The real journey begins when you stand up again.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compare to what lies within us.
About Raj
Raj Bhavsar has lived the life of an elite level gymnast and has experienced both the trials and the joys that come along with it. At the 2008 Beijing Games, Raj fulfilled his lifelong goal of competing at the Olympics and played a significant part in helping the American squad win the bronze medal in the team competition despite their underdog status.
The journey towards his career zenith hasn’t been without its share of disappointments. Competing in a sport that is constantly in a state of revision, Raj failed to make the Olympic team for the 2004 Athens Games. Initially devastated, Raj spent the next four years revamping his love for the sport and embracing it with an increased sense of purpose. The fruits of his labor are proof that the legacy of an individual is shaped by perseverance, even in the face of uncontrollable external forces.
Post-Olympics, Raj continues to challenge himself by exploring new territory in his professional life. As a public speaker, he continues to spread his inspiring story of how dedication and a positive outlook on life can help us reach our fullest potential and our loftiest dreams.
“My gymnastics career can be described as nothing short of arduous. In the 24 years I have been involved in the sport, I have seen my share of success and failure. My successes told me I was on the right track and my failures inspired me to examine myself and constantly strive for self-improvement. I discovered that the results of my competitive life were a direct reflection of the choices I made in my personal one. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that ultimately, I am in control of my own destiny, and like failure, success is in my own hands and will always be my choice.” - Raj Bhavsar
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Junior Years (1990 – 1999)
- 5 Time Texas State Champion
- 3 Time Regional All Around Champion
- Back To Back Junior National Champion 97-98
- 4 years on the Junior National Team
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1999
- 1st appearance on the Senior National Team. 1st senior international competition at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg. Raj wins a team silver medal and makes the event finals on pommel horse.
- Raj graduates in the top ten of his high school class and is then recruited to The Ohio State University as the number one recruit in the nation.
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2000
- In his freshman year at Ohio State, Raj captures his first NCAA ALL American Title and is named Big Ten Freshman of The Year
- Raj qualifies to his first Olympic Trials in Boston, Massachusetts and gets a standing ovation for his performance on the high bar.
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2001
- As a sophomore in college, Raj captures his first NCAA Championship title on the parallel bars and finishes 2nd in the all around behind Olympic team member Jamie Natalie. Raj earns three more All American awards.
- Raj and his teammates win the NCAA Team Competition and earn the crown NCAA Team Champions
- Raj finishes fourth at the U.S. Nationals and qualifies for his first World Championships to be held in Ghent, Belgium
- Just one month after September 11, the U.S. team edges out the competition to capture an unprecedented silver medal. This was the first world medal for the U.S. Men’s gymnastics program after 20 years.
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2002
- Raj’s junior year in college was his benchmark year as he hails an undefeated individual season, winning the all around in every collegiate meet in which he competed.
- Raj suffers a labrum tear to his left shoulder just two weeks before the NCAA Championships. Despite the injury Raj still competes in the NCAA Championships and wins the All Around claiming the title NCAA All Around Champion. Raj is named NCAA Gymnast of the Year.
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2003
- After being sidelined for most of 2002, Raj mounts his comeback in the spring. As a team captain for the second time, Raj leads his team to a 2nd place finish in the NCAA team competition. Raj finishes 2nd in the All Around and captures his 8th, 9th, and 10th All American Titles to sum up his collegiate career.
- Still coming back from injury, Raj regains a tope spot at the 2003 U.S. Nationals and qualifies for his second World Championship Team.
- Raj and the U.S. Team compete with exemplary form to fisnih in 2nd place behind the Chinese Team. The U.S. claims its second World Championship silver medal in four years.
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2004
- The Olympic Year. Raj trains with new training partners and friends Paul and Morgan Hamm and Blaine Wilson, all 4 vying for a spot on the Athens team.
- Raj competes exceedingly well at the 2004 Olympic Trials in Anaheim, California, hitting 11 out of 12 routines and wins the national title on Rings. Despite the outstanding performance, Raj is not selected as a member of the Olympic Team.
- Raj goes to Athens as an alternate and watches the Olympics from the stands, still supporting his teammates on the floor as they take home the silver medal.
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2005
- After the Athens games, Raj returns home with bitterness and frustration toward the sport and life, resulting in a departure from competitive gymnastics.
