Monette Simone Russo (born 4 August 1988 in

Lilydale, Victoria Lilydale is a town and outer suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 34 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Lilydale recorded a population of 17,348 ...

) is an Australian former

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

. She made history by becoming the first Australian gymnast ever to win an individual world championship medal at the 2005 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne, Australia, when she came third in the all-around competition and also was awarded the prestigious

Longines Prize for Elegance The Longines Prize for Elegance is an award given by Longines to a male and female currently at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. The winners receive a trophy, a cheque, and a Longines watc ...

. She also competed in three apparatus finals, finishing seventh on bars and fifth on beam and floor. Although more of an all-arounder than an events finalist, during her career she was one of the few women competing two vaults. She was also a part of the 2003 World Championships Team for Australia and won a bronze medal, another first for Australian gymnastics. Monette is an Olympian, having helped Australia to 8th place in the team event at the

2004 Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. An injury prevented her from competing in the all-around final. Injury also marred Monette's 2006 season. She competed at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and although she had to reduce her difficulty considerably because of her injury (only one double salto on floor, for example) she still assisted Australia to the team gold. Having qualified to the all-around, bars, and beam finals, three more medals looked likely. However, injury prevented Monette from competing in the all-around, and she fell off the beam, while receiving a bronze on bars behind

Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs Elyse Null ( Hopfner-Hibbs, born September 12, 1989) is a Canadians, Canadian former elite gymnast, UCLA gymnastics alumna, and YouTube personality. She was born in Mississauga, Ontario. Elite career She first started gymnastics in 1993, and co ...

and

Shavahn Church Shavahn Nikole Church (born May 3, 1989 in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California) is an American-British artistic gymnast who lives and trained in California. She formerly competed for the United States but decided in 2005 to represent Great Brita ...

. Monette retired from elite gymnastics in May 2007.

External links

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Monette Russo Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russo, Monette 1988 births Living people Australian female artistic gymnasts Olympic gymnasts of Australia Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in gymnastics 21st-century Australian women People from Lilydale, Victoria Sportspeople from Melbourne Sportswomen from Victoria (state) Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games