Clay Strother

Clayton Strother (born October 28, 1980) is a retired American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won multiple medals while representing the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games.

Early life and education Strother was born October 28, 1980, to Mike and Cynthia Strother. He participated in gymnastics from a young age at Beaumont Gymnastics Academy and was selected as a member of USA Gymnastics' Olympic Development Program.

His hometown was Jasper, Texas, U.S. and he attended Jasper High School. He enrolled at the University of Minnesota to pursue gymnastics.

Gymnastics career Strother was a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's gymnastics team, where he became one of the most accomplished gymnasts in program history. He was a four-time NCAA champion, winning individual titles on both the floor and pommel horse at the 2001 and 2002 NCAA gymnastics championships. He was inducted to the Minnesota Golden Gophers Hall of Fame Class of 2016. At the 2004 United States Olympic trials, he finished 15th in the all-around, but his results on floor and pommel horse, his two best events, led to him not being selected for the team. He also competed at the 2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.