Vanessa Marie Atler is a retired American elite gymnast. She was the 1996 junior national champion on floor and in the all-around, a five-time senior national champion, the 1998 Goodwill Games gold medalist on the floor exercise and vault and a five-time World Cup champion. At the 1999 American Cup, Atler became the first female gymnast to successfully perform a Rudi vault. A member of the U.S. national gymnastics team from the age of 12, Atler was one of the United States' most successful gymnasts as a junior in the late 1990s. Known for her explosive vaults, difficult tumbling skills and likable personality, she won or medaled in several important meets, and was considered to be one of the front-runners for the 2000 Olympics. However, injuries, coaching conflicts, gym changes, mental breakdowns and bulimia symptoms derailed her progress in 1999 and 2000, and after a poor showing at the 2000 Olympic Trials, she was controversially left off the Olympic team despite placing sixth overall. 

February 17th, 1982 in Valencia (Age 42)