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2006
- Raj decided to return to the sport with a new philosophy not defined by awards, fame, and titles. He returns to cherish the artistic value of the sport and the passion each skill brings.
- Raj’s first meet back was the Winter Cup Challenge in February where barely finishes in the top 20 overall and does not make the national team.
- Raj continues to struggle with his commitment to return to gymnastics wondering if the right decision has been made. He barely squeaks back on to the national team at he U.S. Nationals later that year.
- Raj decides to leave Columbus to move back to Houston and commit to his goal of becoming an Olympian under the guidance of Olympic Coach Kevin Mazeika. Raj’s new training partners are 2000 Olympian Sean Townsend and World Team Member Sean Golden.
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2007
- At the Winter Cup in Las Vegas, Raj barely affirms his spot on the national team and finishes 3rd on rings
- At the U.S. Championships in August, Raj has a lackluster competition and loses his national team status once again, now just nine months before the games in Beijing. Overall, Raj is not where he needs to be going into an Olympic year.
- Raj decides that his current mentality and training regiment isn’t working and thus decides to re-invent himself using a mind over matter approach. Raj begins studying success principles and self improvement books and incorporates the philosophies into training. He started doing Bikram Yoga and set meetings with sports counselor Robert Andrews. He used vision boards to map out his goals and devoted all 24 hours in a day toward his goal of becoming an Olympian
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2008
- Raj mounts a comeback at the Winter Cup with an outstanding competition. He finishes 2nd behind reigning Olympic Champion Paul Hamm. He also finishes 2nd on rings, 1st on vault, and 3rd on parallel bars making this Raj’s best finish at any domestic competition.
- In March, Raj is invited to compete in the Tyson American Cup at Madison Square Garden, NY. Raj finishes 6th overall despite a few errors on vault and parallel bars.
- Later that March, Raj competes with Team USA at the Pacific Rim Championships in San Jose. Team USA dominates the competition and brings home the championship title edging out teams from China and Japan. Raj places fourth on rings in the event finals.
- The May U.S. Championships in Houston mark the first part of the Olympic selection process. Raj finishes 5th overall with a 7th place finish on parallel bars, 3rd on rings, and 3rd on vault. Raj hits 10 of his 12 routines.
- One month later at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Philly, Raj has a banner competition hitting all 12 of his routines with a top 2 finish on three events; rings, parallel bars, and vault, and finishes 3rd in the all around.
- Despite an amazing finish, Raj is left off the Olympic Team once more and is named alternate for the second time in a row. Instilled with a never give attitude and a focus on the enjoyment of gymnastics, Raj trains with his head high.
- In July, Paul Hamm gracefully concedes his position on the Olympic Team due to a broken finger suffered just two month before. Raj is finally named to the U.S. Olympic Team and joins the Beijing squad.
- August. The team competes in the preliminaries at the Olympic Games and finishes sixth overall, despite another injury replacement of Morgan Hamm. Raj competes great on 5 events and the team is excited to qualify into the finals and now gears up for winning a medal.
- Shunned by the media as rookies and with an underdog’s guts, Team USA has one of the most exciting Olympic competitions to date, edging out the Germans to finish 3rd overall. For Team USA and Raj, bronze shines like gold.
I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.
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International Competition Results
- 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China: Bronze medal Team
- 2008 Tyson American Cup, New York, N.Y.: 6th-AA
- 2008 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, San Jose, Calif.: 1st-Team; 4th-SR
- 2007 Tyson American Cup, Jacksonville, Fla.
- 2004 Olympic Games, Athens, Greece: Team
- 2004 World Cup, Rio de Janerio, Brazil: 2nd-SR; 3rd-PB
- 2003 World Championships, Anaheim, Calif.: 2nd-Team
- 2001 World Championships, Ghent, Belgium: 2nd-Team
- 2001 Moscow Stars, Moscow, Russia: 2nd-PB
- 1999 Pan American Games, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: 2nd-Team; 6th-PH
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National/International Competitions (Page 1)
- 2001 World Championships, Ghent, Belgium: 2nd-TM *
- 2001 World University Games, Beijing; China: 8th-TM
- 2001 US National Championships, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 4th-AA
- 2001 Moscow Stars of the World, Moscow, Russia: 2nd-PB
- 2001 Winter Cup, Las Vegas, Nevada: 4th-FX, T7th-PH, T3rd-SR, T16th-VT, 2nd-PB, T7th-HB, 3rd-AA
- 2000 US Olympic Trials, Boston, Massachussetts: 14th-AA
- 2000 USA Nationals, St. Louis, Missouri: 14th-AA
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National/International Competitions (Page 2)
- 2000 GymJam Nationals, Santa Barbara, California: 5th-AA
- 2000 Winter Cup, Las Vegas, Nevada: 28th-AA, T14th-FX, 12th-PH, T8th-SR, 36th-VT, T14th-PB, 36th-HB
- 1999 USA Nationals, Sacramento, California: 28th-AA
- 1998 Winter Cup, Houston, Texas: 18th-AA
- 1998 International Team Championships, Knoxville, Tennessee: 1st-team, 8th-AA, 4th-PH, 5th-SR, T2nd-PB (jr. div.)
