UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Former Nittany Lion men’s gymnast Tommy Ramos (2005-08) (Guaynabo, P.R.) was announced on Wednesday as the lone competitor that will represent his native country of Puerto Rico at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Ramos will leave on July 2 to train in Romania for two weeks before heading to London.
Ramos, along with current Nittany Lion Felix Aronovich (Kiryat Bialik, Israel), who will compete as an individual for Israel, gives Penn State two Olympic performers in gymnastics at the same games for the first time since 1992 when Terry Bartlett and Ian Shelley represented Great Britain in Barcelona.
A six-time All-American under the tutelage of Penn State head coach Randy Jepson, Ramos played a prominent role in helping the Nittany Lions to the program’s NCAA-record 12th national championship in 2007 and a Big Ten title in 2008. A two-time Big Ten still rings champion, he held the Penn State record in the event (16.000), set at the 2008 National Collegiate Championships, until Scott Rosenthal (Clearfield, Pa.) broke it in the 2012 season opener against Army, scoring a 16.300.
A world class still rings competitor, Ramos also excels in the parallel bars and the high bar. Boasting an extensive international competitive resume, which includes participation in the Pan American games and World Cup and World Championships events, he placed fifth in the still rings at an Olympic test event in London in January.
The gymnastics competition at the 2012 London Olympics will take place from July 28-Aug. 7 at North Greenwich Arena on the banks of the River Thames. A total of 98 of the world’s top men’s gymnasts will vie for team and individual honors at the 30th Games of the Olympiad.
Ramos will be the 20th Nittany Lion gymnast to compete in the Summer Olympics since 1948, representing five different nations. Current Penn State assistant coach Kevin Tan was the last when he earned a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China for the United States.
