// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Thema Williams a theme park employee?
| Thema Williams | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Thema Yakaena Williams |
| Born | December 6, 1995 Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Gymnastics career | |
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
Country represented |  Trinidad and Tobago |
| Club | Twistars USA |
Head coach | John Geddert |
Thema Yakaena Williams (born 6 December 1995)[1] is a Trinidadian former artistic gymnast. She competed at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships and was the first gymnast to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the World Championships. She initially qualified to compete at the 2016 Olympic Test Event but was replaced with Marisa Dick.
Gymnastics career
[edit]Williams began gymnastics when she was six years old because her older sister participated in the sport.[2] She competed at the 2011 World Championships, becoming the first gymnast to represent Trinidad and Tobago at a World Championships.[2][3] She finished 145th in the all-around qualifications.[4] Later that year, she became the first gymnast to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the Pan American Games,[5] and she placed 20th in the all-around.[6] In 2013, she moved to the United States to train with John Geddert, coach of Olympic champion Jordyn Wieber, and she lived with a host family.[3]
Williams competed at the 2014 Pan American Championships and finished 33rd in the all-around.[7] She then competed at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games and finished 16th in the all-around.[8] She competed on the vault, uneven bars, and balance beam at the 2015 Osijek World Challenge Cup but did not advance into any finals.[9]
Williams finished 59th in the all-around qualifications at the 2015 World Championships and earned a berth to the 2016 Olympic Test Event—the final qualifier for the 2016 Summer Olympics—for Trinidad and Tobago.[10] Because she placed higher than her in the all-around than teammate Marisa Dick, the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation (TTGF) awarded Williams the berth to the Olympic Test Event based on their initial selection criteria. However, in the months leading up to the event, Dick outscored Williams at multiple competitions.[11] The TTGF pulled Williams from the Olympic Test Event two days before the competition, and Dick competed and qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[12][13] The decision to pull Williams was based on an email from her coach John Geddert that she was injured, but Geddert later stated that the TTGF took his words out of context.[14] Williams' appeal to the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee was then denied.[15] Williams sued the TTGF and was awarded $200,000 in compensation.[16][17]
Post-gymnastics
[edit]In 2022, Williams opened the Thema Williams Athletic Academy in Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago.[16][17]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Thema Williams | The Gymternet". Thegymter.net. 1995-12-06. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
- 1 2 "Olympic channel highlights T&T's Williams gymnastic skills". Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- 1 2 Johnson, Rebecca (7 December 2015). "Trinidad & Tobago's Thema Williams- Reaching For Rio From Michigan". FloGymnastics. FloSports. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "Results for 43rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2011". Database.fig-gymnastics.com. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
- ↑ "Gymnast Williams set to create history". Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "Bridgette Caquatto of USA wins 2011 Pan American Games All Around Title". FloGymnastics. FloSports. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ Hopkins, Lauren (1 September 2014). "2014 Pan American Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ Hopkins, Lauren (19 November 2014). "Mexico, Jessica Lopez Golden at 2014 Central American & Caribbean Games". The Gymternet. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "Results for World Challenge Cup 2015 Osijek (CRO)". World Gymnastics. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ "Results for 46th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2015". Database.fig-gymnastics.com. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
- ↑ Hopkins, Lauren (2 May 2016). "The Trinidad Situation Explained". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ↑ Barnes, Dan (18 April 2016). "Her weekend in Rio: St. Albert gymnast Marisa Dick qualifies for the Olympics". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ↑ Armstrong, Laura (24 July 2016). "Canadian-born gymnast Marisa Dick mired in Olympic controversy". Toronto Star. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- ↑ "Thema's attorneys appeal: TTGF decision 'irrational, illegal and null and void'". Wired 868. 16 April 2026. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ Etchells, Daniel (3 May 2016). "Dick confirmed as Trinidad and Tobago's Rio 2016 gymnast after bitter dispute". Inside the Games. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- 1 2 Christopher, Peter (10 March 2025). "Thema Williams thrives in her element". The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Gymnast Thema Williams opens athletics academy in Maraval". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
