More Gymnastics News

Olivia Dunne’s Coach Celebrates LSU’s Significant Victory and Record Achievement With a Smile: “We Got Better”

Grinning with pride, Olivia Dunne's coach revels in LSU's impressive triumph and historic achievement after recent friday game.
Olivia Dunne and Teammates

Not Paul Skenes But Olivia Dunne Confesses Love For Another Tiger After LSU Victory

After LSU victory, Olivia Dunne redirected her attention and love from Paul Skenes to another tiger. Discover the unexpected twist!
-Olivia-Dunne-

Despite Loss to San Jose State, Gymnastics Coach Highlights Clara Wallace’s Impact on Falcons Team

She's calm; she doesn't get rattled. Head Coach shares insights into the impact Clara Wallace is making for the Falcons
USU gymnastics

Sunisa Lee Springs Another Surprise Amidst Road to Paris Concerns in Latest Update

Amid looming uncertainty over her participation in the upcoming Olympics in Paris, American gymnast Sunisa Lee showcases her fashionable side.
2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Gymnastics Championship

Air Force Gymnastics Coach Eyes Homecoming Boost Despite Setback Against San Jose State

Despite falling short to the energetic duel with San Jose State Spartans, Air Force women's gymnastics team is ready for its next battle.
Air Force Gymnastic team, Source_ Instagram

Jordan Chiles Sends Heartfelt Shoutout to UCLA Gymnastics Star Following Outstanding NCAA Performance

As the UCLA gymnastics team triumphed over Wildcats on Sunday, graduate gymnast's excelling performance garnered a shoutout from Jordan Chiles
California v UCLA

Following Over 2-Year Absence, Olivia Greaves’ Family Pens Tearful Message as Gymnastics Star Makes Comeback

Olivia Greaves wows in her Auburn gymnastics debut, earning high praise from Suni Lee and leaving her family thrilled with emotion.
Olivia Greaves

Simone Biles’ Coach Overwhelmed as US Gymnastics’ Former National Team Star Stages Triumphant Comeback

However, getting through the adversities, Greaves pushed on to make her collegiate gymnastics debut, earning a cheer from the community around
Olivia Greaves gymnastics (1)

“More Than Anything in the World”: Olivia Dunne Celebrates Sister Julz’s Special Day With a Heartfelt Wish

Sister Julz Dunne fuels LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne's success. In a recent Instagram post, Olivia wishes Julz a happy birthday
Julz and Olivia Dunne, Source – Insta

Ahead of Paris 2024, Recalling Simone Biles’ ‘Best Week of My Life’ at the 2016 Rio Olympics

In the lead-up to Paris 2024, revisiting the unforgettable moments from Simone Biles' 'Best Week of My Life' at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships – Day Two

Fisk Gymnastics Team Shares Positive Update With Fans on Gymnast’s Recovery After a Horrific Accident

Alyssa Wiggins, an excellent and skilled junior on Fisk University's Gymnastics Team, recently released from hospital after an incident.
Alyssa Wiggins

Continuing Winning Streak, Oklahoma University’s Jordan Bowers Expresses Her Thoughts After a Stellar Performance

Jordan Bowers scored a perfect ten for the Oklahoma Sooners enabling OU to mark its 12th win against California and Arizona State.
Jordan Bowers, source_ Instagram

About Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a collection of physical exercises requiring a lot of strength, agility, balance, and flexibility. It is closely related to circus performing skills as athletes put their bodies to the fullest use. Likewise, there are various disciplines for gymnasts to showcase their talents. Thus, it evolved from ancient Greeks that included skills to mounting to dismounting a horse. The competitive form of gymnastics is called artistic gymnastics. It involves various events for women like the floor, vault, uneven bars, and the beam. For men, they have floor, vault, rings, pommel horse, parallel bars, and horizontal bars. Therefore, the sport is famous for its aesthetic values and the Olympics draws major crowds to the gymnastics arena.

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History of Gymnastics

Gymnastics originated from the Greek term, 'to exercise naked,' applied in ancient Greece exercises. These exercises became a mainstay at the Olympics but most of the competition came from ancient roots. There are stone engravings found in Shandong province during the Han Period (206 BCE–220 CE) where they portrayed acrobatics. Like every sport, the person credited for making the sport famous was Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, founder of the Turnverein movement as he helped to spread gymnastics across the world.

Most of the exercises were conducted on the playground. Therefore, various events came into existence. They held the first Gymnastics festival in 1860 in Coburg. The Americans were introduced to Gymnastics in the late 1820s while the Federation Internationale Gymnastique was founded in 1881 to organize the event. The 1896 Olympic Games saw the starting stages of gymnastics being introduced to the world. 

The Sport

There are three divisions of artistic gymnastics- artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline. There are six events for men and the all around event where they combine scores from every discipline. For women, there are four exercises and a similar all around event, both team and individual events. Apart from artistic gymnastics, there is rhythmic gymnastics and is practiced only by women. Trampoline is the other discipline of gymnastics and introduced itself at the 2000 Olympic Games. As years pass by, various gymnasts showcased their athletic skills to the masses in attendance.

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Famous gymnasts in the world

Simone Biles:

In terms of pure dominance, Simone Biles enters the list as arguably the greatest gymnast of all time. She is the most decorated gymnast in the World Championships, winning four gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. The 2016 Rio Olympics saw her winning four gold medals and completely dominated the events. She has 25 World Championships medals to her name and her stance on mental health helps her become an influential person in the society.

Larisa Latynina:

Winning nine gold medals at the Olympics is astonishing and Larisa Latynina ranks on top of the famous gymnast charts. After Michael Phelps, she has the most Olympic medals with 18. She popularized the sport of gymnastics and was the first star in the sport. Her iconic performances will go down to the gymnastics folklore.

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Nadia Comaneci:

Achieving a perfect 10.0 score in gymnastics is amazing. But, doing it at the Olympics, when just turning 14, placed Nadia Comaneci amongst the pantheon of greats. The 1976 Olympics saw her earning seven perfect scores. She won five Olympic gold medals out of the nine she won.

Svetlana Khorkina:

With a total of 47 Olympic, World and European Championships medals, Svetlana Khorkina is a remarkable gymnast. She became the first gymnast to win three all-around titles at the World Championships while winning five gold medals in the uneven bars at World Championships. Her success in the uneven bars earned her the moniker 'The Queen of Bars.'