Frida Esparza (born 17 January 2001)[2] is a Mexican-American artistic gymnast who represented Mexico at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships. Esparza was part of the Mexican team that won the bronze medal at the 2018 Pan American Championships. She is currently a member of the UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team.
| Frida Esparza | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country represented |  Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 17, 2001 Concord, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hometown | Pittsburg, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | Senior International Elite NCAA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2018–20 (MEX) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Head Over Heels | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | UCLA Bruins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Chris Waller | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former coach(es) | Katreece Stone | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Personal life
editEsparza was born in Concord, California to Mexican parents.[3] Her parents enrolled her in gymnastics when she was two years old.[4]
Esparza holds dual citizenship for Mexico and the United States.[5] She competed at the 2016 and 2017 U.S. Championships, but began representing Mexico in 2018.[3][6]
Career
editIn 2018, Esparza became the Mexican national all-around champion, also taking the gold on the uneven bars and the silver on the balance beam.[7] She was selected to the Mexican team for the 2018 Pan American Championships alongside Paulina Campos, Alexa Moreno, Nicolle Castro and Natalia Escalera. They took the bronze medal in the team final behind the United States and Brazil. Individually, Esparza placed ninth in the all-around final.[8] Esparza also competed at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where she placed 32nd in the individual all-around and 19th with the Mexican team.[9]
In 2019, Esparza won the gold medal in the uneven bars final at the Guimarães World Challenge Cup in Portugal.[2] At the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany she placed 21st with the Mexican team during qualifications.[10]
Esparza joined the UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team as a freshman for the 2020–21 season.[11][12] At the 2021 PAC-12 Championships, she contributed to the team's third-place finish and placed fourth on the uneven bars individually.[13]
Competitive history
edit| Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | |||||||
| 2016 | U.S. Classic | 13 | |||||
| U.S. Championships | 24 | ||||||
| Senior | |||||||
| 2017 | Brestyan's National Qualifier |  |
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| U.S. Classic | 11 | ||||||
| U.S. Championships | 21 | ||||||
| 2018 | Mexican Championships |  |
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| Mexican Trial | |
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| Pan American Championships | |
9 | |||||
| World Championships | 19 | 32 | |||||
| 2019 | Guimarães World Challenge Cup | |
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| World Championships | 21 | ||||||
| NCAA | |||||||
| 2021 | PAC-12 Championships | |
4 | ||||
References
edit- ^ "UCLA Gymnastics - Frida Esparza". UCLA Bruins. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Frida Esparza". The Gymternet. 19 September 2018. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Frida Esparza FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Getting to Know Frida Esparza". UCLA Bruins. 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "East Bay Gymnast Carries Mexico's Olympic Hopes". NBC Bay Area. 16 January 2019. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Frida Esparza USAG Profile". USA Gymnastics. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "2018 Mexican Championships results". The Gymternet. 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "2018 Pan American Championships results". The Gymternet. 15 September 2018. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "2018 World Championships results". The Gymternet. 6 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "2019 World Championships Women's Qualifications results" (PDF). Gymnasticsresults.com. 4 October 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "UCLA gymnastics leaning 'on everyone' to replace vaunted senior class". Los Angeles Times. 23 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ^ "New stars emerge as UCLA gymnastics defeats Arizona State in opener". Los Angeles Daily News. 23 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "2021 PAC-12 Championship results" (PDF). UCLA Bruins. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.