Andrew Thornton posted an article on the gymnasts who have competed the very risky triple back on Floor Exercise: Andrei Belousov, Yevgeni Podgorny, Vladimir Gogoladze, and, of course, Valeri Liukin who did it first in 1987.
Andrew likes best the one shown by 1995 World All-around champion Li Xiaoshuang.
Here he is competing it at the 1992 Olympics:
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
He won the Gold on Floor
By the 1996 Olympics Li Xiaoshuang had taken out the triple, but still finished Silver on Floor with this routine:
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Li Xiaoshuang runs a sports clothing company in China as does that other legend of the sport, Li Ning.
Click through to Gymnast.com to see videos of the other triple back athletes.
5 comments ↓
I always thought that was a cheap landing by Li when he added the prone fall. I loved how Liukin would go for the ‘stick’ on his triples, even in a team competition.
Li’s is technically better without the cowboying but yea, Liukin didn’t go cheap on the landing.
Like father, like daughter. Those Liukins sure know how to cowboy.
Is there even a video of someone doing a triple without cowboying?
Ivana Hong does a double front without cowboy. Nastia really is a miserable tumbler. She should be embarressed.
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