Olympian Kurt Thomas dies at 64

[+ E.T.Bass]

Sad to read this evening that Olympian Kurt Thomas as died after suffering a stroke.

 

As a kid I remember watching his gymnastic performance on television in the Olympics,

and how I had a crush on him although I had little idea what that was about, other than he seemed quite beautiful to me.

 

He was the first American male gymnast to achieve significant success in international competition.

R.I.P.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh2E6SgDWqI:37

[+ Gar1eth]

Sad to read this evening that Olympian Kurt Thomas as died after suffering a stroke.

 

As a kid I remember watching his gymnastic performance on television in the Olympics,

and how I had a crush on him although I had little idea what that was about, other than he seemed quite beautiful to me.

 

He was the first American male gymnast to achieve significant success in international competition.

R.I.P.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh2E6SgDWqI:37

 

I felt much the same about him although in 1978 when he won the gold for the USA, I was 17. I had been attracted to good looking guys for a long time. And here he was cute and athletic. I might not have figured out 100% that I was gay. But I'm sure I suspected something (After him came Bart Conner who I thought was even cuter).

 

Gman

[+ stevenkesslar]

I felt much the same about him although in 1978 when he won the gold for the USA, I was 17. I had been attracted to good looking guys for a long time. And here he was cute and athletic. I might not have figured out 100% that I was gay. But I'm sure I suspected something (After him came Bart Conner who I thought was even cuter).

 

 

Ditto. And don't forget Mitch Gaylord.

 

I have to wonder whether young Gay men today are even aware of having missed the opportunity to secretly lust after men like these, and wonder why they feel this way. Of course, lots of teens are still closeted, or unsure. But these days, if it's a 17 year old, they're more likely to be out, and have a boyfriend. My how times change.

 

Speaking of which, I liked this picture, and this story, and this quote. It's from January 2020. So it's not in reference to his death.

 

 

ISU to honor Thomas, '77 gymnastics team

 

The 63-year-old Texas resident described happy memories of his years at ISU. “They say your college years are the best years of your life. For me, in Terre Haute, believe it or not — yes, they were the best of my life.”

 

He praised team members, his coach, the university and faculty. He was going to competition at the international level, which meant frequent and lengthy absences from ISU.

 

He was having the time of his life. And if you read the whole story, it sounds like a life well lived.

[orville]

Sad to read this evening that Olympian Kurt Thomas as died after suffering a stroke.

 

As a kid I remember watching his gymnastic performance on television in the Olympics,

and how I had a crush on him although I had little idea what that was about, other than he seemed quite beautiful to me.

 

He was the first American male gymnast to achieve significant success in international competition.

R.I.P.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh2E6SgDWqI:37

I never heard of him before but what a superb routine on the floor, drawing with his body the most beautiful shapes in the air. This performance was more well paced and artistic compared the violent show-offs that we see in nowadays gymnastics competitions.

[+ Gar1eth]

His gym is only 16 miles from where I live. We were practically neighbors.

 

Gman

[+ poolboy48220]

He tried for a movie career, but his only starring role was "Gymkata", 1985. Not a great movie.

[MikeBiDude]

Ditto. And don't forget Mitch Gaylord.

I DID forget Mitch! He stayed attractive!

[+ RJD]

I remember as a young teenager watching Kurt Thomas, Bart Conner and Mitch Gaylord at the Olympics. Their athleticism was incredible. RIP Kurt.

 

Seeing the “before and after” pictures of Kurt and Mitch reminded me of when I reconnected with elementary and high school friends on Facebook. In my mind we were still the teenagers I remembered. However, I realized we weren’t while looking through their pictures, thinking it was their parents then realizing it was them. To quote Truvy in Steel Magnolias, “Time marches on and eventually you realize it’s marchin’ across your face.”

[+ ButchAtl]

Definitely had a crush on Kurt !

[+ sync]

Big-time crush on Kurt Thomas. It was a thing of beauty to behold when he invented the Thomas flair.

[wsc]

At some point I fell in love with Kurt Thomas but, sadly, he never knew it. I did see him once when he appeared in Louisville as part of a touring gymnastics exhibition. I even got his autograph on a program. He was adorable: cute face, captivating smile, great hair, amazing muscles - a real boy-next-door type. He never knew how happy he could have been had things worked out differently that night. That this man should die so young after a life of athletics and what I would presume were good health practices is a tragedy that seems so awfully unfair. As unfair, perhaps, as being denied his chance to win Olympic Gold when Jimmy Carter decided to pull the USA team from the 1980 Moscow Olympics in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. How awfully tragically unfair! Rest in Peace, Dearest Kurt. I hope it was a good and full life.

[Jaguar1]

Although a handsome young man and I had committed to an exclusive relationship in early 1976, we spent substantial time admiring the body and face as well as the performance. I developed enormous respect for Kurt over his career.

[Ajac]

The deaths of people from my teenage years make me so sad. Life goes so quickly I hope these are not my final days I would like to die in a world in better shape than it is now.

Plant shade trees you will never sit beneath.