Mukhina would have been able to get the title of champion at the Moscow Olympics, but the terrible injury she received a couple of weeks before the championship radically changed her life. At the training camp, earlier before the Games, Elena, without insurance and a mentor, wanted to make the most difficult part of the performance. At that time, she was the center in the national team of the Soviet Union, but after a while the unforeseen happened - the gymnast did not twist, crashing into the platform with her head and broke her neck. The operation of the twenty-year-old gymnast took place in a day, and some say - after three. The champion remained paralyzed for good.
Elena Mukhina loop korbut video of the tragedy: the first serious injuries
The teacher Mukhina, who was absent from the base in Minsk, was named M. Klimenko. He took Elena at the age of 14 and thought that her trump card would be a deliberately created most difficult number - before that M. Klimenko worked only with the male sex. Three days later, Mukhina took 2nd place in the all-around at the championship of the Soviet Union and took 3 gold medals in various apparatus at European competitions in Prague, presenting a previously unknown element on the uneven bars, which was soon named after her - "E. Mukhina's loop". The following year, she became the winner in the overall standings of the national championship and took 3 gold medals at the world championship in Strasbourg. During the presentation of the medals, the champion could not hold back her tears.
She received her first serious injury in 75 during the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in Leningrad. After a failed landing, the champion suffered a detachment of the spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae. Elena ended up in the hospital, she could not turn her neck. However, every day after visiting the doctor, M. Klimenko took Mukhina to the gym, removed the orthopedic collar from her, and she worked out until evening. At that time, the gymnast felt her legs go numb; felt signs of weakness, which soon became familiar to her.
Elena Mukhina loop korbut tragedy video: complicated gymnast program
“At that time, she did not get into the team at all. Because of this, grief happened. M. Klimenko really wanted Elena to perform in Moscow. Not a single soul doubted that the team would take gold, and he was looking forward to becoming the coach of an Olympic champion. He did not do very well for the champion. Elena had very severe pain in the leg, and he made me work further, ”said L. Latynina.
Making the champion’s program more difficult, on the eve of the Olympic Games, M. Klimenko introduced a new part to it in free exercises: at the end of the fly and a difficult jump (1.5 somersaults and a 540 degree turn), she had to land head down into a somersault .. According to Elena's recollections, she repeatedly told the teacher that she did not have enough speed and height to perform this element, that this part of the trick was extremely dangerous, because she could break her neck. And the coach thought that the new element was not dangerous for the champion and did not want to listen to his ward.
“Many times I saw myself falling during a performance in a dream,” the gymnast said. - I saw how they carried me out of the hall. I knew that sooner or later it would finally come true. I felt like an animal being driven down a long corridor with a whip. But again and again I went to the gym. It's probably fate. And you should not be offended by fate.
To all fans athletics the name of Olga Korbut is known. During training on the uneven bars, the athlete accidentally made a unique trick, entering the history of the sport. The Soviet gymnast became famous all over the world, and the new element was called the Korbut loop. Why was the famous trick banned?
The loop is performed from a standing position. Pushing off with her feet from the upper bar of the bars, the gymnast does a back somersault and, having made a loop, grabs the upper pole with her hands. For the first time, the element was shown at the national championship in 1970, as a result of which Olga made a splash and got into the USSR national team.
The 1972 Olympics, held in Munich, made Korbut a sports star. Perfection and ease of execution complex element brought world fame to the 17-year-old gymnast. And although she received gold only 4 years later, innovation and risk allowed her to win the sympathy of the audience and the media gave Olga the title of one of the best athletes in the world. Her success was the reason for the boom in gymnastics in the United States.
The international media did not skimp on flattering epithets about Olga, who became the Olympic champion, thanks to the trick she invented. She was so loved by everyone that the following year she was awarded the title of the best athlete in the world.
Marvelous the fact that only our athletes could perform the “Korbut loop” and gained an advantage in the competition. It gave an advantage to the athlete who completed it, and Western athletes did not know how to perform it. One way or another, but in order to avoid serious injuries among gymnasts unique element The "Korbut loop" was banned by the rules, and now it can no longer be found in official competitions.
It is not surprising that the new trick began to be actively used in the programs of other gymnasts. Elena Mukhina even improved it a little by adding a screw to the exercise. In 1980, while honing the noose, Mukhina broke her spine and forever ended not only her career, but her usual full life. The famous loop Korbut became fatal for Elena, making her an invalid. After this tragic incident, the element is banned from all official competitions in order to prevent injury.
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Olga Valentinovna Korbut(May 16, 1955, Grodno, Byelorussian SSR, USSR) - Soviet gymnast, four-time Olympic champion, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1972). Played for Armed forces. Trained with Renald Knysh. Olga Korbut Graduated from the Grodno State Pedagogical Institute (1977) as a trainer-teacher.
