Stella Umeh (born 27 May 1975) is a Canadian former artistic gymnast and current actress and performer. She competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics placing 16th in the all-around.[1] She is of Guyanese and Nigerian descent.[2]

Stella Umeh
Full nameStella Umeh
Country represented Canada
Born (1975-05-27) May 27, 1975 (age 49)
Toronto, Ontario
HometownMississauga, Ontario
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
College teamUCLA Bruins (1994-1998)
Retired1998
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Artistic Gymnastics
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1990 Auckland Team
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria All-Around
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria Vault
Silver medal – second place 1994 Victoria Team
Silver medal – second place 1994 Victoria Uneven Bars
Representing UCLA
NCAA Championships
Gold medal – first place 1995 Athens Floor
Gold medal – first place 1997 Gainesville Team
Gold medal – first place 1998 LA Floor
Silver medal – second place 1995 Athens Beam
Silver medal – second place 1996 Tuscaloosa Team
Silver medal – second place 1996 Tuscaloosa Beam
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Athens All Around
Notable workVarekai

Gymnastics career

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Umeh's first big international meet was at the 1989 American Cup in Fairfax, Virginia where she finished fifth.[3] She then competed at the 1990 Commonwealth Games but was originally an alternate.[4] She won a gold medal with the Canadian team.[5] She competed at the American Cup again in 1991 but placed 8th.[6] She went to the 1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. She finished 17th in the all-around.[7] In 1992, Stella started her season at the American Cup in Orlando, Florida, USA and finished 7th.[8] In April, she competed at the 1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Paris, France. She qualified to Vault and Beam finals but placed 8th and 5th.[9] Later, she qualified to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. She finished 16th in the all-around and 10th with the Canadian team.[10] In 1993, she went to Worlds and placed 15th AA and 8th in the FX final. In 1994, she went to the 1994 Commonwealth Games and won 2 golds and 2 silvers as well as placing 4th and 5th in Floor and Beam finals.

College career

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In 1994, she accepted a college scholarship to UCLA and started attending the school in 1994.[1]

Throughout her four years at college, she won three golds, three silvers and one bronze at the NCAA Championships. She was twice the Pac-12 conference all-around champion.[11]

Acting and Entertainment

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Stella studied Theatre at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the hopes of becoming an actress.[12] In 2000, she joined Cirque du Soleil and performed Mystère in Las Vegas. In 2002, she performed in Fire Within and then in Varekai as a triple trapeze in 2003.[13] She played small roles in Ghostly Encounters and Delroy Kincaid. She recently had a leading role in a stage play called, 'Pinteresque' which will be in the SummerWorks Performance Festival.[14]

Currently, Stella lives in Australia.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Stella Umeh (CAN)". Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  2. ^ Dan Gutman (1 August 1998). Gymnastics. Penguin Young Readers Group. pp. 112–. ISBN 978-1-101-16065-7.
  3. ^ "USA Gymnastics Online: Results: 1989 McDonald's American Cup" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-21.
  4. ^ "May Birthday Profile: Stella Umeh | the Couch GymnastThe Couch Gymnast". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  5. ^ 1990 Commonwealth Games#Artistic
  6. ^ "USA Gymnastics Online: Results: 1991 McDonald's American Cup" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-21.
  7. ^ 1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
  8. ^ "USA Gymnastics Online: Results: 1992 McDonald's American Cup" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-21.
  9. ^ 1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships#Women
  10. ^ "USA Gymnastics Online: Results: 1992 Olympics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-21.
  11. ^ List of Pac-12 Conference champions#Gymnastics
  12. ^ "Stella Umeh - For Introduction Purposes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  13. ^ "Stella Umeh". IMDb.
  14. ^ "Stella Umeh - Athletes - Welcome to Motivate Canada!". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
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