- Hometown: Burke, Va.
- Residence: Champaign, Ill.
- Birth date: March 11, 1984
- Club: Team Chevron
- Trains: University of Illinois
- Coach: Jon Valdez
- School: University of Illinois (2006)
- Began gymnastics: 1987
Photo Gallery from 2008 Competitions
Personal info
Spring is competing in his first Olympic Games. He won the parallel bars at the 2008 Visa Championships and has
two U.S. horizontal bar titles (2005 and 2007). He had reconstructive surgery on his knee after tearing his ACL at
the 2007 Visa Championships and the 2008 Visa Championships was his return to competition. Spring was an All-
American from 2003-06 at the University of Illinois. As a senior, he won the Nissen-Emery Award and was named
the Big 10 Gymnast of the Year. Justin says his teammates had the most influence on his athletic career because
they always kept him motivated. Spring is the son of Woody and Debbie Spring. Woody, a program manager for a
defense technology company and a former astronaut, and Debbie, a physical education teacher, were both college
gymnasts. Justin's sister, Sarah, attended Ohio State University, where she competed in gymnastics. She currently
is a third-year medical student at Georgetown and plans on a career in internal medicine. Spring is an assistant
coach at the University of Illinois and after the 2008 Olympic Games, he plans on taking graduate courses at Illinois
while continuing to train and coach. Spring has a rat terrier/black lab mix, Oscar, and in his free time, he likes to
host cookouts for his friends.
How did you get involved?: My parents were both gymnasts and so was my older sister. Putting me in it as well
seemed like the right thing to do.
Favorite thing about gymnastics: There is no limit to the sport. There are always new challenges and new things
to learn.
Favorite Music: Punk music
Favorite TV show: Entourage, anything on Discovery HD
Favorite food: Good steak and fish. I’ll eat pretty much anything, though.
Hobbies: Poker
Past Results
2008 - U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics*, Philadelphia, Pa.: 1, PB; 2, VT; 3, HB; 7, SR; 10, FX
2008 - Visa Championships, Houston, Texas: 1, PB; T6, VT
2007 - Visa Championships, San Jose, Calif.: 1, HB; 2, FX
2007 - Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1, PB; 3, team; 6, HB; 7, FX
2007 - World Stars (World Cup), Moscow, Russia: 2, HB
2006 - World Cup, Ghent, Belgium: T6, PB; 8, HB
2006 - NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, Norman, Okla.: 1, HB, PB; 2, team, AA; 3, FX
2005 - World Championships, Melbourne, Australia:
2005 - Visa Championships, Indianapolis, Ind.: 1, HB; 3, VT
2005 - NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, West Point, N.Y.: 1, PB; 2, HB; 3, team
2005 - American Cup, Long Island, N.Y.: T2, HB
2005 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 1, HB
2004 - Visa Championships, Nashville, Tenn.: 4, HB
2004 - NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, Champaign, Ill.: 1, HB; 3, team
2004 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.:
2003 - World University Games, Daegu, Korea:
2002 - U.S. Championships, Cleveland, Ohio: 3, PB
2002 - Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, San Diego, Calif.: 2, AA, VT
2001 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.:
2000 - John Hancock U.S. Gymnastics Championships, St. Louis, Mo.: 1, AA, PB, HB; T2, PH; 2, VT
2000 - Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Austin, Texas:
2000 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.:
1999 - John Hancock U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sacramento, Calif.: 1, PB; 2, FX; 7, AA
1999 - Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Houston, Texas:
1998 - Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Battle Creek, Mich.: 1, PB; 2, VT
Legend: AA=all-around; FX=floor exercise; PH=pommel horse; SR=still rings; VT=vault; PB=parallel bars; HB=horizontal bar
*2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics results represent weighted scores from Visa Championships and U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
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