Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. Born: Sept. 9, 1978 (Campuri, Vrancea, Romania), Medals: 5 (1992, silver, team all-around; 1996, silver, all-around/bronze, team all-around/bronze, balance beam/bronze, vault). Khorkina won seven Olympic medals, including back-to-back titles on the uneven bars. Izbasa took a brief break from gymnastics in 2013 to obtain her bachelor's degree but returned to the sport briefly in 2015 in hopes of making the Olympic team in 2016. Born: Oct. 7, 1952 (Grozny, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union), Olympic years: 1968 (Mexico City), 1972 (Munich), 1976 (Montreal), Medals: 9 (1968, gold, team all-around; 1972, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/gold, team all-around/silver, floor exercise/bronze, vault; 1976, silver, vault/silver, floor exercise/bronze, all-around). She effectively retired from gymnastics in 2000, but had a brief, unsuccessful return to the sport in 2006. You can change your cookie settings at any time by using the . She married strategy consultant Mark Caldwell in 2012, and the couple has three children and live in the Dallas area. Tatiana Gutsu dominated at the 1992 Olympics while representing the Unified Team a group of Soviet Bloc countries who competed at the Summer and Winter Olympics together that year. Olympic years: 1948 (London), 1952 (Helsinki), 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome), Medals: 6 (1948, silver, team all-around; 1952, silver, team all-around/bronze, team/portable apparatus; 1956, gold, team/portable apparatus/silver, team all-around/bronze, horse vault). He also has a European Games bronze. Born: May 25, 1994 (Needham, Massachusetts), Olympic years: 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro), Olympic medals: 5 (2012, gold, team all-around/gold, floor exercise/bronze, balance beam; 2016, gold, team all-around/silver, all-around/silver, floor exercise). Two-time Commonwealth gold-winning gymnast Nile Wilson is also a World Championship silver medalist and an Olympic bronze medalist. Between 1965 and 1973 he competed in Formula One winning three World Championships, and 27 race wins. She married Dr. Michael Canales, a former Ohio State gymnast, and the couple had three children together. Chusovitina was so popular in Uzbekistan they put her on a stamp. She doubled down on the Olympic team gold at the 2016 Olympics, and her story was so inspiring it was made into a Lifetime movie. Apart from a botched tumor-removal operation at 10, Kieran Behan also faced brain damage following a gymnastics accident at 12. She wrote her autobiography "Finding My Shine" in 2015, which was the same year she was the grand marshal for the Indy 500. Following the end of her career, Bosakova was a member of the Czechoslovak Song and Dance Ensemble before becoming a gymnastics coach in Czechoslovakia. Ellie Downie wrote in her joint statement with Becky that she was consistently told she was too heavy from around age 14. Controversy over her career still surrounds He. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2006. She became the first gymnast to be named to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Comaneci followed that up with two gold medals and two silver medals at the 1980 Olympics. Miller bounced back with two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics, in balance beam and the team competition with the "Magnificent Seven" squad. Humphrey was a police officer for almost five years in Missouri following her gymnastics career, then left the police department and continued coaching gymnastics in the area. He has been named an MBE, too. Dawes has stayed busy since her gymnastics career ended, including when she earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 2002. One of the most devastating injuries you can suffer in any sport is an Achilles tendon tear, which Izbasa went through in 2010. Want to know something else really cool? In addition to being a medal-winning gymnast, Bea Lucero-Lhuillier was also a bronze-medalist in taekwondo at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The one medal that eluded Astakhova was the gold in all-around. She also won an NCAA championship in the uneven bars for the University of Alabama in 2004. The most famous living gymnasts include Nadia Comneci, Ecaterina Szabo, and Daniela Siliva. Szabo led her team to a gold medal in 1987 at the World Championships. For Liukin, the daughter of Olympic champion Valeri Liukin and rhythmic gymnastics World champion Anna Liukin (nee-Kotchneva), at times Olympic gold seemed like