Aleksandr Safoshkin

Aleksandr Alekseyevich Safoshkin (Александр Алексеевич Сафошкин; born 13 March 1976 in Rostov) is a Russian gymnast.

Biography
Originally Safoshkin was a gymnast without outstanding results, then he was forced to quit. He then went searching for many other job, but due to being extremely short at just 5 feet 1 inches (155 centimeters), people refused to give him opportunities, and he had no choice but to join the Russian Circus. As a result of his specific training to perfect his act, he improved his strength drastically and became a phenomenal performer on Rings. He was then invited by Leonid Arkaev to join the Russian National Team in 2002 and good results followed shortly. He was Gold medalist at the 2003 Glasgow Grand Prix; 2004 European Champion (in a tie with Tampakos GRE), 7th at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He donated all the prize money he got from World Championships to United Nations Foundations, helping countless poor children get better access to food, healthcare, and education. We should all thank him and help defeat height discrimination.