Yul Moldauer

Yul Kyung-Tae Moldauer (born August 26, 1996) is an American artistic gymnast. He is the 2017 U.S. national all-around champion and the 2017 World bronze medalist on floor exercise.[1] He represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[2]

Yul Moldauer
Moldauer in 2021
Personal information
Full nameYul Kyung-Tae Moldauer
Country represented United States
Born (1996-08-26) August 26, 1996
Seoul, South Korea
HometownArvada, Colorado
ResidenceDenver, Colorado
Training locationUniversity of Oklahoma
Height1.6 m (5 ft 3 in)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior Elite
Years on national team2015–present (USA)
Gym5280 Gymnastics
College teamOklahoma Sooners (2016–19)
Head coach(es)Vladimir Artemev
Assistant coach(es)Alexander Artemev
Irina Artemev
Former coach(es)Mark Williams (OU)
Medal record
Men's gymnastics
Representing  United States
World Championships
2017 MontrealFloor Exercise
FIG World Cup
2017 NewarkAll-Around
2018 ChicagoAll-Around
2019 GreensboroAll-Around
Representing Oklahoma Sooners
NCAA Championships
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Team 3 1 0
All-Around 2 1 0
Floor Exercise 2 0 1
Pommel Horse 0 1 1
Rings 1 2 0
Vault 1 0 0
Parallel Bars 1 1 1
Horizontal Bar 0 0 1
Total 10 6 4

Early life and education

Moldauer was born in Seoul, South Korea on August 16, 1996 and named Kyung-Tae.[3] Before he was a year old, Peter Moldauer adopted him and named him Yul after the actor Yul Brynner.[3][4][5] Because his biological mother was chemically dependent, his adoptive father was told he might not develop into a "productive adult."[3]

Moldauer has three siblings, Leah, Sorcha and Sundo. He grew up on a farm in Colorado and attended Golden High School.

At age seven, Moldauer joined a local gym offering a free tryout, and at age ten, he joined 5280 Gymnastics, where he was coached by the Artemev family (Vladimir, Irina, and Alexander Artemev).[3] In the next few years, he started winning state and regional meets, and eventually won a place on the Junior National Team.[6][7] He was a member of the gymnastics team at the University of Oklahoma where he graduated in May 2020 with a degree in communications.[8]

Moldauer has received two awards. In 2018, USA Gymnastics named him the 2018 Male Athlete of the Year.[3] In April 2019, he was presented with the Nissen Emery Award, an annual prize given to the top male gymnast in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.[3]

Junior career

In 2014, Moldauer won the junior title on the pommel horse at the U.S. National Championships.[9] In 2015, he won the gold medal in the 18-year-old age division at the Junior Olympic National Championships.[10]

In 2016, Moldauer won his first NCAA all-around title.[11][12]

Senior career

2017

Moldauer competed at the 2017 Winter Cup where he won gold in the all-around, rings and parallel bars, and silver on floor and vault. He competed at his first top level international competition in March at the 2017 American Cup in Newark, New Jersey, where he placed first ahead of Olympic gold and silver medalist Oleg Vernyayev.[13] Later that year, he became the NCAA champion on the floor exercise and rings, and placed second in the all-around and on parallel bars. In August, Moldauer won the all-around national title at the 2017 U.S. National Championships in Anaheim, California, and tied for the gold medal with Eddie Penev on floor exercise.[14]

Moldauer made his first World Championship appearance at the 2017 World Championships in Montreal, Canada. He won the bronze medal in the floor exercise final and placed 7th in the all-around final.[15][16]

2018

Moldauer won his second consecutive American Cup all-around title in March at the 2018 American Cup ahead of more accomplished gymnasts including Kenzō Shirai of Japan, the 2017 World all-around bronze medalist, thanks to Moldauer achieving a top three score on every apparatus. In August at the 2018 U.S. National Championships, he won the silver medal in the all-around behind Sam Mikulak.

In October, Moldauer competed at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. He and the U.S. team finished fourth in the team competition. He went on to place 12th in the all-around final and fourth in the floor exercise final.

2019

Moldauer competed at the 2019 Winter Cup in Las Vegas, finishing first in the all-around. Moldauer won his third consecutive American Cup all-around title in March at the 2019 American Cup, just 0.001 of a point ahead of fellow American Sam Mikulak.

Moldauer suffered from right elbow pain and did not compete for six weeks.[3]

In August at the 2019 U.S. National Championships, he again won the silver medal in the all-around behind Sam Mikulak. Additionally, he won silver medals on floor exercise and parallel bars.

