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KENDALL BECK
Kendall Rhea Beck (born August 6, 1981) is an artistic gymnast from the United States.
She was a member of the US junior national team from 1996–1997, and was the US national junior vault champion that year.
She was a member of the senior national team from 1997–2000. In 1997, she was the US national beam champion, and was known for a
connected full twist on the beam. She was a member of the World Championship team in 1997 that finished sixth place.
Although she suffered many injuries from 1996–1999 (back injury after 1996 nationals and two knee injuries, one of which kept her
out of the 1998 Goodwill Games), she was selected as a member of the 1998 USA Pacific Alliance Team and the 1998 International Team
Competition team, both which earned gold medals. Beck suffered a third ligament tear in her knee just before the 1999 US Classic.
Despite suffering three knee injuries in four years, Kendall finished 3rd on vault and 10th all-around at the USA National Championships in
2000, earning her one of 12 competitor positions at the USA Olympic trials. Unfortunately she was forced to withdraw from that competition
after only one event with another injury.
Kendall received a full gymnastics scholarship to Stanford University in the fall of 2000, but was unable to compete her freshman year
due to another knee injury suffered in training. Kendall came back in 2001 to compete her sophomore year earning All-American honors
on vault at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships. Kendall was the first ever Stanford gymnast to earn a perfect 10 on the vault. She competed
her junior year on a torn shoulder labrum, had it repaired in the summer along with a fifth knee surgery, and returned to help the Stanford
Cardinal win the PAC-10 Championships and to achieve a first-ever top three finish at the 2004 NCAA Championships in Los Angeles.
She graduated from Stanford in 2004 having been named as an Academic All-American and is attending medical school.
For more information, visit her profile page on the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique website.
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