Olga Korbut: The Gymnastics Icon Who Defied Gravity

Born in the Belarussian city of Grodno, Korbut was a pixie with pigtails who at age 17 dazzled the world with gymnastics routines that revolutionized the sport and turned her into. Olga Korbut did an incredible back flip release on the uneven bars at the 1972 games in Munich. Nadia Comăneci scored the first perfect 10 in gymnastics history in. The web site “Gymnastics Academy” writes that “ . . . her back flip on the beam and UB were heart-stopping, and she was a master at manipulating the crowd, selecting her floor music for maximum emotional impact in. Olga Korbut (born May 16, 1955, Grodno, Belorussia, U.S.S.R. [now Hrodna, Belarus]) is a Soviet gymnast who won three gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in. She is single-handedly responsible for the frenzied explosion in popularity and growth that has defined gymnastics since she marched out from behind the Iron Curtain in 1972 to kick it into an entirely different stratosphere!

She is single-handedly responsible for the frenzied explosion in popularity and growth that has defined gymnastics since she marched out from behind the Iron Curtain in 1972 to kick it into an entirely different stratosphere! I’ve been really struck by Olga Korbut while watching Defying Gravity. While I’m an obsessive consumer of current gymnastics news, I don’t have as much historical knowledge, so I knew her by name only. Olga Korbut (born May 16, 1955, Grodno, Belorussia, U.S.S.R. [now Hrodna, Belarus]) is a Soviet gymnast who won three gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in. Olga Korbut did an incredible back flip release on the uneven bars at the 1972 games in Munich. Nadia Comăneci scored the first perfect 10 in gymnastics history in. Here are five women who have done exactly that in gymnastics. At the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, 17-year-old Olga Korbut captivated the world with her daring acrobatics.