Kyle Shewfelt
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| Full name | Kyle Keith Shewfelt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |
 Canada
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| Born |
May 6, 1982 Calgary, Alberta |
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| Hometown | Calgary, Alberta | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's Artistic Gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | Senior Elite International | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | University of Calgary Gymnastics Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | May 21, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Kyle Keith Shewfelt (born May 6, 1982 in Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian gymnast. His gold medal in the men's floor exercise competition at the 2004 Athens Olympics was the first medal ever by a Canadian in an artistic gymnastics event and was the first Canadian gold of the 2004 Olympics. He also has a vault named after him.
Shewfelt was considered a medal threat in advance of the Athens games. In the end, Shewfelt finished first on Floor and fourth on Vault.
Born in Calgary, he first began practicing gymnastics in 1988 influenced by a neighbour. His father was also an athlete playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings hockey team. While Shewfelt was a skilled hockey player he turned to gymnastics at an early age. He attended Calgary's National Sport School in order to complete his high school education, while pursuing his Olympic plans with fellow athletes at the school Kyle trained at Altadore Gymnastic Club under coach Kelly Manjak, from age 6 up until the 2004 Olympics. Manjak married in 2004 and moved following the Olympics to Ontario. Shewfelt stayed in Calgary, training with coach Tony Smith at the University of Calgary.
Shewfelt's long-held goal of Olympic gold was endangered when he severely bruised the talus bone in his ankle in March 2004, but he made a full recovery in time for Athens. Before the Olympics Shewfelt has speculated on moving to Cirque du Soleil after his athletic career is over. A gold medal could easily open many other opportunities for him, however, as he has instantaneously became a household name in much of Canada.
In 2005 Shewfelt played Kelly Manjak in the Hungarian made film White Palms.
In 2006 Shewfelt made a comeback to the international scene, leading the Canadian team to a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, collecting bronze on Floor and gold on Vault for himself.
That same year, Shewfelt helped his team to a second-place finish at the Pacific Alliance competition. In the individual events, Shewfelt placed first on vault and floor.
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