Athletes - Annia Hatch

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	Athletes - Annia Hatch

Annia Portuondo Hatch (born June 14, 1978, Guantanamo, Cuba) is a Cuban-American gymnast who competed at the 2004 Olympics.

Hatch began gymnastics in her native Cuba at the age of five. She won her first Cuban National Championships at the age of ten; over the course of her career she would win the title a total of seven times.

Competing for Cuba, Hatch made her debut at the World Gymnastics Championships in 1993. She placed tenth in the all-around. In 1995 she picked up four medals at the Pan Am Games, placing fourth in the all-around, second on the balance beam, third on the vault and uneven bars. The following year, in 1996, she became the first Cuban gymnast ever to win a medal at the World Championships with a bronze on the vault.

Hatch qualified as an individual for the 1996 Olympics, but a lack of funding prevented the Cuban Olympic Committee from sending her to the competition. She retired and, in 1997, moved to the United States. With her new husband, Alan Hatch, she became a part owner and coach of the Stars Academy gym in West Haven, Connecticut. In 2001 she became an American citizen.

Hatch resumed training at the elite level in 2001, employing her husband as her coach. By mid-2002 she had regained her form enough to win the all-around and vault at the US Classic meet and place fourth in the all-around at the US National Championships. Because Cuba would not release her voluntarily, Hatch had to wait until she was granted an international release in 2003 before she was permitted to represent the United States in international competition. She was named to the 2003 World Championships team, but a knee injury forced her to withdraw from the meet.

By 2004, Hatch had recovered from her injury and was able to compete at the US Nationals and the Olympic Trials. She was named to the US squad for the 2004 Olympics. In Athens, Hatch competed only on vault in the team competition, and contributed to the US team's silver medal. She qualified to the vault event final, where she won a second silver behind Romanian Monica Rosu.

After the Olympics, Hatch retired from competition.

External links and resources

Laura Walsh, Associated Press, August 23, 2004

Hatch, Annia Hatch, Annia Hatch, Annia

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