Alec Yoder Explained

Alec Yoder
Full Name:Cameron Matthew Bock
Country:United States
Birth Date:21 January 1997
Birth Place:Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Residence:Jacksonville Beach, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in
Weight:145 lbs
Discipline:MAG
Natlteam:2015, 2017–2022
Gym:InterActive Academy
Indy School of Gymnastics
Deveau's School of Gymnastics
Collegeteam:Ohio State Buckeyes
Headcoach:Rustam Sharipov
Assistcoach:Cas Suarez, Bob Gauthier
Formercoach:Gene Watson
Retired:August 9, 2022
Show-Medals:yes

Alec Yoder (born January 21, 1997) is a retired American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and represented the United States at the 2020 Olympic Games, competing as an individual athlete. He is the 2014 Youth Olympic all-around bronze medalist and the 2019 NCAA champion on pommel horse.

Early life and education

Yoder was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on January 21, 1997, to parents Michael and Rebecca Yoder.[1] He began training in gymnastics at age four when his mother took him to a "mommy and me" class.[1] He began training at Deveau's School of Gymnastics in Fishers, Indiana.[2] In July 2009, he left Deveau's and began training with Coach Gene Watson, first at Indy School of Gymnastics[3] and then at InterActive Academy in Zionsville, Indiana.[4] He later enrolled at Ohio State University to pursue gymnastics.

Gymnastics career

For both the 2013–14 and 2014–15 competitive seasons, he qualified to be a member of the US Men's Junior National Team.[1] He was part of the 2014 Pacific Rim Championships team in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, where he won two gold medals, a silver and a bronze.[1] He was also a part of the 2014 Junior Pan Am Championships in Aracaju, Brazil, where he won four gold medals and a silver.[5]

Yoder won the all-around title at the 2014 Men's Junior Olympic Men's Nationals. He also won the pommel horse and horizontal bar gold medals at that event.[6] Following that event, Yoder was chosen by the United States Olympic Committee to represent the USA at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.[7]

On August 19, 2014, Yoder won the bronze medal in the boys' individual all-around at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.

At the 2015 Winter Cup in Las Vegas, Yoder finished 8th All Around in the Senior Division and was named to the Men's Senior National Team.[8]

At the 2015 P&G Championships he led the pommel horse after Day 1 when he scored a rare 15.60 which placed him on the verge of becoming the youngest U.S. champion on pommel horse in 40 years.[9] After suffering a scary fall on Day 2 – he finished 5th in the pommel horse.[10]

At the 2016 Winter Cup Challenge, he finished 9th All Around in the Senior Division.[11]

Yoder's full recovery from labrum and bicep surgery led him to being named back to the Senior National Team for 2017-18[12] after finishing 11th All-Around at the 2017 P&G Championships.

Yoder continued his elite career in February 2018 by again making the 2018 Senior National Team following his performance at the 2018 Winter Cup, where he claimed sixth place in the All-Around and an individual event championship in pommel horse.[13] [14]

In March 2018, Yoder returned to international competition for Team USA for the first time in four years and finished with a bronze medal in pommel horse and a fifth-place finish in high bar at the Doha World Cup in Doha, Qatar.[15]

In August 2018, Yoder won the national championship in pommel horse and finished fifth All-Around at the US Championships in Boston.[16] He automatically qualified back onto the Senior National Team and was then named to the World Championship Team Squad.[17]

After a Third place All Around finish at the World Team Selection Camp, Yoder was named to the 2018 World Team to compete in Doha, Qatar for Team USA.[18]

After graduation from Ohio State, Yoder continued to compete and returned to the 2020 Elite Winter Cup and won his second Winter Cup pommel horse championship.[19] He repeated in 2021 to accomplish a third Winter Cup pommel horse championship.[20]

After finishing second in pommel horse at the 2021 US Championships, Yoder was invited to the 2021 Olympic Trials.[21]

At the conclusion of the 2020 Olympic Trials, Yoder was selected to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics and will compete as an individual athlete rather than on the four-person team.[22]

In Tokyo, Yoder scored the fourth-highest score in pommel horse preliminaries to earn a place in the Olympic Finals.[23] In the finals, he finished sixth.[24]

Yoder then traveled to Japan again for Team USA in October 2021 for the FIG World Championships where he again made the pommel horse event finals, finishing fifth.[25]

Yoder announced his retirement from the sport on August 9, 2022.[26] Yoder finished his competitive career finishing a perfect 12/12 in his final 6 competitions.[27] Yoder and Alex Naddour have the distinction as the only two gymnasts in Team USA history to win at least one US National Championship, NCAA Championship, Olympic Trials Championship and Winter Cup Championship on pommel horse.[28]

College

On November 12, 2014, Yoder signed a National Letter of Intent accepting a full-ride gymnastics scholarship to compete for the Ohio State University starting in 2015–16.[29] Yoder began classes at Ohio State starting August 25, 2015.

