Paul Hunt (gymnast)

For other uses, see Paul Hunt.

Paul Hunt is a gymnastics coach and gymnastics clown. Hunt was born in Illinois,[1] and now lives in Murray, Utah. He runs Hunt's Gymnastics Academy (a.k.a. Hunt's Gym) in Salt Lake City.[2] Hunt has performed comedic performances of women's gymnastics routines,[3] including the uneven bars,[4] floor exercises,[5] and the balance beam[6] since 1980.[5] He has performed on US and international television, including Wide World of Sports and America's Funniest Videos.[7]

Hunt was a competitive men's gymnast at the University of Illinois[4] in the early 1970s.[6] He won the Big Ten Conference individual championship in the floor exercise in 1971,[8] and had another win in the floor exercise in 1973.[9] He was the 1972 U.S. National Floor Exercise champion.[2]

Hunt has been coaching gymnastics in Utah since 1974.[7] While demonstrating a backflip for a female student, he realized the comic value of a man performing women's gymnastics.[2] He performs his complex routines during gymnastics competitions for comic relief, wearing a skirted leotard and often calling himself Paulina Huntesque,[7] Pauletta Huntenova, Paulette Huntinova[10] or some similar variation. Often he would sport his thick mustache.

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