- published: 21 Jan 2009
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Bart Conner (born March 28, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American gymnast who, as a member of the gold medal-winning men's gymnastics team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games won an individual gold on the parallel bars. Conner was also the 1979 World Champion on the parallel bars.
Conner currently owns and operates the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma along with his wife, Romanian gold medalist Nadia Comăneci. He is also a commentator for televised gymnastics events and an editor of International Gymnast Magazine.
Conner was also part of the 1976 and 1980 USA Olympic gymnastics teams. He won the World Cup in 1979, and the American Cup in 1976, 1980, and 1981. He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame, including those of the US Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, International Gymnastics, and Oklahoma Sports.
Active in sports as a child, Conner started gymnastics at the age of ten, after a school physical education coach noticed his talent. He began training with the Niles West High School team and competing in local meets, where he progressed quickly but seldom won. After a few years, he also began training and competing at the local YMCA. Conner's first significant gymnastics victory was the 1972 AAU Junior Olympics, followed soon after in 1974 by the USGF Junior National Championships. Immediately following his high school graduation in 1976, he went on to join the United States team as its youngest member at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.