As of April 2016, he has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times and the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week once. At the 2016 Big Ten Championships, Yoder helped lead the Buckeyes to their first championship since 2007. He also finished second in the all-around and first on the pommel horse. On April 2, 2016, Yoder was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.[30] On April 16, Yoder became a Three-Time NCAA All American as a Freshman when he finished 5th All-Around at the NCAA Championships, while also finishing 2nd on Pommel Horse and 7th on Still Rings as he helped lead Ohio State to a third-place finish.[31]

Yoder opted for surgery in May 2016 to repair a torn labrum and torn bicep sustained at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in event finals. His recovery was in time to compete in 2017 where he won four pommel horse event titles capped off by helping lead Ohio State to a back to back Big Ten Team Championships,[32] a silver medal on parallel bars at Big Ten event finals,[33] and then a second-place team finish at NCAAs where he finished in sixth in the All-Around and fourth in pommel horse less than a year after surgery.[34]

At NCAAs in 2018, Yoder finished third in the All-Around while also finishing fourth in pommel horse and seventh in parallel bars.[35] This made 8 All American honors for Yoder in the first three years at Ohio State.

In April 2019, Yoder won his second Big Ten pommel horse championship [36] and then followed that up with the NCAA pommel horse championship.[37] He also was an All American on parallel bars - ending his collegiate career with 10 All American Awards, tied for fourth in Ohio State history.[37]

Personal life

Prior to entering Ohio State, Alec Yoder was home-schooled by his parents starting after second grade. He has two siblings, Austin and Ashlyn.[38] Yoder is a Christian.[38]

Yoder turned professional in May 2019 and is represented by Shade Global.[39] In July 2019, he was featured in a Hugo Boss modeling campaign called the Suit Challenge, becoming one of the few men's artistic gymnasts to cross over into fashion modeling.[40]

Competitive history

width=7% class=unsortableYearwidth=37% class=unsortableEventwidth=7% class=unsortableTeamwidth=7% class=unsortableAAwidth=7% class=unsortableFXwidth=7% class=unsortablePHwidth=7% class=unsortableSRwidth=7% class=unsortableVTwidth=7% class=unsortablePBwidth=7% class=unsortableHB
Junior
20136
align=left International Junior Mexican Cup
2014
align=left 8
align=left 5 4
align=left 7 4
Senior
20158 32 10 20 20 7
align=left 20 30 5 12 22 35 9
20169 25 16 6 23 18 14
5 7
20176 16
4 6
11 9 6 18 22 20 14
2018align=left 6 18 7 13 10
align=left 5
4 7
5 12 8 19 4 13
align=left World Team Trials
align=left 4
2019align=left 10 6 19
align=left National Qualifier 4
2020align=left
2021align=left
align=left 8
align=left 8
align=left Olympic Games 6
align=left World Team Trials
align=left 5

