Olga Korbut Documentary - Part 4 of 4

Soviet documentary filmed in 1973 about the great gymnast Olga Korbut. Featuring training scenes, competition clips and other soviet gymnasts as well. It's in Russian.

Originally captured by zavulon.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• women's
• artistic
• gymnastics
• olga
• korbut
• documentary
• soviet
• union
• szovjetunió
• szertorna
• belarus
• szovjet
• 1973

[skata524]

No problem! :)

[skata524]

I believe she is Polina Astakhova, a former soviet gymnast.

[ralucagymnast]

I tell you something: Nadia Comaneci may have been the most technically perfect gymnast of all time, but Nadia wouldnt have had her day without Olga; Olga Korbut single-handedly changed gymnastics forever. She opened the door for the Nadia Comaneci's; before Olga, women gymnasts were just that: women. Vera Caslavaka was 26 when she won gold at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and carried on competing after marriage and childbirth.

[themightycelestial]

I agree.

While Nadia was able to wow everyone with her technical brilliance,

Olga was able to combine into her routines, her personality & her smile, which more often than not,

tended to light up the whole stadium.

Nadia showed what could happen after years & years absolute focus & training (which started at what many consider to be a controversially early age).

And while Olga was no slouch when it came to her training, she inspired more on what could happen by just being yourself.

[zeldafreak701]

Olga was a brilliant and beautiful gymnast. Just look at that smile. It's beautiful.

[cherylannemason]

@ralucagymnast Polina Astakhova, the blonde, was actually a part of the coaching staff for much of the same time that Latynina was head coach. Living legends both--must have made for some interesting training sessions!

[Lucini91]

Well, I don't think it's too important who, how and when made gymnastics popular...every gymnast has something special because of which someone will regard her as the best...personally I find Nadia wonderful, nothing to say about her. But I believe I will always see Korbut as my favourite. Maybe she wasn't perfect but her daring attitude, her smile and her grace always take my breath away...

[briaberger]

So we should all praise Nadia because she ruined the sport for women over the age of 20?

No. We should praise her because her execution was FLAWLESS. Many many many of her routines were technically perfect.

For me, if a 30 year old had execution like Nadia's, I would like her just as much.

[MieluChitaristu]

"Artistic Gymnastics was made popular in the Mexico Games in 1968 by the athlete Vera Caslavska and then again in Munich in 1972 with Olga Korbut. However, the sport reached a high level of general popularity with Romanian athlete Nadia Comaneci" (Olympics website)

"She is one of the best-known gymnasts in the world and, along with Olga Korbut, is credited with popularizing the sport around the world" (Wiki)

Seems to me that her impact was just as high, if not higher than Olga's...

[ralucagymnast]

I agree with you, but I am talking about the effect on the public which Olga had. Olga made gymnastics popular: in 1972 every little girl wanted to be Olga.

[MieluChitaristu]

What I am saying is, Nadia was too young in 72 for senior competition. But she was already doing gymnastics seriously for 5 years at that point, and her path was already set for success. The talent & abilities were hers, with or without Olga and she would have made history anyway sooner or later.

[MieluChitaristu]

That's pure speculation, nothing more nothing less. No matter how much today's gymnastics owns to Larisa Latynina, Olga Korbut or Nadia Comaneci, the world doesn't stop evolving without one person. If Olga hadn't been around, most likely Nadia would have been the first very young gymnast. In fact, Nadia nearly swept the European Championships in 75 (at age 13), barely 3 years after Olga made history at the München olympics. You don't get to that kind of level only after 2 years of training.

[GingerGilligan]

Why are the changes Olga made a good thing? I don't see anything wrong with adult women winning gymnastics.