Julissa Gomez
| Julissa Gomez | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Julissa D'Anne Gomez |
| Born | November 4, 1972 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 1991 (aged 18) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Gymnastics career | |
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
| Country represented | United States |
| Club | Karolyi Gymnastics; US Acrosport; Great American Gymnastics Express |
| Former coach(es) | Béla Károlyi; Marta Károlyi; Al Fong |
Julissa D'Anne Gomez (November 4, 1972 – August 8, 1991) was an American artistic gymnast whose rapid rise through the ranks of elite gymnastics in the mid-1980s was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic. She eventually died from her injury. She was being coached by Al Fong, and had previously been coached by Béla Károlyi.
Her injury sparked major changes to the vaulting discipline of women's gymnastics with the goal of preventing such serious injuries.