From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kurt Thomas (March 29, 1956 – June 5, 2020) was an American Olympic gymnast. In 1978, he was the first American male gymnast to win a gold medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships (World Championships). Thomas became a member of the US Olympic team at the 1976 Summer Olympics. In 1979 he became the first gymnast to receive the James E. Sullivan Award for the best amateur athlete in the US and earned six medals at the World Championships, includ ...