I was so thrilled to see Olga Korbut on my little black and white TV screen, collecting her BBC award as International Sportswoman of the Year. Gymnastics was new to me, Olga had opened my eyes to the sport, they have never closed.
There was something so special about Olga. Those moments from 1972 never lose their freshness.
With many thanks, once again, to Novosti, for reminding me of this great moment.
Ludmilla was a much better gymnast. She did not get the attention she deserved.
ReplyDeleteno, olga was better. She carried out exercise never before seen, she is the "Mother of gymnastic".
ReplyDeleteI would love to transport the Munich Olga to the Rio Games and watch her and Simone competing in the AA together. What a competition that would be! Imagine Olga in today's gymnastics, free of the chains of the oppressive USSR federation and restrictions that tried to suppress her difficulty and being able to really be rewarded for all she was capable of.
ReplyDeleteWe always hear future champions named as the "Next Olga" and "Next Mary Lou" but I feel like both Shawn Johnson and Simone Biles are almost "Next Olgas" except they were both able to have the success Olga SHOULD have had if not for everything with her coach and federation and injuries. They both have outrageous difficulty in comparison to the rest of the field - and in Simone's case, original trick difficulty like Olga did - and the crowd appeal for their personalities.
I love that even though most gymnasts are too young to remember her anymore, they still carry on the legacy she started of originality, pushing the envelope while appealing to the crowd's hearts.
Thank you Olga, for all the gifts you brought to gymnastics.
yes, I remember too, Olga Korbut gave great joy to alot of people around the world including me.
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