Jump to content

Ji Wallace

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Le Deluge (talk | contribs) at 22:08, 12 April 2016 (Undid revision 714853260 by 1.132.96.179 (talk) Fix broken template). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ji Wallace
Country represented Australia
Born (1977-06-23) 23 June 1977 (age 47)
Lismore, Victoria, Australia
HometownBrisbane
Height179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
DisciplineTrampoline gymnastics
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney Trampoline
Trampoline World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1996 Vancouver Men's Double Mini Trampoline[1]
Silver medal – second place 1996 Vancouver Double Mini Trampoline Team
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Portugal Double Mini Trampoline Team
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Sydney Double Mini Trampoline Team
World Games
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Lahti Men's Synchro
(with Adrian Wareham)

Ji Wallace (born 23 June 1977 in Lismore, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian gymnast and Olympic trampoline silver medalist.

Earlier in his career Wallace won several Australian national titles and made an international breakthrough in 1996 by winning gold in the DMT (double mini trampoline) discipline at the 19th Trampoline World Championships in Vancouver.[1]

In the world championships held in Sydney, he set a world record for completing a jump with the highest degree of difficulty in the DMT, a triple-triple.[citation needed]

He competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he received a silver medal in trampoline.[2] [3]

In 2005, he came out publicly as gay,[4][5] and was the first Australian to be named a Gay Games Ambassador.[6] In an August 2012 letter to the Sydney Star Observer, a gay-oriented weekly tabloid newspaper, he revealed he is HIV-positive.[7][8]

Wallace returned to his trampoline roots in order to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, but missed Olympic selection at the 2007 World Championships in QC Canada.

Wallace was a cast member with the Cirque du Soleil in their show ZAIA in Macau, China.[citation needed] In October 2008 while performing an acrobatic move Ji fell badly causing significant injuries; he spent 21 months rehabilitating his right ankle, successfully learning to walk again. In August 2010 he took a coaching job in Montreal at the Cirque du Soleil headquarters, but in 2012 returned to his native Australia,[citation needed] where he is now head coach of Sky School. A trampoline program run by trampoline park chain "Sky Zone".

References

  1. ^ a b "1996 World Championships Results" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  2. ^ "2000 Summer Olympics – Sydney, Australia – Gymnastics" databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on 15 August 2008)
  3. ^ CNN/SI report on the trampolin final
  4. ^ Interview with "Sydney Morning Herald"
  5. ^ de Jonk, Travis (27 May 2008). "Out And Proud Diver Makes A Splash on". Samesame.com.au. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  6. ^ Federation of Gay Games player profile
  7. ^ "Aussie Olympian reveals HIV status | Star Online". Starobserver.com.au. 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
  8. ^ Garcia, Michelle (2012-08-08). "Gay Olympian Comes Out as HIV-Positive". HIVPlusMag.com. Retrieved 2012-10-27.