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KURT THOMAS. His fate is to be a world-class athlete still little known to his countrymen, but Kurt Thomas is not the retiring sort. This month alone, he will travel over 10,000 miles, crisscrossing the country to gymnastic competitions, exhibitions, banquets, television tapings and, this week, a White House reception in his honor. "In a major sport like basketball, Larry Bird can just say to everyone, 'Leave me alone. I'm going to make my million anyway,' " says Thomas. "But in a minor sport, it's what we need to do."
At 22, Kurt Thomas is considered the finest male gymnast the U.S. has ever produced, and he's aiming to be the best in the world at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Anxious to avoid post-Olympic fadeout, Thomas is seeking wide exposure for his all-American good looks and the easy charm that he has shown to good advantage on talk shows with Dinah, Merv and Johnny.
Whether on the road or at home with his wife Beth, Thomas insists on two-hour workouts three times a day, an exhausting regimen he has followed for six years. Last October, he became the first American male in 46 years to win an international gymnastic event, capturing the gold medal in the floor exercise at the World Games in Strasbourg, France.
Gymnastic judges look for risk, originality and virtuosity, and Thomas displays all three. He uses his ideal physique−5 ft. 5 in., with short legs and long arms−to excel in the six individual events, showing rare versatility for an American. Thomas also possesses a much coveted intangible: the ability to electrify his audience. One especially rousing maneuver, known internationally as the "Thomas flare," is a flashy series of wide-swinging leg moves performed on the pommel horse and in the floor exercise. To win the Olympics, Thomas will have to beat the Japanese, who are already studying his techniques and who marvel at his showmanship. Indeed, Masahide Ota, a top Japanese gymnastics official, admits he is urging his stars "to be as original as Kurt."
With legions of adoring teen-age girls at every competition, Thomas is already the Donny Osmond of U.S. gymnastics. After a recent meet against Southern Illinois, Heidi Spoden, 14, clutched his freshly signed autograph and said, "I like him 'cause he's cute, and he's good, and he's so sure of himself in everything. He has it all." Not quite. There is still that gold medal to be won in Moscow. ∎