- 1998 John Hancock U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Indianapolis; 1st-AA, 2nd-PH, 1st-SR, 2nd-PB, (16-18 age group)
- 1998 J.O. National Championships, Battle Creek, Mich.; 6th-AA
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National/International Competitions (Page 3)
- 1997 USA vs Germany, Colorado Springs, Colorado: 2nd Team
- 1997 John Hancock U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Denver, Colo.; 1st-AA, 9th-FX, 4th-PH, 1st-SR, 4th-V, 1st-PB, T2nd-HB (14-15 age division)
- 1996 Coca-Cola National Championships, Knoxville, Tenn.; 13th-AA
- 1996 J.O. Nationals, Tulsa, Oklahoma: 4th-AA
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National Competition Results
- 2008 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 1st-VT; 2nd-AA, SR; 3rd-PB<>
- 2007 Visa Championships, San Jose, Calif.: 7th-SR
- 2007 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 3rd-SR
- 2006 Visa Championships, St. Paul, Minn.: 3rd-PB; 5th-PH
- 2006 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.:
- 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Anaheim, Calif.: 1st-SR
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2001-2002 Collegiate Competitions (page 1)
- vs. Illinois/Oklahoma: 5th-PH, 1st-PB, 2nd-SR (lost)
- vs. Penn State: 1st-AA, T9th-FX, 1st-VT, 7th-PH, T1st-PB, 3rd-SR, 1st-HB (won)
- @ Nebraska: 1st-AA, 12th-FX, 2nd-VT, 1st-PH, 1st-PB, 1st-SR, 4th-HB (won)
- vs. Iowa/Nebraska: 1st-AA, 2nd-FX, T2nd-VT, 4th-PH, 1st-PB, 1st-SR, T7th-HB (won)
- Big 10 Championships: 1st-AA, 5th-FX, T11th-VT, 4th-PH, 1st-PB, T1st-SR, 3rd-HB, 1st-TM
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2001-2002 Collegiate Competitions (page 2)
- Big 10 Championships (event finals): 1st-FX, T1st-PH, 6th-PB, 3rd-SR
- NCAA Championship Qualifier: 1st-TM, 2nd-PH, 2nd-FX, 8th-PB, 1st-SR
- NCAA Team + AA Championships: 1st-AA, 2nd-TM, T6th-VT, 6-PH, T6th-FX, T3rd-PB, 2nd-SR, T15th-HB
- NCAA Event Finals: 5th-VT, 5th-PH, 8th-SR (was injured in middle of routine and had to stop)
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2000-2001 Collegiate Competitions (Page 1)
- 2001 Windy City Invitational, Chicago, Illinois: 3rd-team, 5th-AA, T5th-PB, T5th-HB
- @ Michigan: 1st-AA, 4th-PH, 2nd-SR, 3rd-PB, T2nd-HB (lost)
- @ Illinois: 2nd-AA, 8th-FX, T5th-VT, 2nd-SR (won)
- @ Iowa: 2nd-AA, 1st-PB, 2nd-HB, 3rd-PH, T3rd-VT, T4th-FX, T4th-SR (won)
- vs. Penn State: 1st-FX, 1st-PH, 3rd-PB (won)
- @ UC Santa Barbara: 1st-PB (won)
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2000-2001 Collegiate Competitions (Page 2)
- @ Oklahoma (w/ Stanford): 2nd-AA, 1st-PB, 3rd-VT, 3rd- PH (lost)
- Big 10 Championship: 2nd-AA, T2nd-PB, 1st-team, 6th-FX, 4th-PH, T3rd-VT
- NCAA Championships (2nd qualifing session): 1st-AA, 1st-PB, T2nd-FX, 3rd-HB, T4th-VT, 1st-team
- NCAA Championships: 2nd-AA, 1st-team, 2nd-VT, 1st-PB
- NCAA Championships (event finals): 4th-VT, 1st-PB
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1999-2000 Collegiate Competitions (Page 1)
- Mixed Pairs Competition- 1st
- Windy City Invitational: 1st-team, 3rd-AA, 21st-FX, 1st-PH, T2nd-SR, 12th-PB, 30th-HB
- @ Michigan State: 3rd-AA, 2nd-PB, T3rd-HB (won)
- @ Oklahoma: T8th-FX, 1st-PH, 1st-SR, 2nd-PB, 3rd-HB, T8th-FX (won)
- vs. Illinois & Michigan: T3rd-PB, 1st-team
- vs. Iowa, Minnesota & BYU: 2nd-SR, T2nd-PB, 1st-team
- @ Penn State: 3rd-PH, 1st-PB, 2nd-SR (lost)
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1999-2000 Collegiate Competitions (Page 2)
