Frank Kriz

Frank Josef Kriz (March 26, 1894 – January 11, 1955) was an American gymnast and Olympic champion.^[1] A was a member of the New York Sokol and the Bohemian Gymnastic Association. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and competed in the 1920, 1924, and 1928 Summer Olympics.^[2] In 1924, he received a gold medal in vault.^[3] In 1922 and 1924, he won the Amateur Athletic Union national gymnastics title.^[4][5] In 1959, he was one of the initial inductees to the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.^[6]

Frank Kriz
Personal information
Full name	Frank Josef Kriz
Born	(1894-03-26)March 26, 1894 Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Died	January 11, 1955(1955-01-11) (aged 60) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Height	172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Gymnastics career
Discipline	Men's artistic gymnastics
Country represented	United States
Gym	Bohemian Gymnastic Association
Medal record Men's artistic gymnastics Representing  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 Total 1 0 0 Olympic Games 1924 Paris Vault

As a gymnast, Kriz was a member of the Bohemian Gymnastic Association.^[7] He worked as a fireman for Hook and Ladder 154 of the New York City Fire Department and required leave to participate in the Olympics.^[8] He received special approval, along with Bob McAllister, to make the trip to compete in the 1928 Summer Olympics.^[8]

Kriz was the very first U.S. gymnast, male or female, to win a medal of any sort at a Summer Olympic Games or World Championships on foreign soil, and would remain the only one to win any medal at those such games on foreign soil for nearly half a century until Cathy Rigby won a silver on balance beam at the 1970 World Championships in Ljubljana and Peter Kormann won a bronze medal on floor exercise at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games.

References

1. "Frank Kriz". Olympedia. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
2. "Sokol New York History". Archived from the original on 2009-03-27. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
3. "1924 Summer Olympics – Paris, France – Gymnastics" Archived 2007-08-19 at the Wayback Machine databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on March 26, 2008)
4. New York Times, Kriz Wins National Gymnastics Title, April 22, 1922
5. "Frank Kriz Biography and Olympic Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-15. Retrieved 2009-03-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "Two Title Holders Beaten in Amateur Gymnastic Tourney". New-York Tribune. November 24, 1921. p. 17. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
8. "M'Allister and Kriz Olympic Starters". Brooklyn Daily Times. July 14, 1928. p. 5. Retrieved November 9, 2023.

External links

• Frank Kriz at the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame
• Frank Kriz at Olympics.com
• Frank Kriz at Olympedia