destiny. Raducan retired from gymnastics in 2002 and has stayed busy ever since. Biles' performance at the Olympics and in the preceding world championships has been so dominant that she's already considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Daniela Silivas added her name to the long line of Romanian Olympic standouts in 1988, when she was the only medalist, male or female, to medal in every single event and posted seven perfect 10 scores throughout the competition. Her back flip and Korbut flip on the balance beam were daring at the time and are elements still used in womens gymnastics today. Ludmilla Tourischeva's focused, understated persona is legendary in the sport. Medals: 2 (silver, team/bronze, uneven bars). Olympic years: 1952 (Helsinki), 1956 (Melbourne), Medals: 8 (1952, gold, uneven bars/silver, team exercises/bronze, all-around/bronze, balance beam/bronze, floor exercises/bronze, team apparatus; 1956, gold, team apparatus/silver, team combined). She was reportedly studying at Beijing Normal University in 2016 and is involved with promoting the 2022 Winter Olympics that will be held in Beijing. Which isn't necessarily fair. She also has a British Championship silver and a World Challenge Cup silver in her kitty and was part of the European Youth Olympic Festival. She went on to win medals in three of the four individual apparatus finals. Amanar retired in 2000 and married Romanian attorney Cosmin Tabara in 2002. That she was able to come back and win the gold in 2012, where she also helped her team win bronze in the team all-around, makes her success story even more incredible. She became one of the most respected orthopedic surgeons in the world. The two divorced in 1987, and in 1993, during a fight with their oldest son, Martin, Josef was punched and fell to the floor, striking his head and causing his death. Her unique style on the uneven bars helped her dominate the event for nearly a decade. He later served as a physical training instructor, too. She moved to Oklahoma to work with American Olympian Bart Conner at his gymnastics school, married him in Romania in 1996 and became an American citizen in 2001. She participated in three Olympics for Romania and had her best showing in 2004, leading her country to the gold medal in the 2004 team competition, gold in the balance beam and gold in the floor exercise. Olympic years: 2004 (Athens), 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro), Medals: 5 (2004, gold, team all-around/gold, balance beam/gold, floor exercise; 2012, silver, floor exercise/bronze, team all-around). Comaneci was part of a group that defected from Romania in 1989. At Tokyo 2020, billions around the world will tune in to watch the top gymnasts on the planet, including arguably the greatest female of all time, displaying their physical and technical brilliance in pursuit of a gold medal and with a special place in history guaranteed for any athlete who innovates and breaks records on the biggest stage. Szabo is a legend in her native country, where there's an elementary school and a sports museum named after her, but her fame doesn't really extend past those borders. Polina Astakhova won 10 medals for the Soviet Union spread out over three different Olympic games from 1956-1964. Born: June 9, 2000 (Old Bridge Township, New Jersey), Medals: 2 (gold, team all-around/silver, balance beam). Since 2017, Joe Fraser has been an important member of the English Senior team, helping his team win the silver medal at the 2018 European Championships. Born: Oct. 30, 1936 (Zaporizhia, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union), Olympic years: 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome), 1964 (Tokyo), Medals: 10 (1956, gold, team all-around/bronze, team/apparatus; 1960, gold, team all-around/gold, uneven bars/silver, floor exercise/bronze, all-around 1964, gold, team all-around/gold, uneven bars/silver, floor exercise/bronze, all-around). Retton, a West Virginia native, became the first American to win Olympic gold in the all-around competition with her thrilling defeat of Romanian favorite Ecaterina Szabo with perfect 10s in the last two events, the vault and floor exercise. Commonwealth gold-winning British gymnast and Olympian Lisa Mason retired at 19 but got back in the game in full swing at 31. Quaas holds the Guinness Book of. Tourischeva married one of the Soviet Union's greatest Olympians, sprinter Valeriy Borzov, who swept the 100-meter and 200-meter gold medals at the 1972 Olympics. Mustafina deserves credit for being one of the most durable gymnasts in the