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.
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.[1]
In 2019, he won a bronze medal in the men's individual event at the 2019 Pan American Games.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6][7][8]
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.[9]
| World Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Place | Medal | Proof | Ref |
| 2024 | Coimbra (Portugal) |  Silver
|
Synchronized | [10] |
| 2025 | Coimbra (Portugal) | Gold | Double Mini | |
Padilla competed a triple pike, quad back tuck to set a double-mini world difficulty record of 13.9 en route to winning gold at the 2025 World Cup held in Coimbra.
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.[4] Since 2017, he has trained at Wasatch Trampoline and Tumbling in Draper, UT, where he also works as a coach.[6]
He was named the 2020 Double-Mini Athlete of the Year by USA Gymnastics and was again honored with that award in 2024.[6][9]
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