2020

Moldauer competed at the 2020 Winter Cup in Las Vegas, finishing first on vault, third on parallel bars, fourth on pommel horse and fifth all-around. Due to his results at the Winter Cup Challenge, he was named to the 2020 senior men's team.[17]

2021

Moldauer finished first on parallel bars, third all-around, third on floor, fourth on pommel horse and fifth on still rings at the 2021 Winter Cup Challenge in Indianapolis, Indiana. At 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas he finished first on parallel bars, second all-around and third on floor and still rings.[18] Moldauer was named to the 2020 Olympic team alongside Brody Malone, Sam Mikulak, and Shane Wiskus.[19] He secured his spot on the team by finishing second in the all-around and finishing in top three on at least three apparatuses at the 2020 Olympic Trials in St. Louis, Missouri.[2]

In November Moldauer competed at the Arthur Gander Memorial. He won the four-event all-around, beating Nikita Nagornyy in the tie-breaker.[20]

2022

Moldauer competed at the 2022 Winter Cup where he placed fourth in the all-around behind Vitaliy Guimaraes, Khoi Young, and Asher Hong.[21] As a result he was selected to represent the USA at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge in Stuttgart alongside Guimaraes, Young, Hong, and Brody Malone.[22]

Competitive history

Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
2015Winter Cup17141722201629
U.S. National Championships121462423618
2016Winter Cup57144927
NCAA Championships10
U.S. National Championships5587131215
Olympic Trials55685714
2017Winter Cup1112
American Cup
NCAA Championships4
Guimaraes International
U.S. National Championships85613
World ChampionshipsN/A7
2018Winter Cup7
American Cup
NCAA Championships
U.S. Championships711
World team trials
World Championships4124
2019Winter Cup4
American Cup
NCAA Championships638132739
U.S. National Championships69510
World team trials5
World Championships416
2020Winter Cup5114515
Friendship & Solidarity Meet
2021Winter Cup451612
U.S. National Championships14914
Olympic Trials913
Olympic Games56
World Team Trials4
World ChampionshipsN/A45
Arthur Gander Memorial
2022Winter Cup4132021
DTB Pokal Team Challenge

References

  1. "USA Gymnastics | Yul Moldauer". usagym.org. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
  2. "Sam Mikulak, Yul Moldauer, Brody Malone highlight U.S. Olympic men's gymnastics team". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  3. "Artistic Gymnastics MOLDAUER Yul". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Retrieved 2021-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Zaccardi, Nick (August 18, 2017). "Who will make U.S. men's gymnastics team for worlds?". NBC Sports.
  5. "Yul Moldauer". International Gymnast: 33. April 2017.
  6. "StickItMedia Exclusive Interview: Yul Moldauer". StickItMedia. July 27, 2010.
  7. Meyer, John (July 18, 2011). "It's health first now for Olympic medalist Artemev". The Denver Post.
  8. "Yul Moldauer". Sooner Sports.
  9. Normile, Dwight (August 24, 2014). "Watts, Burke Win U.S. Junior Men's Titles". International Gymnast Magazine.
  10. "Level 10 champions crowned at Men's Junior Olympic Championships". Gymnastic News Network.
  11. Kersey, Jason (April 22, 2016). "OU men's gymnastics: For Sooners' Yul Moldauer, team's success brings individual success". News OK.
  12. "Men's gymnastics: Oklahoma repeats as national champions". NCAA. April 17, 2016.
  13. "2017 AT&T American Cup" (PDF). March 3, 2017.
  14. Ponsi, Lou (August 19, 2017). "Yul Moldauer takes all-around title at the P&G Gymnastics Championships". Orange County Register.
  15. "OU junior Yul Moldauer takes bronze in floor exercise at World Championships". Tulsa World. October 7, 2017.
  16. "Moldauer finishes seventh in all-around". Sooner Sports. October 5, 2017.
  17. "Mikulak wins four event medals, Benas claims Junior All-Around Title at 2020 Winter Cup Challenge". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  18. "USA Gymnastics | Yul Moldauer". usagym.org. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  19. "USA Gymnastics announces men's Olympic team roster for artistic gymnastics". USA Gymnastics. June 26, 2021.
  20. "Angelina Melnikova continues golden 2021 with victory in Morges". International Olympic Committee. November 4, 2021.
  21. "Guimaraes takes men's senior all-around title at 2022 Winter Cup Presented by OZONE and TURN; five gymnasts automatically qualify to National Team". USA Gymnastics. February 26, 2022.
  22. "U.S. men announce lineups for upcoming FIG Apparatus World Cup in Egypt, DTB Pokal Team Challenge and Mixed Cup in Germany". USA Gymnastics. March 8, 2022.
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