Olga Korbut: The Gymnastics Icon Who Defied Gravity

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. Forty years ago, at the Munich Olympics, Olga Korbut became the first female pixie star of women's gymnastics. With a slight build and yarn-tied pigtails that belied her 17 years,. 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! Olga Korbut is one of the greatest gymnasts the Olympics has ever seen -- not just for her medal haul, but for her enduring legacy within the sport. Her ground-breaking performances at the... 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.

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. 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! 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, a name synonymous with grace, daring, and a revolutionary spirit in the world of gymnastics, captivated audiences worldwide during the 1972 Munich Olympics. More. 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.