GymnasticsVille.com Midknight Robin, interviews Rustam Sharipov, two-time Olympic gold medalist, about the Ohio State men’s gymnastics team and expectations for upcoming season.
Stats via (ohiostatebuckeyes.com)
Rustam Sharipov was named the head coach of the Ohio State men’s gymnastics team in the summer of 2011. Sharipov, previously an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma from 2005-11, brings the experience of three Olympic medals, including two gold, to Columbus as the eighth head coach in program history.
Last season, Sharipov led the Buckeyes back to the top. He was named the 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year and helped guide Ohio State to its first Big Ten title since 2007. The Scarlet and Gray also set five school records in 2016: all-around (447.700), rings (76.050), high bar (75.750), vault (75.450) and parallel bars (75.150). Senior Alex Johnson went out on top becoming the first Buckeye since Ronald Ferris (2005) to win a national title on the high bar; Ohio State, as a team, registered a third-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Championships, its best finish since 2005 as well. In addition, Sean Melton was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, and Alec Yoder won Big Ten Freshmen of the Year accolades.