history of Olympic competition and definitely one of the gymnasts who defined the 2010s, most notably with her back-to-back gold medals in the uneven bars at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Suzanne Dando is an English former gymnast who has represented Great Britain in important events like the 1979 World Gymnastics Championships and the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Suzanne Dando announced her retirement from gymnastics after the 1980 Olympics and then went on to work as a TV broadcaster for many channels, including Sky Sports, BBC One, and Channel 4. Nicknamed "The Russian Birch" and "Madonna" for her beauty and grace, Astakhova was an obsession for journalists in the western world during most of her career. In the 2019 European Games, she was the champion on the balance beams and a two-time Belgian national all-around champion . You can find more information for coaches, gymnasts and parents. Korbut was also arrested for shoplifting in Arizona in 2002. Coaches & Community. Maroney was one of the key witnesses to testify against Dr. Larry Nassar, who worked for Michigan State and sexually abused Maroney and scores of other gymnasts for years. She is best known for playing the popular video game character Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Underworld from 2008 to 2010. Raisman was on the hit ABC show "Dancing With the Stars," where she finished fourth in 2013 and made a cameo appearance in the Maroon 5 video "Girls Like You" in 2018. Kuchinskaya coached gymnastics in the USSR, Japan and the United States following her retirement from the sport and married an eye doctor in 1980. She was a prodigy, rising rapidly through the U.S. junior ranks. That year, she pulled off one of the bigger upsets in Olympic gymnastics history when she defeated Olga Korbut on the uneven bars, an event some thought Korbut was unbeatable in. Buttner-Janz's career after gymnastics was fascinating. 12. Names we never forget. She's also gained fame as a world-renowned sports scientist and the author of more than 40 books on the subject. Olympic medals: 7 (1992, silver, all-around/silver, balance beam/bronze, team all-around/bronze, uneven bars/bronze, floor exercise; 1996, gold, team all-around/gold, balance beam). She also doubles up as a sports model at times and is known for her trademark over-the-top gymnastics attire. Kupets also led the University of Georgia to four straight NCAA national championships from 2006 to 2009. Amy Tinkler is a British retired artistic gymnast who won the bronze medal for the Floor Exercise event in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. More amazing? Stoic and tough, Gina Gogean was actually only 13 years old when she participated in the 1992 Olympics. Ukrainian gymnast Lilla Podkopayeva's amazing run at the 1996 Olympics can't be undersold. The son of a London Welsh rugby player, he was destined to pursue sports as a career option. In that vein, Gnauck is considered one of the greatest to ever participate on the uneven bars, but missed her chance to add to her Olympic haul in 1984 when East Germany boycotted the Olympics. Hungarian Olympic legend Henrietta Onodi has a move named after her the "Onodi" a half-turn jump into a full walkover on the balance beam. Moceanu, the last 14-year-old Olympic gymnast, seemed poised for superstardom at multiple Olympic games because of her age and talent, but came away with just one gold medal in the team competition in 1996. In 2017, Gutsu accused former Soviet Olympic gold medal gymnast Vitaly Scherbo of raping her when she was 15 years old. William Wallace 2. Daniel Purvis is a Scottish former artistic gymnast who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, representing Great Britain. She was 10 months too young to qualify for the 2004 Olympics before she went on to win the all-around gold at the 2008 Olympics, where she also won four other medals. Few gymnasts in Olympic history have been able to medal at three Olympic games. She was on a Wheaties box. "Look to your consciences and remember that the theatre of the world is wider than the realm of England." Mary Queen of Scots. Her "Korbut Flip" on the uneven bars brought her four gold medals. Off the events, Korbuts tears of disappointment after a botched uneven bars routine cost her any chance at the all-around gold medal drew fans in. She was named president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation in 2017 but stepped down in 2020 when both the Romanian men's and women's teams failed to qualify for the Olympics. Medals: 4 (gold, balance beam/silver, team all-around/silver, all-around/silver, floor). Biles holds the record for the most decorated American gymnast with a total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals. Injuries hampered Moceanu more than anything in 1996, and she fell flat in her individual events, with the closest she came to winning a medal being a fourth-place finish in floor exercises. Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut became world-famous for her amazing acrobatics at the 1972 Olympics. Living Gymnasts Go to all Rankings Newly Added Gymnasts (2022) Go to all Rankings Sam Langstaff, Scottish Gymnastics head of performance, said: "The 2016 championships are set to be an exciting event, fans will get the opportunity to watch some of Scotland's most talented . Her 18 medals were the most medals won by any Olympian from 1964 until 2012, and she's still the only woman to win gold in the team, all-around and an individual event in a single Olympics. Born: Aug. 14, 1986 (Saint Joseph, Missouri), Medals: 2 (silver, team all-around/silver, uneven bars). Lemhenyi-Tass participated in four different Olympics. Her amazing record includes two gold (2015,2019) and one silver (2013) from the FIG World Cup, two gold (2016) from the Pacific Rim Championships. Not every man really lives." William Wallace. In 2021, she became the first English female gymnast to win Olympic medals in two or more Games when she won a bronze medal at the delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Bosakova's biggest contribution to the sport was also in the balance beam, where she is credited as being the first person to ever complete a cartwheel in the event. Patterson's gymnastics career came to an abrupt halt shortly after the 2004 Olympics when doctors diagnosed her with several bulging discs in her back. She was gracious to the point that Soviet Union teammate Olga Korbut was able to grab part of the spotlight at the 1972 Olympics despite Tourischeva winning gold in the all-around. She has been named an MBE, too. She's also served as an ambassador for the United Nations on several occasions first on the U.N.'s council for HIV/AIDS awareness, then on the Council of Europe for Sport, Tolerance, and Fair Play, Country: Soviet Union (1988), Unified Team (1992), Belarus (1996), Olympic years: 1988 (Seoul), 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta), Olympic medals: 5 (1988, gold, team all-around/gold, vault/silver, floor exercise/ bronze, all-around; 1992, gold, team all-around). If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the British Gymnastics website. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2002. She also loves traveling and sketching in her leisure time. Olympic years: 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney), Medals: 7 (1996, gold, vault/silver, floor exercise/bronze, all-around/bronze, team all-around; 2000, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/bronze, floor exercise). Sports producer Barbara Slater is also a former gymnast and Olympian. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997 and became the first woman inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame in 2020. Patterson was advised she may have trouble walking if she didn't retire, and formally walked away from the sport. 6 Amazing Black GymnastsThis video features 6 of my favorite black gymnasts who, in many cases, paved the way for other black gymnasts who came later.In ligh. Her two silver medals at the 2004 Olympics were more impressive when we found out afterward she did it with a stress fracture in her hip. 20 - A whole lot of American gymnasts. Korbut's life following her Olympic glory has been tinged with sadness, including her revelation that former coach Renald Knysh sexually assaulted her. A two-time World Championship bronze medal winner, Ellie Downiealso won a gold medal at the 2017 European Championships, becoming the first Great Britain gymnast to receive a major all-around title. Both made their Olympic debuts in their 20s. Simone Biles (Most Decorated Gymnast of All Time) 244 64 Birthdate: March 14, 1997 Sun Sign: Pisces Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio, United States Simone Biles is an artistic gymnast. As of April 2022, 2 new gymnasts have been added to Pantheon including Tania Lamarca and Lorena Gurndez. One of the members of the fabled "Final Five" team for the United States at the 2016 Olympics, Laurie Hernandez turned her back on competing for the University of Florida and went pro right before the Olympics. She is also a talented diver and squash player. In her trademark pink leotard, Liukin became the third U.S. woman to win the Olympic all-around gold medal. "I was told by a nutritionist to provide photo evidence of everything that entered my mouth," she wrote. Via: dailyiowan.com. Maria Gorokhovskaya set the record with seven medals in a single Olympics in 1952, when she represented the Soviet Union with two golds, including the all-around, and five silver medals. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. famous scottish gymnasts. The Soviet Unions Nellie Kim also scored two 10.0s in Montreal. Jackie Stewart or Sir John Young Stewart OBE, better know as the Flying Scot, was born in Dumbartonshire on June 11, 1939. Born: Feb. 4, 1988 (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Olympic medals: 3 (2004, gold, all-around; 2004, silver, team all-around; 2004, silver, balance beam). Gabby Douglas is the author of two books: 'Raising the Bar' and 'Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith'. 1-ranking tennis player Serena Williams, and six-time NBA All-Star Stephen Curry. In January 2020, she announced her retirement from gymnastics, at the age of21. British female gymnasts have participated in every Summer Olympics since 1928, except for 1932. Equipment used by her at the 2012 Olympics is now in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. "He bends over and spanks me, I do not know . Born: March 8, 1949 (Leningrad, Soviet Union), Olympic medals: 4 (gold, team all-around/gold, balance beam/bronze, all-around/bronze, floor exercise). Born: July 13, 1929 (Leningrand, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union), Olympic years: 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome), Medals: 8 (1956, gold, team all-around/bronze, team PA/bronze, all-around/bronze, uneven bars; 1960, gold, team all-around/silver, all-around/silver, vault/bronze, balance beam). It is natural for a person to flinch when they fall or get hurt but gymnasts are expected to do the opposite. She is now a successful trainer and a single mother. Born: Aug. 15, 1978 (Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union), Medals: 3 (gold, all-around/ gold, floor exercise/ silver, balance beam). Greatest Women's Gymnasts of All Time By Tony Adame, updated on May 3, 2022 Julio Cortez / AP Photo The world loves women's gymnastics. History probably isn't going to be very kind to former U.S. Olympic gymnast Terin Humphrey. She's even credited with the development of an artificial spine disk known as the Charite Disc. Ludivine Furnon, a French gymnast who competed through the 1990s into the early aughts, went from preteen novice to 15-year-old world bronze medalist on floor in about the same amount of time it. But despite her early success, a major international all-around title eluded Liukin. The peace and beauty of this valley today belies the fact that Glen Coe was the scene of a ruthless 17th-century massacre, when the local MacDonalds were murdered by soldiers of the Campbell clan. Born: Dec. 31, 1995 (Newport News, Virginia), Medals: 3 (2012, gold, team all-around/ gold, team all-around; 2012, gold, all-around). Korbut ushered in an era of gymnastics dominated by young, lithe women. B Frank Baines (gymnast) C Hamish Carter (gymnast) Adam Cox D Liam Davie F Steve Frew H Rosalie Hutton M Archibald MacLaren Jackie Stewart. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages. British gymnast and Olympian Amanda Reddin has had a successful coaching career, too, with star players such as Beth Tweddle and Jennifer Pinches as her trainees. He retired from the sport at age 21. She added another gold medal in 1956 in the now-defunct team apparatus event. Patterson had a brief recording career following her retirement from gymnastics and in 2009 had one of her songs feature don the ABC show "Make It Or Break It" about a family of gymnasts trying to make the Olympics. Though she had a short stint as a gymnast, Jennifer Pinches has already represented Britain in the Olympics, helping them gain the sixth position in the 2012 London games. Former Scottish gymnast Carly Sarah Smith wrote on Instagram that her pockets were checked for food. In 2000, she was the first German gymnast inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. It's called a triple-double. She's also not the only Olympic medalist in her family. One week after her win, she was stripped of her gold medal because of a failed drug test, courtesy of a banned substance in a cough medicine given to her by the team doctor. Born: Jan. 24, 1968 (Fairmont, West Virginia), Medals: 5 (1984, gold, all-around/silver, team all-around/silver, vault/bronze, uneven bars/bronze, floor exercise). She is now a coach working with the Warrington Gymnastics Club. Which is a major credit to Johnson East's combination of charisma and talent. Having won a combined total of 30 World Championship and Olympic medals, Biles is the world's third-most decorated gymnast and the most decorated in America. He had ADHD as a child and later also won a choral scholarship but chose to focus on gymnastics instead. Her father, Farhat Mustafina, won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling for the Soviet Union in 1976. Mary Lou Retton became an international superstar and one of the most beloved athletes in U.S. history with her performance at the 1984 Olympics. She currently represents Jamaica; she participated in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo where she represented Jamaica. She was removed from her position on the USA Gymnastics' Athletes' Council after 10 years when she shared a meme backing U.S. coaches and officials in the wake of the wide-ranging Olympic gymnastics scandal. Douglas was also one of the many brave gymnasts who came forward about being abused by former Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar, who was given a life sentence for his crimes in 2017. Comaneci was. Her husband, Dezso, played for the Hungarian national water polo team and won a silver medal in 1948 and gold medal in 1952. Szabo was the favorite headed into the 1984 Olympics and thought to be the next coming of Comaneci, but despite winning four gold medals, Szabo was upstaged by her loss to Mary Lou Retton in the all-around by just .05. As a stunt performer, Walters received the 2010 Taurus World Stunt Award for the film Ninja Assassin. Born: June 19, 1975 (Bukhara, Uzbek SSR, USSR), Country: Unified Team (1992), Uzbekistan (1996, 2000, 2004, 2016), Gerrmany (2008, 2012), Olympic years: 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens), 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro), Medals: 2 (1992, gold, team all-around; 2008, silver, vault). She also won silver medals in all-around and floor. Born: Dec. 3, 1987 (Boston, Massachusetts). But Caslavska's real story is that of a political dissident and hero to the people of her native Czechoslovakia. Mustafina was recovering from an injury in a hospital in 2015 when she met her future husband and Russian Olympic bobsledder Alexey Zaitsev. Amanar had the unfortunate luck of finishing as the silver medalist in the 2000 all-around to Romanian teammate Andreea Raducan, who was stripped of her gold medal just one week after the competition because of a failed drug test. Born: Oct. 10, 1964 (Berlin, East Germany), Medals: 4 (gold, uneven bars/silver, all-around/bronze, team/bronze, floor exercise). While the selections were delayed to ensure a fair judgement, she, nevertheless, failed to make the cut, for speaking against the culture of abuse in British gymnastics. She pioneered a back flip off the high bar and was among the first to do a back tuck on beam. She soared to fame with the show Gladiators and had a 5-year stint on it. She's the only female gymnast to ever participate in seven different Olympic games and one of only two female gymnasts to compete for three different countries. Scottish Dictionary Aye Bairn Bampot Belter Blootered Boggin Boke Bonnie/Bonny Canny Clatty Clipe Crabbit Craic Dae Dafty Dinnae Eejit Eh Greet/Greetin Hackit Haud Haver Hoachin Hunners Jake/Jakey Ken Lassy Mad Wae It Minging Mockit Munter Och Patch Peely-wally Randan Scran Scunnered Skelped/Scudded Steamin Stoter Tap Tattie Weapon Wee Whitey The British Gymnastics head national coach, however, had to step down while investigations regarding physical mistreatment accusations against her were underway. Following her recovery, Gnauck spent time as a gymnastics coach in Germany and in Switzerland since 2005. The way she floated back and forth between the bars heavily influenced the direction of the uneven bars, perhaps most notably in two-time Olympic uneven bars champion and compatriot Aliya Mustafina. Injuries kept Sofia Muratova from achieving what might have been next-level Olympic fame. Apart from winning a team bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, British gymnast Sam Oldham is also a Youth Olympic and Commonwealth champion. She moved to the United States and has run a gymnastics club in Illinois since the 1980s. With teammates Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian, she helped Team USA win its second-straight team gold medal at the Games.