Igor Cassina (Italian pronunciation: [ˈiːɡor kasˈsiːna]; born 15 August 1977) is an Italian gymnast who won gold in the men's horizontal bar at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Igor Cassina
Igor Cassina in 2008
Personal information
Country represented Italy
Born (1977-08-15) 15 August 1977 (age 47)
Seregno, Italy
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Eponymous skillsCassina (horizontal bar)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Horizontal bar
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2003 Anaheim Horizontal bar
Bronze medal – third place 2009 London Horizontal bar
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2005 Debrecen Horizontal bar
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Patras Horizontal bar
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Amsterdam Horizontal bar
Mediterranean Games
Silver medal – second place 2001 Tunis Team
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Tunis Pommel horse

Biography

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At the 2004 Summer Olympics, his competition saw a crowd protest over a low score for a routine by Alexei Nemov of Russia, which lasted for fifteen minutes until the score was raised. Despite this atmosphere, Cassina performed his exercise without major error, and he took the gold medal over Paul Hamm of the U.S., even though they tied.[1] This gold was also the 500th Italian medal at the Summer Olympics. At the 2008 Summer Olympics he was 4th in the man's horizontal bar.

At the World Gymnastics Championships, he won the silver medal in Anaheim 2003 and the bronze in London 2009. At the European Gymnastics Championships, he won silver in Patras 2002 and Debrecen 2005 and bronze in Amsterdam 2007, always on the horizontal bar. Before winning the Olympic gold, Cassina had already made gymnastics history as the first to perform a giant Kovacs straight with 1/1 turn (also known as a Kõlman in the straight position), which the International Gymnastics Federation named Cassina after him as of 2002.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Macur, Juliet (2004-08-24). "SUMMER 2004 GAMES -- GYMNASTICS: EVENT FINALS; Hamm Ruling Stands, but Ire At Judges Rises". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  2. ^ Code of Points (Men's Artistic Gymnastics). International Gymnastics Federation. p. 125. Archived from the original on March 22, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
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