History of Gymnastics at the Olympics
ONE MONTH TO GO until Paris 2024! π₯³ If you have Olympic fever like we do, you might enjoy this history of key events in Gymnastics at the Olympics, as much as we enjoyed putting it together! Do you have a favorite Olympic moment?
1896 – Athens:
- Gymnastics is included in the first modern Olympic Games.
- Competitions were limited to men’s events, including parallel bars, horizontal bar, vault, and pommel horse.
1928 – Amsterdam:
- Womenβs gymnastics is introduced, initially only with team events.
1956 – Melbourne:
- Unified judging system for gymnastics is introduced, emphasizing both compulsory and optional exercises.
1960 – Rome:
- Modern format of the competition is established, with events for both men and women.
1972 – Munich:
- Olga Korbut (USSR) captures worldwide attention, leading to increased popularity of gymnastics.
1976 – Montreal:
- Nadia ComΔneci (Romania) scores the first perfect 10 in Olympic history on the uneven bars. The concept of “perfect 10” becomes a standard reference point in gymnastics scoring.
1984 – Los Angeles:
- Mary Lou Retton becomes the first American gymnast to win the individual all-around gold.
- Rhythmic gymnastics makes its Olympic debut with an individual all-around event.
1996 – Atlanta:
- Kerri Strug performs a memorable vault on an injured ankle, helping the U.S. womenβs team win their first team gold.
2000 – Sydney:
- Introduction of the “open-ended” scoring system, allowing for more differentiation in scores above a 10.0.
- Trampoline gymnastics makes its Olympic debut with individual events for men and women.
2004 – Athens:
- Paul Hamm (USA) wins the men’s all-around gold, and Carly Patterson wins the women’s all-around gold, the first American since Mary Lou Retton to do so.
2008 – Beijing:
- Americans Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson dominate the women’s competition.
- The host country, China, dominates trampoline events, with He Wenna and Lu Chunlong winning the women’s and men’s trampoline events, respectively.
- Russia continues to dominate rhythmic gymnastics, winning gold in both individual and group all-around.
2012 – London:
- Gabby Douglas becomes the first African American to win the individual all-around gold.
- U.S. women’s team, known as the “Fierce Five,” wins team gold.
2016 – Rio de Janeiro:
- Simone Biles wins four golds and one bronze, becoming one of the most decorated gymnasts in a single Olympics.
- The U.S. women’s team, the “Final Five,” wins team gold.
- Rosie MacLennan of Canada successfully defends her gold in women’s trampoline, which she also won in 2012 London.
2021 – Tokyo (postponed from 2020):
- Simone Biles withdraws from several events to focus on mental health but wins bronze on the balance beam.
- Sunisa Lee wins the women’s all-around gold, the first Asian American to do so.
- Linoy Ashram (ISR) wins the individual all-around in rhythmic gymnastics, breaking Russia’s gold streak, while Bulgaria wins the group all-around gold, ending Russia’s long-standing dominance in that event.