Christopher "C. J." Maestas (born May 26, 1992) is a retired American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team.
| C. J. Maestas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Christopher Maestas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 26, 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hometown | Corrales, New Mexico, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 139 lb (63 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2011–2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gym | USOTC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Illinois Fighting Illini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Justin Spring | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | c. 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life and education
editMaestas was born on May 26, 1992, to Frank and Cindy Maestas.[1] He attended Cibola High School and later attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to pursue gymnastics as a highly sought after recruit.[1][2] While originally intending to start in Fall 2010, he needed to retake the ACT multiple times and enrolled in Fall 2011.[1] Prior to admittance to Illinois, Maestas trained at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado.[3]
Gymnastics career
editMaestas was a full-scholarship member of the Illinois Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team for collegiate competition.[1] He was the NCAA champion on the rings at the 2012 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. He was also the horizontal bar champion at the 2015 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championship. While a member of the Fighting Illini, he was a member of the 2012 NCAA team championship.
Domestically, Maestas placed highly in the rings at multiple Winter Cup and USA Gymnastics National Championships events.
Internationally, Maestas represented the United States at the 2011 Pan American Games and won a bronze medal in the team all-around. He was also a member of the 2014 Pan American Gymnastics Championships team that won a gold medal.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Huth, Jeff (April 19, 2012). "Maestas: Wait worth it". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ^ Collins, Daniel (March 12, 2015). "Illinois men's gymnastics Maestas looking for one last hurrah". The Daily Illini. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ^ Hersh, Philip (September 21, 2011). "Olympic stop attainable for Illinois' Maestas". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
