Neil Roderick ThomasMBE (6 April 1968- ) is a retired English artistic gymnast who experienced most of his success in the floor exercises. An acknowledged inspiration to the golden generation of British gymnasts from 2004 onwards, and a pathfinder for his national programme, he was former world silver medalist and Commonwealth Games Champion and one of the most successful British gymnasts in the history of the sport.
Career
Born in Chirk, Wrexham in Wales on 6 April 1968, Thomas was noteworthy as a successful gymnast at world and international level at a time when British gymnastics generally did not figure at that level, and is regarded as an important torchbearer in the sport for the later successes of Beth Tweddle and Louis Smith which in turn ignited, and helped secure funding for, the revolution in British gymnastics in the 2010s that saw Great Britain become a leading nation in the sport.
He also won the vault bronze medal at European Championships in 1990. In 1993 he won Great Britain's first World Championship medal in Artistic Gymnastics (silver) 1993. A year later he won a gold medal on floor and became All-around champion at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, and also won the silver medal on floor at World Championships in Brisbane.[3]
Following retirement, Thomas works as a development officer in the north west of England.[5] He is a member of the Liverpool Gymnastics Club.[6] He is cousin to TV journalist Owen Spencer-Thomas, who was also awarded the MBE.[7]