Olga Korbut came to gymnastics in the second grade at school in the gymnastics circle of Yaroslav Ivanovich Korol in 1963.
At 10 years old in 1965 Olga Korbut got into the group to Knysh. The first big success came in 1970 - she became the champion of the USSR in the vault and entered the USSR national team.
Full name: Olga Valentinovna Korbut
Citizenship: USSR → USA
Date of birth: May 16, 1955
Place of birth: Grodno, Byelorussian SSR, USSR
Coach(s): Renald Knysh
Height: 1.52 m
Weight: 39 kg
Achievements of Olga Korbut
4-time Olympic champion:
1972 - team championship, balance beam and floor exercises,
1976 - team championship
Two-time vice-champion of the Olympic Games (1972 - uneven bars, 1976 - beam),
Olga Korbut- World Champion 1974 in the vault,
World Champion 1970 and 1974 in the team championship,
Olga Korbut- Winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR and the absolute champion of the USSR in 1975, multiple champion of the USSR,
Winner of the silver medal of the 1973 European Championship in the absolute championship.
The first gymnast who was able to perform somersaults on the balance beam.
The history of artistic gymnastics included the confrontation between Lyudmila Turishcheva and Olga Korbut. Turishcheva personified the old academic gymnastic school, while Korbut embodied new trends in sports: risky elements, athleticism and youth. At the 1972 Munich Olympics Olga Korbut demonstrated innovative gymnastic elements and became a favorite of the audience. However, in a tough fight for absolute superiority, she lost to Turishcheva.
Since 1991 Olga Korbut lives in the USA, has American citizenship.
"Korbut loop"
Olga Korbut she was the first to perform the unique element "Korbut's Loop". The gymnast stands on the high part of uneven bars and does a back flip, clinging to the upper crossbar bars. The element was performed during her routines on uneven bars at the Munich Olympics.
Subsequently, the element was improved by Elena Mukhina - she added a screw to it. Currently, the "Korbut loop" is not performed at official competitions, as it is prohibited by the rules (gymnasts are not allowed to stand on the top of the bars with their feet).
Family, personal life of Olga Korbut
After the 1972 Olympics Olga Korbut became a star on the air and was in 1973 invited to tour the United States. The tour was a triumph and is associated with the beginning of the artistic gymnastics boom in America.
In 1974, “based on” her biography, the feature film “The Miracle with Pigtails” was shot, in which she herself performed sports exercises (starring Irina Mazurkevich).
Olga Korbut ended her sports career after the Olympics in Montreal. In 1977 she received a diploma from the Faculty of History of Grodno University. In 1978, she married a famous singer, soloist of the Pesnyary group Leonid Bortkevich and lived with him for 22 years, has a son. In 2000 they broke up.
The Korbut loop is an element prohibited in modern gymnastics, named after the Olympic champion Olga Korbut. She performed it at the Munich Olympics, which shocked the audience.
Forbidden for gymnasts
The Korbut loop is an element prohibited in modern gymnastics, named after the Olympic champion Olga Korbut. She performed it at the Munich Olympics, which shocked the audience.
There is still no consensus on why the Korbut loop was banned. Some say that this is just a traumatic element, others argue that the reason lies in the new rules of gymnastics (athletes are forbidden to put their feet on the uneven bars).
The ban is also associated with an injury to gymnast Elena Mukhina, who complicated the element by adding a screw to it, but failed to perform, landed on her head and remained disabled for the rest of her life. True, there is a version that at that time Mukhina did not perform the Korbut loop at all, but Thomas somersault.
As for Olga herself, her performances were marked by rivalry with another gymnast, Lyudmila Turishcheva. Korbut was an innovator, demonstrating new elements, and Turishcheva represented the so-called classical school of gymnastics.
As a result, in terms of the number of Olympic gold, the athletes had a draw (4 medals each), but Turishcheva won more often at the world championships.
Based on the biography of Korbut, a film was made in 1974 called "The Miracle with Pigtails." Irina Mazurkevich played the main role in the film, but Korbut performed all the sports elements personally.
After the games in Munich, Korbut went on tour in the United States. They say that thanks to her, there was a real boom in gymnastics in America. In other countries, the girl was also adored. For example, in the famous Madame Tussauds there is a wax figure of her.
As for her personal life, the gymnast was married to the soloist of the Pesnyary group Leonid Bortkevich. The couple had a son, Richard, but in 2000 Leonid and Olga broke up, having been married for 22 years.
Back in the 90s, Olga became an emigrant and left for the United States. Last year, it was reported that the gymnast auctioned off her Olympic medals to cope with financial problems. Allegedly, they managed to gain about 200 thousand dollars for the medals. True, the athlete herself denied this information ...
In the end, I propose once again to enjoy the amazing skill of Olga Korbut
Indeed, gymnastics lovers will remember Olga Korbut for a long time. She can safely be put on a par with the best athletes in history. She deserved it!
