8 Things to Know About Gymnast Alicia Sacramone Quinn

Here's the scoop on this famous world vault winner

Gymnast Alicia Sacramone
© Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images

Alicia Sacramone Quinn is a big name in the gymnastics scene. 

She was a member of the 2008 Olympic team that won a silver medal. In 2010, she returned to the sport after a brief retirement and earned the world vault title. She has now retired from the sport.

Here are some things to know about Sacramone Quinn to help you get to know her story a little better: 

Personal Info

Alicia Sacramone was born Dec. 3, 1987, in Winchester, Mass., with one older brother, Jonathan. Her father, Fred, is an orthodontist, and her mother, Gail, a salon owner. 

She competed under the name Alicia Sacramone, but when she married NFL player Brady Quinn on March 8, 2014, she changed her name. She now goes by Alicia Quinn.

Quinn trained at Brestyan's Gymnastics under Mihai and Silvia Brestyan.

Oh-So-Close in '04

Many thought that Quinn would be selected onto the Athens team because of her incredible vaulting and tumbling ability. But inconsistent performances plagued her throughout the year, and at the 2004 nationals, she missed the cutoff to qualify for trials because of a disastrous bar routine. In 2005 she came back with a vengeance, winning the floor gold and the vault bronze at the world championships.

A Rock for Team USA

Between 2005 and 2008, Quinn gained the consistency she lacked when she was younger. In 2006 and 2007, Quinn competed in three events in the pressure-packed world team finals and brought in stellar scores every time.

Three Event Specialist

Like Chinese superstar Cheng Fei, Quinn only performed for the U.S. team on vault, beam, and floor. In 2008, she and National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi decided that Quinn would stop training on the uneven bars altogether. Because of her weaker skills on bars, she wouldn't be in the lineup for the U.S. team on that event.

Cool Skills

Quinn competed for one of the most difficult vaults in the world: a front handspring Rudi (1.5 twists). She also performed a front tuck to immediate back tuck on beam, and a full-in and Arabian double front on the floor.

NCAA and Elite

Very few U.S. female gymnasts have competed in NCAA gymnastics at the same time as elite (Olympic level). Quinn was on the Brown University gymnastics team her freshman year (2006) and set school records in the vault, floor and all-around. Though Brown is not in the top tier of NCAA teams, Quinn said she enjoyed the experience.

"It was more laid back and more team-oriented than elite," she said. "It was a big benefit to compete for every weekend instead of every month or so like we do in elite. It helped me learn how to compete so many times in a row like we do at worlds or at the Olympics. Now I'm used to that."

She became an assistant coach at Brown the following year so she could focus on training for the 2008 Olympics.

"It was a hard decision to leave the team and the girls," she said. "It just got really hard to do both and to try to work out at the Brown gym and my other gym. I was risking injury to myself."

A Heartbreaking Olympics

Quinn made the 2008 Olympic team but had disappointing games. She missed qualifying for the floor finals and fell on the beam and the floor during the team finals.

In the vault finals, many people thought she was robbed of the bronze medal — it went to gymnast Cheng Fei, who fell on one of her attempts.

2010 Comeback

Quinn retired after the 2008 games, but resumed training in 2010, and once again made the world team. She helped the U.S. earn a silver in the team competition and won vault for the first time in her career.

Quinn was named to the 2011 world team, as well, but tore her Achilles tendon days before the competition was to begin. Since she was on the U.S. roster, however, she earned a gold medal with the U.S. team, giving her a record 10 world medals. (Simone Biles has since surpassed her record, with 14.)

Gymnastics Results

International:

  • 2011 world championships: 1st team (did not compete due to injury but was on the team)
  • 2010 world championships: 2nd team; 1st vault
  • 2008 Olympics: 2nd team; 4th vault
  • 2007 world championships: 1st team; 3rd vault; 2nd floor
  • 2006 world championships: 2nd team; 2nd vault
  • 2006 World Cup: 2nd vault
  • 2005 World Championships: 3rd vault; 1st floor
  • 2005 Pan American Games: 1st team; 1st vault; 1st floor
  • 2005 world cup (Ghent, Belgium): 1st vault; 1st floor
  • 2005 American cup: 1st vault; 2nd floor
  • 2004 Pan American Games: 1st vault; 1st floor
  • 2004 Pacific Alliance Championships: 1st team; 1st vault

National:

  • 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials: 2nd vault; 2nd beam
  • 2012 Visa Championships (U.S. Nationals): 1st vault; 3rd beam
  • 2011 Visa Championships (U.S. Nationals): 2nd vault; 1st beam
  • 2010 Visa Championships (U.S. Nationals): 1st vault; 2nd beam
  • 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials: 1st vault; 5th beam; 5th floor
  • 2008 Visa Championships (U.S. Nationals): 1st vault; 2nd floor; 3rd beam
  • 2007 Visa Championships (U.S. Nationals): 1st vault; 3rd beam; 3rd floor
  • 2007 U.S. Classic: 1st vault; 1st beam; 1st floor
  • 2006 Visa Championships (U.S. Nationals): 5th all-around; 1st vault; 1st floor
  • 2006 U.S. Classic: 3rd all-around; 1st vault; 2nd beam; 1st floor
  • 2005 Visa Championships (U.S. Nationals): 4th all-around; 1st vault; 3rd beam; 1st floor
  • 2004 Visa Championships (U.S. Nationals): 2nd vault
  • 2003 U.S. nationals: 3rd floor

See Her in Action

Check out photos of Alicia Sacramone Quinn here.