Whatever Happened to
Jair Lynch?

Although born in Amherst, Massachusetts, Jair moved with his parents (his father was originally from Trinidad and Tobago and his mother from Bogota, Columbia) and sister, Pilar, to the Shepard Park area of Washington, D.C. early in his life. Jair took in interest in gymnastics in 1980, at age 9, while watching television. His training paid off, earning him a scholarship to Stanford University, where he competed NCAA. Interestingly, while still training in the D.C. area, he attended Sidwell Friends High School, the school Chelsea Clinton later attended. (For those who do not know, Chelsea is the daughter of current US president Bill Clinton).

A newcomer to the elite scene in 1989, Jair earned 5 gold medals at the 1991 Olympic Festival. This medal haul tied him for the Olympic Festival record. Winning the 1992 NCAA All-Around contributed to Jair's reputation leading up to the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Not surprisingly, Jair went on to make that team. Although the youngest on the team, he contributed to the team's reputable 6th place finish. Individually, he also made the Parallel Bars finals. He finished 6th, but only 0.1 away from winning a bronze medal. 

After returning from the Olympics, Jair earned further NCAA success with a 1993 NCAA All Around win. He graduated from Stanford University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Design. Despite graduating, Jair continued with gymnastics. A member of the USA's 1996 Olympic team, Jair made history when he became the first male African-American to earn an Olympic medal in gymnastics. He earned a silver medal on the Parallel Bars.

The Washington Post recently published a wonderful update about Jair Lynch. Following the Atlanta Olympics, Jair worked for Silicon Graphics in California. He quickly returned to his Washington roots though, choosing to pursue the volunteer work for which he'd always been known. One of Jair's earliest projects involved starting up a community tennis and learning center. As a freelance community-development consultant, Jair has participated in an increasing number of neighbouhood rival projects. In his spare time he gives motivational speeches. Previously, Jair worked for the USA Network and Fox Sports West.

Still into the gymnastics spirit, he is on the USA Gymnastics board of directors and Stanford's athletic board. He is also a member of a coalition to bring the 2012 Olympic Games to the Washington/Baltimore area. For more information on Jair Lynch, go to http://www.jairlynch.com

Jair Lynch was born on 10/2/1971

Many thanks to K. Leigh for informing us of http://www.jairlynch.com and K. France for forwarding me a copy of the article in The Washington Post.

© 2000-2002. This page was created on January 28, 2000 and last updated on September 29, 2000.