- Big Ten Championships: 6th-AA, 2nd-team, 7th-FX, T13th-PH, T20th-SR, T41st-VT, T4th-PB, T19th-HB
- Big Ten Championships (event finals): 6th-FX, 3rd-PB
- NCAA Championships (1st qualifing session): 4th-AA, 2nd-team, T13th-FX, 7th-PH, 6th-SR, T29th-VT, T5th-PB, T23rd-HB
- NCAA Championships: 13th-AA, 6th-team, T18th-FX, 43rd-PH, T9th-SR, T15th-VT, T6th-PB, 29th-HB
- NCAA Championships (event finals): 3rd-PB, 9th-SR
Destiny is not a matter of chance, rather it's a matter of choice.
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2008 Summer Olympics
In 2008 Raj Bhavsar went to to Beijing to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Never, never, never give up.
Raj Bhavsar believes in gymnastics excellence and self-fulfillment in life. He is currently appearing at facilities nationwide to coach and talk to kids of all levels, inspiring them to reach their maximum potential.
Power Clinics Include
Expert Coaching of all levels, boys and girls
- gymnastics fundamentals
- new skill development
- technique refinement
Autograph and Picture opportunities
Video review
- educating gymnasts through video playback
Motivational Speaking
- Raj’s story to the Olympic Podium and how he never gave up.
- proper goal setting and planning.
- Mental game mastery.
- NCAA programs and career opportunities as a gymnast.
- question and answer session.
Important Tips and Information
Athletes should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the session for a solo warmup. Sessions goals should be arrived at, prior to the lesson, with the athlete’s head coach or parent. This is easily accomplished with a telephone call. Only Cash is accepted for payment and is required in advance of the session.
Rates
Group clinics are designed for 10-15 athletes over a 4- hour period. Personal Instruction is offered for 1 to 3 athletes per hour depending on the skills being taught.
Group Clinics
Group clinics, 4 hours long, are specifically designed for 10-15 athletes at only $60 per student.
Personal Hourly Instruction
| 1 athlete | 2 athletes | 3 athletes |
|---|---|---|
| $80 | $45 | $35 |
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"Raj recently did a clinic for my high school gymnastics team. It was truly an inspiration for all of the boys. Not only did he give them some excellent technical corrections and training tips, but he also shared with them some incredible mental training techniques. Since our clinic with Raj we have become a stronger team and are now focusing our sights on a state championship later this month. I plan to have him back this summer to work with my younger boys."
Kevin Reiland
Head Coach Kingwood High School Gymnastics
Boys Team Director at Rowland/Ballard School
Kingwood, TX
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Having immensely enjoyed both your clinic and the personal contact that you afforded our family last week, we wanted to get back to you to express our warmest thanks. Though one could rightly expect that your experience and knowledge would have been helpful; it was also your character, style, and friendliness which was found equally valuable. Having twin boys and a daughter who are all now competitive optional gymnasts, and my wife and I both having collegiate and coaching experience, we can comfortably say that most any gym and gymnast should jump at the chance to invest in your time and influence. You left us more informed, dedicated, and inspired as we look towards our continued involvement to this unique sport and lifestyle.
All our best
Brian and Eileen Quinn...
and Sean, Brett, and Tara
