International Gymnastics Federation Names Skill After Gracia

NORMAN – The International Gymnastics Federation names a skill after current Sooner Cesar Gracia after his routine on still rings at the Pan American Championships this weekend.

In his first international competition, he utilized the whippet to V-sit in his still rings routine, which is now called the "Gracia".

Gracia said, "I couldn't control my emotions I was just so happy. Having your own skill on the gymnastics code is probably one of the biggest dreams a gymnast has. Being able to accomplish this is like making history, by leaving something out there that's going to stay forever."

Since 2018, gymnasts can have their skills added to the CoP and named after them at any of the official FIG competitions. The skill needs to be C of higher in order for it to be named after the performer.

In his redshirt-junior year last season, Gracia was an All-American on high bar for Oklahoma. A native of Monterrey, he is a member of Mexico's National Team.

He added, "My first international meet was such a good experience and it opened my eyes in so many ways. I was able to train and compete with some of the best athletes on the continent. This whole experience made me realize that there's a lot of work to be done. However, it also made me realize I'm not far from the goals that I have as an athlete and that I'm not far from hopefully becoming one of those athletes too."

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