Olga Korbut : Gymnastics
Olga Valentinovna Korbut (born 16 May 1955 in Grodno) is a former gymnast who represented the U.S.S.R. and won Olympic gold and silver medals during the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics games for the Balance Beam, Floor Exercise and Team events.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
In 1972, Korbut won gold Olympic medals for the Team, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise and one silver medal for the Uneven Bars event during the Munich Olympics
She also competed for the 1976 Montreal Olympics winning one gold medal for the Team event and one silver medal for the Balance Beam event.
Olga Korbut also competed for the 1974 Varna World Championships, winning two gold medals for the Team and Vault events, four silver medals for the All-Around, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise events.
In 1973, she participated in the London European Championships and won a silver medal for the All-Around event. In 1988, she was the first inductee to the Gymnastics Hall of Fame. She was named Athlete of the Year in 1973 by the Associated Press, one of the Top Athletes of the Past 40 Years by Sports Illustrated in 1994 and Woman of the Year in 1875 by the United Nations.
Why Was She So Good?
Olga Korbut raised the bar in gymnastics. She showed the judges her signature moves – the balance-beam back flip, also known as the Korbut flip. She was one of the gymnasts that secured the Soviet team gold medals. Although she used to cry for poor performances or if she would hurt herself during a routine, many watched her and saw her as fascinating and delicate. She became a worldwide favorite.
What You May Not Know
- Olga Korbut trained with Olympic gold medalist, Elena Volchetskaya.
- She was the first gymnast to do a backward aerial somersault on the balance beam.
- Korbut was accused of shoplifting in 2002. She claimed that it was all a misunderstanding since she mistakenly walked out of the store with the items to retrieve her wallet that was left in her car.
Was she a legend?
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Related Pages
- More Gymnastics athletes
- About Gymnastics
- Athlete Database home
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