |title=A Senior Crown at Age 14 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/11/sports/a-senior-crown-at-age-14.html |access-date=July 29, 2012 |newspaper=New York Times |date=June 11, 1990}}</ref>  She also took first place in the [[American Classic (gymnastics meet)|American Classic]], the Swiss Cup Mixed Pairs (with Lance Ringnald), and the Arthur Gander Memorial. Zmeskal went on to become a three-time consecutive U.S. National Champion.<ref>{{cite news |last=Janofsky |first=Michael |title=OLYMPICS; Zmeskal's Rise to Top Can Be Interrupted by a Fall |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/11/sports/olympics-zmeskal-s-rise-to-top-can-be-interrupted-by-a-fall.html |access-date=July 29, 2012 |newspaper=New York Times |date=June 11, 1992 |quote=Her national title in Columbus, Ohio, last month was her third....}}</ref> In international events, she began a rivalry with the [[Soviet Union]]'s [[Svetlana Boginskaya]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Janofsky |first=Michael |title=GYMNASTICS; Zmeskal Driven to Overall Success |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/15/sports/gymnastics-zmeskal-driven-to-overall-success.html |access-date=July 29, 2012 |newspaper=New York Times |date=September 15, 1991}}</ref>

In 1990, Zmeskal won her first senior title in her debut at the [[American Cup (gymnastics)|American Cup]]. Later that year in Denver, she won her first U.S. Senior National All-Around title, more than four-tenths of a point ahead of her friend and training partner [[Betty Okino]]. She also won silver on bars (tied with two other gymnasts), balance beam, and floor exercise in the event finals.

Zmeskal was unable to defend her American Cup title, losing to Okino by a margin of just .225 points, but won the event finals for beam and floor. She then defended her U.S. National All-Around title in Cincinnati, where she also won the national title on floor alongside [[Dominique Dawes]] and placed second on beam. At the [[1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1991 World Championships]] in Indianapolis, she helped the team win the silver medal, the first team medal for the American women in World Championship history, beating out the Romanians to finish second behind the Soviet Union. She scored a perfect 10.000 on the vault in the final rotation of the optional rounds, one of only two perfect 10's at the championships, and becoming the first (and only) American woman to ever score a perfect 10 at the World Championships. Zmeskal also became the first American to win the World all-around gold medal, posting scores of 9.962 on the vault, 9.937 on uneven bars, 9.962 on the beam, and 9.987 on the floor to defeat reigning world champion [[Svetlana Boginskaya]] with a total score of 39.848.<ref>{{cite news |last=Swift |first=E.M. |title=A Wow At The Worlds |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140542/1/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515013435/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140542/1/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 15, 2014 |access-date=July 29, 2012 |newspaper=Sports Illustrated |date=September 23, 1991}}</ref> She also won bronze on the floor and placed seventh on vault in the event finals.

==1992 Barcelona Olympics==
Having recently become world all-around champion, Americans had high hopes for Zmeskal and the U.S. team heading the [[1992 Summer Olympics|Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games]], with Zmeskal earning the cover of both ''Time'' and ''Newsweek'' magazines before the Games. Proving her all-around title wasn't a fluke, Zmeskal added two more World titles at the individual apparatus [[1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]] in [[Paris]], winning gold on the balance beam and the floor exercise with upgraded routines and increased difficulty. At the U.S. National Championships in Columbus and the Olympic Trials in Baltimore, Zmeskal battled an emerging [[Shannon Miller]], with Miller defeating Zmeskal at the Trials although Zmeskal earned the highest score at both events, in a controversial finish.<ref>{{cite news |last=Janofsky |first=Michael |title=OLYMPICS; The Trial Is Not Over For Female Gymnasts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/15/sports/olympics-the-trial-is-not-over-for-female-gymnasts.html |access-date=July 29, 2012 |newspaper=New York Times |date=June 15, 1992}}</ref> Nonetheless, Zmeskal won her third consecutive U.S. National All-Around title, becoming the first female gymnast to ever win three consecutive national all-around championships, won national titles on beam and floor, and placed second on vault and uneven bars.

Despite being picked as the clear-cut favorite for the all-around title and multiple gold medals, Zmeskal's Olympics began poorly as she fell off the balance beam during her compulsory routine on the first night of competition. Although she rebounded with performances on the floor, vault, and bars, Zmeskal was in 32nd place after the compulsories and 5th on the American team, who were second behind the Unified Team after the compulsories.<ref>{{cite news |last=Janofsky |first=Michael |title=BARCELONA: GYMNASTICS; A Stunning Reverse In Zmeskal's Opener |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/27/sports/barcelona-gymnastics-a-stunning-reverse-in-zmeskal-s-opener.html |access-date=July 29, 2012 |newspaper=New York Times |date=July 27, 1992}}</ref> She further rebounded with scores of 9.900 on uneven bars, 9.912 on the beam, 9.925 on floor, and 9.950 on the vault during the finals of the team competition, moving Zmeskal into 12th place and into the all-around competition by finishing third among the American women. Her combined score of 39.687 for the night was the highest of any competitor. The American women won the bronze medal in the team competition behind the Unified Team and Romania with a total score of 394.704 points, their first ever team medal in a non-boycotted Olympic Games. She also qualified to the event finals on vault and floor exercise.