The world famous Soviet gymnast Korbut Olga Valentinovna was born on May 16, 1955 in the city of Grodno, Belarus. At the age of 8, the girl began to do gymnastics, and she made such a decision on her own. Since 1963, Olga attended the section of trainer Yaroslav Korol.
It is interesting that at that time the girl looked quite well-fed for artistic gymnastics, and the first coaches did not seriously consider Olga as a successful gymnast. They were reluctant to work with her. However, by the will of fate, after two years of training, young Korba ended up in the group of the legendary gymnastics coach Renald Knysh. It was this specialist who was able to discern a hidden talent in a well-fed girl.
The young athlete turned out to be very hardworking and thought only about the correct implementation of gymnastic elements. Olga Korbut's first steps in artistic gymnastics and a tangible achievement happened in 1970, when a 15-year-old athlete won the USSR championship in the vault. After such progress, the gymnasts coaches signed her up for the national team.
Awards and achievements of Olga Korbut
Korbut Olga received many awards and titles during her career. Here are some of them:
- Honored Master of Sports of the Soviet Union;
- multiple champion of the USSR;
- absolute champion of the Soviet Union in 1975;
- world champion in team championship in 1970;
- winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in 1975;
- world champion in vault and team championship in 1974;
- three-time Olympic champion in 1972 in the disciplines: balance beam, team championship, floor exercises;
- Olympic champion in 1976 in the team championship.
How did it appear and when was the element “Korbut Loop” performed for the first time
The world-famous gymnastic element, which was named after the athlete, appeared during Korbut's training. The girl had fun on the uneven bars in between classes and randomly performed a unique trick. Her coach Renald Knysh managed to notice this and, together with Olga, began to work out the loop, which later received the name Korbut.
The element performed by Olga, “Korbut Loop”, in general, looked as follows. The execution of a unique element begins on the upper crossbar of uneven bars. The gymnast stands on it with her feet and takes off into the air, performing a back flip, then returns to the upper bar again, clinging to it with her hands.
Olga performed a unique trick so perfectly that it seemed that the law of gravity did not work on her. It should be noted that during sports career the girl weighed only 39 kg with a height of 152 cm. It took the gymnast almost 5 years of training to thoroughly develop a dangerous and extremely complex element.
The first performance of the Korbut loop in official competitions happened at the USSR championship in 1970. The young then still unknown athlete made a huge impression on the spectators present.
But a real worldwide sensation awaited Olga at the next Olympics in Munich. In 1972, both the press and the audience were overjoyed when a young Soviet gymnast with signature pigtails performed a unique new element in her program on the uneven bars. The international media did not skimp on flattering epithets about Olga Korbut, who, after a phenomenal element, became an Olympic champion.
The following year, the Soviet gymnast was awarded the title of the best athlete in the world. Olga Korbut's loop did not leave anyone indifferent.
What does the Korbut Loop look like?
The loop is performed only on a pair of unevenly high crossbars. Upon completion of the previous element, the athlete comes to the upper crossbar, stands on it with her feet and pushes off, taking off into the air and doing a back flip, that is, a jump over herself with her back.
Having completed the coup in the air, the gymnast again comes to the same crossbar, from which she had just come off. As a result of the resulting acceleration and under the weight of her body, the girl rotates clockwise, flying along the crossbar.
Then the body of the girl meets on its way with a low crossbar just below the waist, in the area of the hips. At the same time, the gymnast begins to rotate her legs and arms already around the low axis, gracefully releasing the upper crossbar with her hands.
Thus, having completed a full turn, the girl bounces her back from the lower crossbar that begins to bend. As a result of this movement, she takes off in the air and is quickly intercepted by her hands already on the upper crossbar. At the end of such a complex figure, the gymnast performs a graceful dismount on the mats.
Why was the Korbut Loop banned?
Performing dangerous stunts greatly increases the chance of serious injury in an already unsafe sport. Therefore, the removal of this element from the gymnastics program was only a matter of time, especially after another Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina improved the risky element by adding a screw to it.
Unfortunately, sports officials took the obvious decision only after the tragedy. The reason for the ban was very serious - a severe injury to the athlete. In July 1980, Elena Mukhina, in preparation for the 1980 home Olympics, unsuccessfully performed the Korbut Loop and landed on the floor, hitting her head hard. The result of such a fall was a broken spine. Elena Mukhina was bedridden for 26 years, severely limited in her movements.
In an effort to get as many points as possible for performances at competitions, athletes often come up with difficult to perform and spectacular elements, thereby increasing the risk of injury in dangerous gymnastics. In order to avoid further severe injuries to gymnasts, the unique element "Korbut Loop" was banned in the official rules for artistic gymnastics.
Thus, this trick can no longer be seen in any official competitions. However, despite such a ban, the author of the risky element forever imprinted her name in the history of sports.
