Samantha Peszek
Samantha Peszek
U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Medalist and NCAA Champion
Journey to the Olympics
Samantha is an elite gymnast who was part of the gold-medal-winning American teams at the World Championships and the Pan American Games in 2007.
Samantha accepted a full-ride scholarship to UCLA to compete on their gymnastics team, winning NCAA Championships on beam her freshman and senior year, as well as the All-around title in her very last competition. Samantha was on Honor Roll every quarter at UCLA.
The 2008 Olympics
She was a member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team at the 2008 Summer Olympics that won silver.
Samantha and her team were later inducted into the Hall of Fame for being the first ever USA gymnastics team to win World Championship team gold outside of U.S. soil.
In her own words...
"I had fears, injuries, doubts, and people that didn’t believe in me. The one thing that stayed consistent was the belief in myself."
Q & A
Who inspired you to get into gymnastics?
My parents were both athletes in college, so I was able to hear stories about how fun and amazing sports were from them. Once I started gymnastics class, I fell in love!
What's your fondest Olympic memory?
Standing on the podium with my teammates and looking out to see the American flags was one of proudest moments of my life.
What would you like the next generation of girls to know?
Never forget to enjoy the journey!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
You can do anything you set your mind to.