Jury Dimitri Chechi Commendatore OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈjuːri ˈkeːki]; born 11 October 1969) is a retired Italian gymnast.

Jury Chechi
Jury Chechi in 2012
Personal information
Full nameJury Dimitri Chechi
Nickname(s)il Signore degli Anelli ("the Lord of the Rings")[1]
Country represented Italy
Born (1969-10-11) 11 October 1969 (age 55)
Prato, Italy
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[2]
Weight60 kg (132 lb)[2]
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior
ClubSG Etruria Prato[2]
Head coach(es)Bruno Franceschetti[3]
Retired2004[2]
Medal record
Representing  Italy
Men's artistic gymnastics
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta Rings
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens Rings
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1993 Birmingham Rings
Gold medal – first place 1994 Brisbane Rings
Gold medal – first place 1995 Sabae Rings
Gold medal – first place 1996 San Juan Rings
Gold medal – first place 1997 Lausanne Rings
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Stuttgart Rings
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Indianapolis Rings
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1990 Lausanne Rings
Gold medal – first place 1992 Budapest Rings
Gold medal – first place 1994 Praga Rings
Gold medal – first place 1996 Copenhagen Rings
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Lausanne All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Budapest Floor
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1993 Buffalo Team
Gold medal – first place 1993 Buffalo Rings
Gold medal – first place 1997 Sicily Rings
Silver medal – second place 1993 Buffalo All-around
European Cup
Gold medal – first place 1988 Firenze Rings
Gold medal – first place 1991 Bruxelles All-around
Gold medal – first place 1991 Bruxelles Rings
Gold medal – first place 1991 Bruxelles Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 1995 Roma Rings
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Firenze Floor
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Firenze Parallel bars

Biography

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Chechi was named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.[2] He won the Olympics title in the rings at Atlanta 1996 and was third at Athens 2004. Chechi's bronze was the result of his attempted comeback into the sport at the age of 35, well above what is considered the average age of a male gymnast.

Chechi dominated his specialty, the rings, during the nineties, so he was nicknamed "the Lord of the Rings"; however, he could not participate in the Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000 Olympic games due to serious injuries. He has won five gold and two bronze medals at the World Gymnastics Championships and four gold and two bronze medals at the European Championships.[2]

Chechi was the Italian flagbearer at the opening ceremony in the Athens Games in 2004. He also participated in the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Turin.

Jury sparked some controversy at the 2004 Athens Olympic games when he shook the hand of silver medalist in the rings final, Yordan Yovchev and signaled that he should have won the gold medal, not Dimosthenis Tampakos (meaning that he won only because he was the local champion).

He is an atheist.[4]

Honours of merit

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3rd Class / Commander: Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana

— 27 September 2004. Initiative by President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "A Obiettivo Londra il "Signore degli Anelli" Yuri Chechi" (in Italian). sky.it. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jury Chechi". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  3. ^ Jury Chechi, il ritorno del re. gazzetta.it. 7 April 2004
  4. ^ "6 vip italiani che non sapevi fossero atei".
  5. ^ Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana Sig. Jury CHECHI. quirinale.it
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Summer Olympics
Preceded by Flagbearer for   Italy
Athens 2004
Succeeded by