Notes and References

  1. Web site: USA Gymnastics | Alec Yoder . usagym.org . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140212143950/http://usagym.org/pages/athletes/athleteListDetail.html?id=148327 . 12 February 2014 . dead.
  2. Web site: Deveaus . Deveaus . 2017-03-27.
  3. https://indygym.com
  4. Web site: InterActive Boys Team Gymnastics . 2014-08-27 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140904071157/http://www.interactiveacademy.com/Gymnastics-Boys-Team.html . 2014-09-04 .
  5. Web site: USA Gymnastics | Yoder wins three individual event gold medals at 2014 Junior Pan Am Championships . usagym.org . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140702222337/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=13821&prog=h . 2 July 2014 . dead.
  6. Web site: USA Gymnastics | Junior Elite Level 10 championships decided at Men's Junior Olympic Nationals . 2014-07-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140809094653/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=14189 . 2014-08-09 .
  7. Web site: USA Gymnastics | Four gymnasts are part of the official U.S. Delegation for 2014 Youth Olympic Games . usagym.org . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140809233215/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=14478&prog=h . 9 August 2014 . dead.
  8. Web site: . 22 Feb 2015 . USA Gymnastics . USA Gymnastics. https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=15479&prog=
  9. Web site: Indy native slips in standings, but has chance at pommel horse title . Indystar.com . 2015-08-14 . 2017-03-27.
  10. Web site: Slip-up costs Alec Yoder a national gymnastics title . Indystar.com . 2015-08-16 . 2017-03-27.
  11. Web site: Archived copy . 2016-04-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160417012125/https://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/m_16wc_aa.pdf . 2016-04-17 .
  12. Web site: USA Gymnastics | Men's Senior National Team Rosters. 2017-09-05. 2017-09-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20170905234208/https://usagym.org/pages/men/history/past_nat_teams_sr.html. dead.
  13. Web site: USA Gymnastics names 2018 U.S. Men's National Team following Winter Cup. 2018-02-19. 2018-02-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20180220033512/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=21331&prog=h. dead.
  14. Web site: Mikulak, Hong win Winter Cup Challenge all-around titles. 2018-02-19. 2018-02-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20180220033440/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=21330&prog=h. dead.
  15. News: Alec Yoder Finishes Third On Pommel Horse In World Cup Debut . Team USA . 23 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180323211835/https://www.teamusa.org/News/2018/March/23/Alec-Yoder-Finishes-Third-On-Pommel-Horse-In-World-Cup-Debut . dead . March 23, 2018 . 25 April 2023.
  16. Web site: Mikulak wins fifth senior men's all-around title at 2018 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. 2018-08-23. 2023-04-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20230425102836/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=22407&prog=h. dead.
  17. Web site: USA Gymnastics names 2018-19 U.S. Men's National Team, World Championships Team squad, Senior Pan American Championships Team. 2018-08-23. 2023-04-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20230425102838/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=22414&prog=. dead.
  18. Web site: USA Gymnastics names U.S. Men's Team for 2018 World Championships. 2018-10-04. 2018-10-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20181005030727/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=22606. dead.
  19. Web site: Mikulak wins four event medals, Benas claims Junior All-Around Title at 2020 Winter Cup Challenge | Winter Cup. 24 February 2020 .
  20. Web site: Winter Cup individual men's event champions named, four additional gymnasts earn U.S. Men's National Team berths | Winter Cup. March 2021 .
  21. Web site: USA Gymnastics names eight additional athletes to Men's Junior and Senior National Teams, introduces inaugural Senior Development Team lineup. 2021-06-09. 2022-01-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20220119002943/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=26283. dead.
  22. Web site: 2021-06-26. Sam Mikulak, Yul Moldauer, Brody Malone highlight U.S. Olympic men's gymnastics team. 2021-06-26. OlympicTalk NBC Sports. en-US.
  23. Web site: Alec Yoder Qualifies for Pommel Horse Finals in Tokyo. 24 July 2021.
  24. Web site: Ohio State gymnast Alec Yoder finishes sixth in pommel horse at Tokyo Olympics. MSN.
  25. Web site: Indy gymnast Alec Yoder misses medal behind gold-winning U.S. Teammate .
  26. 1557003800732368898. AlecYoder. August 9, 2022. It's time to move onto the next chapter. Thanks for everything. I love you all❤️.
  27. kensleyanne. 1452284714199384064. Also...he hit 12/12 pommel horse routines this year. No one else can say that.
  28. Web site: USA Gymnastics | Alec Yoder .
  29. Web site: Yoder, Burke & Moldauer Among Top NCAA MAG Recruits For 2015-2016 . StickItMedia . 2014-11-12 . 2017-03-27.
  30. Web site: No. 3 Buckeyes Sweep B1G Awards, Win Three Event Finals :: The Ohio State University official athletic site: Men's Gymnastics . Ohiostatebuckeyes.com . 2 April 2016. 2017-03-27.
  31. Web site: Johnson Wins National Title on High Bar, Buckeyes Finish 3rd at NCAAS: The Ohio State University official athletic site :: Men's Gymnastics . Ohiostatebuckeyes.com . 17 April 2016. 2017-03-27.
  32. Web site: Ohio State Wins 14th Conference Title in Program History. 8 April 2017.
  33. Web site: Martin Wins High Bar, Dastrup and Yoder Share Silver on Parallel Bars. 8 April 2017.
  34. Web site: Ohio State Registers Highest Finish at NCAAs Since 2005. 22 April 2017.
  35. Web site: Yoder Finishes Third in All-Around as Buckeyes Compete at NCAA Championships. 21 April 2018.
  36. Web site: Alec Yoder Wins B1G Pommel Horse Championship. 6 April 2019.
  37. Web site: Alec Yoder Wins Pommel Horse National Championship. 21 April 2019.
  38. Web site: What's it take to make the Olympics? . Indystar.com . 2014-08-15 . 2017-03-27.
  39. Web site: Alec Yoder – Gymnast. 9 November 2018.
  40. Web site: Meet Alec Yoder, the elite gymnast who models in his free time. USA Today.