Andrew Thornton on Gymnast is seeking out “incredible world class gymnastics (that) never seemed to achieve the world or Olympic recognition they deserved.”
Needless to say, he’s finding many of them in the former USSR in the late 1980s. What an era!
Speaking of ex-Soviet gymnasts who didn’t make Olympic teams…who do you think was the first female to perform a double layout full-out on floor? Before I came across this, I would have guessed Chusovitina in 1991. Wrong again!
Tatiana Tuzhikova FX 1987 Worlds
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
… one more ex-Soviet who never made an Olympic or world team…
Svetlana Ivanova FX 1988 Chunichi Cup
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Unbelievable difficulty! A double layout punch front, a whip through to full-in, and a double back punch front! A couple of weeks ago we saw Romanian Camelia Voinea perform a double layout punch front back in 1987. Since this is the same era, I wonder who actually did it first?
Check the original post for more videos like this – Smooth Skills – Part 19
Gymnastics Coaching.com 