Although she earned enough points to compete in the all-around competition, Zmeskal faltered during her first event of the competition, floor exercise, stepping out of bounds on her last tumbling pass. She faltered again in the final rotation with a shaky beam routine and finished 10th in the all-around final. Zmeskal finished off the podium in event finals as well, placing 8th on the vault after sitting down her second vault, and 6th in the floor final (although many commentators and coaches alike felt that she should have at least tied for the bronze medal). It was later revealed that Zmeskal was suffering from a tibial [[stress fracture]] before and during the Olympics.

“I've learned that you don't have to win first place to win” is how Zmeskal reflected upon her Olympic experience, recognizing her performance during the Team Final (in which no individual medals were awarded) as her greatest athletic achievement- overcoming a sizeable score deficit due to a compulsory beam fall as well as an injured tibia to qualify to the 1992 Olympic All Around final. She also defined standing alongside her teammates on the medal stand to receive their Olympic bronze medals as contributing to that “win”.

==Comeback and retirement==
[[File:2019-06-28 1st FIG Artistic Gymnastics JWCH All-around competition Victory ceremony (Martin Rulsch) 06.jpg|thumb|Zmeskal as a coach at the [[2019 Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|inaugural Junior World Championships]]]]
Any dreams for a comeback to compete in the [[1996 Olympic Games]] were dashed after a slow recovery due to a torn [[anterior cruciate ligament]] (ACL) in her right knee suffered during a floor exercise exhibition in Worcester, MA.

In 1998, Zmeskal returned to competition with a decent showing at the [[USA Gymnastics National Championships|U.S. National Championships]] in Indianapolis, finishing 11th all around. By 1999, she was even considered a possibility for the [[2000 Olympics]] team after representing the U.S. internationally in her final competition in Shanghai, China in the fall of 1998. However, a ruptured right [[achilles tendon]] in July 1999, followed by a torn calf muscle in the same leg while taking off for a double tuck, ended her career in January 2000.

Zmeskal was inducted into the [[International Gymnastics Hall of Fame]] in May 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kim Zmeskal makes Gymnastics Hall |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/gymnastics/story/_/id/7952433/kim-zmeskal-inducted-international-gymnastics-hall-fame |publisher=ESPN |access-date=July 29, 2012 |date=May 20, 2012}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Zmeskal married Chris Burdette on October 23, 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://usagym.org/usa-gymnastics-hall-of-fame-class-of-2001-to-be-inducted-aug-11 |title=USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Class of 2001 to be Inducted Aug. 11 |website=[[USA Gymnastics]] |date=August 2, 2001 |accessdate=October 25, 2023}}</ref> The marriage produced three children.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flogymnastics.com/articles/5027435-kim-zmeskal-designs-a-leotard |title=Kim Zmeskal Designs a Leotard |website=Flo Gymnastics |accessdate=October 25, 2023}}</ref> Per Chris Burdette's Linkedin page, in June 2019, the couple split with Kim taking full ownership of Texas Dreams in March 2022.

==Abuse allegations==
As the head coach of Texas Dream, Zmeskal has been criticized for her strict coaching style and verbal abuse towards her gymnasts. Former gymnast Kennedy Baker wrote about her experiences in an open letter,{{blockquote|}}Another gymnast who came forward was Ashton Kim, who also wrote a statement describing the hard training regime she was put under Zmeskal's tutelage and being forced to train with injuries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thegymter.net/2020/08/13/texas-dreams-and-the-problem-with-good-gyms |title=Texas Dreams and the Problem with 'Good' Gyms |date=August 14, 2020 |website=thegymter.net}}</ref> Kim stated that she got an apology from Zmeskal.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://twitter.com/ashtonkim825/status/1291840980950425600 |title=Twitter |access-date=February 6, 2023 |archive-date=November 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129130024/https://twitter.com/ashtonkim825/status/1291840980950425600 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Gymnastic trademarks==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=October 2023}}
Zmeskal was recognized for her middle tumbling pass on floor which consisted of a round-off, three consecutive whip-backs, back-handspring, into a double-back in the tucked position (sometimes with four whips into double-back). Another trademark was the way she would flare her arms out during full-twisting elements, most notably on her full-twisting [[Yurchenko (vault)|Yurchenko]] vault.

Another signature move was the reverse planche with one bent leg, which was her opening move on the balance beam, now seen in the Texas Dreams Gymnastics logo as well as gymnastics clip art.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Kim Zmeskal}}
* {{FIG|bio=24433|lic=555|name=Kim Zmeskal}}
* {{IGHOF}}
* [https://members.usagym.org/pages/athletes/archivedbios/z/kzmeskal.html Kim Zmeskal] at [[USA Gymnastics]]
* [http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/zmeskal.html Kim Zmeskal] at Gymn Forum
* {{Olympics.com}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123062011/http://gymnastics.about.com/od/famousgymnasts/ig/Where-Are-They-Now-/Update--Kim-Zmeskal.htm |date=mdy |title=Where Are They Now?: Kim Zmeskal Photos & Info }}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233209/http://www.texasprimemeet.com/index.html |date=mdy |title=The Texas Prime gymnastics meet she organises }}
* [http://www.gymnastike.org/search/video/kim+zmeskal Video Interviews of Kim Zmeskal at Gymnastike.org]

{{Footer USA Gymnastics 1992 Summer Olympics}}
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{{International Gymnastics Hall of Fame members}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zmeskal, Kim}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:American female artistic gymnasts]]
[[Category:American gymnastics coaches]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Houston]]
[[Category:World champion gymnasts]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Gymnasts from Texas]]
[[Category:U.S. women's national team gymnasts]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]
[[Category:American female sports coaches]]