Quick Facts
CapricornBiography
Ruben Padilla (born January 5, 2001) is an American trampoline gymnast. He has won seven senior national titles across three disciplines (double-mini, trampoline, and syncrhonized trampoline) and two World Championships on double-mini and was named alternate to the 2024 Olympics for men's trampoline.
Career
Padilla became as a senior national team member in 2018 and competed at his first world championships in St. Petersburg, Russia at the 2018 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships where he won a silver medal in the men's double-mini event.
In 2019, he won a bronze medal in the men's individual event at the 2019 Pan American Games. He then went on to complete a hat trick when he again won the men's double-mini silver medal alongside a silver double-mini team medal, and an all-around team silver medal at the 2019 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships.
In 2021, he competed in the 2021 Pan American Gymnastics Championships in Brazil and won gold medals in the 17- to 21-year-old age group and the senior-level synchronized (with partner Cody Gesuelli) trampoline competitions and was a member of the first-place U.S. gymnastics team.
He competed in the men's double-mini trampoline event at the 2022 World Games, and finished fourth. Then, at the 2022 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships, he won a gold medal in men's double-mini, a silver medal in the all-around team, and a bronze medal in the double-mini team event.
Padilla defended his double-mini title at the 2023 Trampoline World Championships in Birmingham, England and once again won gold in individual men's double-mini, alongside a silver medal in synchronized trampoline with partner Aliaksei Shostak, and a double-mini team gold.
In 2024, he won triple gold at the USAG championships held in Minneapolis, MN, winning men's individual trampoline, men's synchronized trampoline with partner Aliaksei Shostak, and the men's double-mini competition. Additionally, he was named as the alternate to the Olympic Games for men's trampoline.
World Cup results
| World Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Place | Medal | Proof | Ref |
| 2024 | Coimbra (Portugal) |  Silver | Synchronized | |
Personal
Padilla was born in Oakley, California; his parents are Nelia and Jerry Padilla. He started his gymnastics career at the age of 5 when his mother enrolled him in artistic gymnastics classes in a bid to stop him from jumping on the furniture at home. Since 2017, he has trained at Wasatch Trampoline and Tumbling in Draper, UT, where he also works as a coach.
He was named the 2020 Double -Mini Athlete of the Year by USA Gymnastics and was again honored with that award in 2024.
