Former Buckeye Misha Koudinov Headed to Rio Olympics – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
May 11, 2016
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Buckeye Misha Koudinov (2011-14) will represent his native New Zealand at the XXXI Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this August.
Koudinov is one of three New Zealand gymnasts headed to the Olympics, the largest contingent for the country in more than 50 years. It will be the first time New Zealand is represented in gymnastics since the 2000 Sydney Games.
A 2012 All-American and 2013 team captain for Ohio State, Koudinov will compete on all six events in Rio, specializing on parallel bars.
Koudinov is well experienced on the international stage, having represented New Zealand at the 2015 and 2014 World Championships. A native of Auckland, New Zealand, he made his first international appearance at age 14 when he became the youngest athlete to represent his country at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He became the first New Zealand gymnast to qualify for a World Cup final when he made the vault final at the event in Shanghai in 2007.
Koudinov will be the fifth Buckeye gymnast to compete at an Olympic Games and the first since Raj Bhavsar in 2008.
