1. Mohini Bhardwaj was born on September 29,1978 and is an American retired artistic gymnast who competed at the 1997 and 2001 World Championships and earned a silver medal with the American team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and is a member of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Mohini Bhardwaj is the first Indian-American gymnast, and the second Indian-American athlete in any sport, to medal at the Olympics.
Mohini Bhardwaj's mother, Indu, is a Russian from New York who converted to Hinduism and teaches yoga; her father is from India and is a physician in Cincinnati.
Mohini Bhardwaj was raised in the Hindu faith and is vegetarian.
Mohini Bhardwaj's given name, Mohini, means "the one who mesmerizes" in Sanskrit.
Mohini Bhardwaj began taking gymnastics classes at the age of four in her hometown, Cincinnati, where she attended Seven Hills School.
When she was 16, her coach, Alexander Alexandrov, moved to Houston to open a new facility for Brown's, and Mohini Bhardwaj followed without her parents.
At the 1996 US Olympic Trials, Mohini Bhardwaj finished in 10th place, missing a spot on the team by 0.075.
Mohini Bhardwaj continued training after the Olympics, but at the 1997 US Nationals, NBC commentators noted that she was only competing at her parents' insistence.
Mohini Bhardwaj's partying continued through her freshman year, prompting Kondos to issue her an ultimatum to remain on the team.
Mohini Bhardwaj was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
Mohini Bhardwaj was named to the American team for the 2001 World Championships in Ghent, Belgium, where she contributed to the US squad's bronze medal.
At the 2004 Nationals, Mohini Bhardwaj placed a disappointing 12th in the all-around, only securing the final spot in the Olympic Trials when Ashley Postell fell on bars.
Mohini Bhardwaj was the only American to qualify for the floor final at the Olympics, where she finished in sixth place.
Mohini Bhardwaj finished eighth all-around in qualifying, behind teammates Carly Patterson and Courtney Kupets, but was not among the 24 gymnasts to advance because of a rule limiting each country to two competitors in the final.
Mohini Bhardwaj was the only gymnast in the top ten in qualifications who did not make the all-around final.
Mohini Bhardwaj tried to continue competing into 2005 and was selected for the American Cup in January, but she had insufficient training time and withdrew.
Mohini Bhardwaj retired from competitive gymnastics in 2005, at the age of 26.
Mohini Bhardwaj was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2015.
Mohini Bhardwaj was the first gymnast to perform the full-twisting Pak Salto, and it is named after her in the Code of Points.
Mohini Bhardwaj owns OOA Gymnastics in Bend, Oregon, where she coaches, and has worked with Olympic hopeful gymnasts at Dan Alch Camp of Champions in Anchorage, Alaska.
Mohini Bhardwaj became interested in CrossFit in 2016, enjoying the weightlifting aspect of training, and began competing in weightlifting in 2018.