Paul Hunt

Paul Hunt (born 1952–1953) is an American gymnastics coach, and gymnastics clown. Hunt has performed comedic women's gymnastics routines, including the uneven bars, floor exercises, since 1980. He has performed on US and international television, including Wide World of Sports and America's Funniest Videos. and had another win in the floor exercise in 1973.

Hunt had always had an interest in circus performances, both gymnastic and clowning. His comedy routines were parodies of women's gymnastics, and his "Paulette" clown character evolved from his gymnastic coaching of girls, demonstrating to them what they were doing wrong, and showing them how to improve. While demonstrating a backflip for a female student, he realized the comic value of a man performing women's gymnastics , and he then developed several complex routines, which he performed during gymnastics competitions for comic relief.

Hunt's small stature – he was 5'2" tall and weighed 140 lbs., according to a sports announcer describing his 1988 floor exercise routine He was well-accepted by the female gymnastics community, touring with and parodying the routines of many superstars of the era, such as Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton, Kim Zmeskal, and Shannon Miller. He also toured as a gymnastic clown with the U.S., Russian, Romanian, and Chinese Olympic sports teams.

In 1974 Hunt moved to Utah and began coaching there at Hunt's Gymnastics Academy, also known as Hunt's Gym, in Salt Lake City. The gym closed at the end of December 2020 due to lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. With the closure of his academy, Hunt retired from coaching.