Category: history

The Magic of Winning by Svetlana Khorkina

Great gymnast. One of the best all-time.

But I dismiss most of what she says today.

Luba posted highlights of her new book in English.

Nadia’s perfect 10

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

Bars dismount – Tanac

REPOST from 2010:

A great old school dismount. Back in the day it was competed by many girls, especially the ones who did not like flyaways.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That’s Nellie Kim competing it with a full twist. But it’s today a banned skill in the F.I.G. Code of Points. Happily, it’s still allowed in some levels of competition, including NCAA.

It went by many names depending on where you lived: “Spank Back”, “Whip Salto”, … Also, butt beat, Munich Salto, …

Update: Chris, of Coaching Gymnastics in the new Millennium , sends us this link: Biography – Joyce Tanac-Schroeder. The skill was, at one time, named after her.

Canadian Gymnastics 1980s and 90s

Dory Dynna has been posting some old routines on YouTube.

As a sample, watch 16 year old Curtis Hibbert on H Bar. Curtis went on to win the silver medal on this apparatus at Worlds 1987.

Kristian Thomas retires

Olympic Bronze medalist. Fan favourite. GBR captain.

Click PLAY or watch him on Twitter.