Frida Esparza

Frida Esparza (born 17 January 2001)[2] is a Mexican-American artistic gymnast who represented Mexico at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships. Esparza was part of the Mexican team that won the bronze medal at the 2018 Pan American Championships. She is currently a member of the UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team.

Frida Esparza
Country represented Mexico
Born (2001-01-17) January 17, 2001
Concord, California, U.S.
HometownPittsburg, California, U.S.
ResidenceLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1]
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
NCAA
Years on national team2018–20 (MEX)
ClubHead Over Heels
College teamUCLA Bruins
Head coach(es)Chris Waller
Former coach(es)Katreece Stone
Medal record
Women’s artistic gymnastics
Representing  Mexico
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Challenge Cup 1 0 0
Pan American Championships
Bronze medal – third place2018 LimaTeam

Personal life

Esparza was born in Concord, California to Mexican parents.[3] Her parents enrolled her in gymnastics when she was two years old.[4]

Esparza holds dual citizenship for Mexico and the United States.[5] She competed at the 2016 and 2017 U.S. Championships, but began representing Mexico in 2018.[3][6]

Career

In 2018, Esparza became the Mexican national all-around champion, also taking the gold on the uneven bars and the silver on the balance beam.[7] She was selected to the Mexican team for the 2018 Pan American Championships alongside Paulina Campos, Alexa Moreno, Nicolle Castro and Natalia Escalera. They took the bronze medal in the team final behind the United States and Brazil. Individually, Esparza placed ninth in the all-around final.[8] Esparza also competed at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where she placed 32nd in the individual all-around and 19th with the Mexican team.[9]

In 2019, Esparza won the gold medal in the uneven bars final at the Guimarães World Challenge Cup in Portugal.[2] At the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany she placed 21st with the Mexican team during qualifications.[10]

Esparza joined the UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team as a freshman for the 2020–21 season.[11][12] At the 2021 PAC-12 Championships, she contributed to the team's third-place finish and placed fourth on the uneven bars individually.[13]

Competitive history
Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Junior
2016U.S. Classic13
U.S. Championships24
Senior
2017Brestyan's National Qualifier3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
U.S. Classic11
U.S. Championships21
2018Mexican Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Mexican Trial1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
Pan American Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)9
World Championships1932
2019Guimarães World Challenge Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships21
NCAA
2021PAC-12 Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)4

References
  1. "UCLA Gymnastics - Frida Esparza". UCLA Bruins. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  2. "Frida Esparza". The Gymternet. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  3. "Frida Esparza FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  4. "Getting to Know Frida Esparza". UCLA Bruins. 8 October 2020.
  5. "East Bay Gymnast Carries Mexico's Olympic Hopes". NBC Bay Area. 16 January 2019.
  6. "Frida Esparza USAG Profile". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  7. "2018 Mexican Championships results". The Gymternet. 8 June 2018.
  8. "2018 Pan American Championships results". The Gymternet. 15 September 2018.
  9. "2018 World Championships results". The Gymternet. 6 November 2018.
  10. "2019 World Championships Women's Qualifications results" (PDF). Gymnasticsresults.com. 4 October 2019.
  11. "UCLA gymnastics leaning 'on everyone' to replace vaunted senior class". Los Angeles Times. 23 January 2021.
  12. "New stars emerge as UCLA gymnastics defeats Arizona State in opener". Los Angeles Daily News. 23 January 2021.
  13. "2021 PAC-12 Championship results" (PDF). UCLA Bruins. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.