Rayderley Zapata

Miguel Rayderley Zapata Santana (born 26 May 1993) is a Spanish-Domincan artistic gymnast. He is the 2020 Olympic silver medalist on the floor exercise. He is also the 2015 World bronze medalist and the 2015 European Games champion on the floor exercise. He also competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics and at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where he finished seventh on the floor exercise.

Early life

Born in the Dominican Republic, his family moved to the Spanish island of Lanzarote when he was a child. Later, in 2010, he moved to Barcelona to receive further training with Gervasio Deferr and Víctor Cano.

Career

2014–15

At the 2014 Cottbus World Cup, Zapata won his first FIG World Cup medal- a bronze on the vault. He finished eighth on the floor exercise at the 2014 World Championships. After the World Championships, he competed at the Mexican Open and placed tenth in the all-around.

At the 2015 European Championships, Zapata initially placed sixth in the floor exercise, but he was allowed to repeat his routine due to a timing error. He then received a score that would have won the bronze medal, but the judges later added an out-of-bounds deduction they had initially missed, and he ultimately finished fifth. He then won the gold medal on the floor exercise at the 2015 European Games. Then at the 2015 World Championships, he won the bronze medal on the floor exercise and as a result qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics.