- THE PHOENIX By Nefretiti Makenta Legend has it that a phoenix arose from its ashes as the hallmark of regeneration and the ideal of immortality. Jair personified this legend at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games when he became the first African-American male gymnast ever to medal in Olympic competition. With the precision of a plastic surgeon and the determination of the Terminator, Jair Lynch ...www.stanford.edu/group/mgym/Bio/jlynch.html