UNDATED (AP) — The first U.S. male gymnast to win a world championship gold medal has died.
The family of Kurt Thomas says he died Friday at age 64. He had a stroke May 24, caused by a tear of the basilar artery in the brain stem.
After competing in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Thomas won the floor exercise in the 1978 world championships for the first U.S. men’s title. He successfully defended the floor exercise title and won the horizontal bar in the 1979 worlds.
Thomas lost a chance for Olympic gold when the United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics. He then turned professional, starred in the 1985 movie “Gymkata” and worked as a television commentator.
