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 was left paralyzed for good.
Elena Mukhina Korbut loop video tragedy: first serious injuries
Mukhina’s teacher, who was absent from the base in Minsk, was called M. Klimenko. He took Elena at the age of 14 and thought that her trump card would be a deliberately created complex number - before that M. Klimenko had worked only with the male sex. Three days later, Mukhina took 2nd place in the all-around at the Soviet Union Championship and took 3 gold medals on different apparatus at the European competitions in Prague, presenting there a previously unknown element on the uneven bars, which was soon named in her honor - “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 separation of the spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae. Elena ended up in the hospital; she couldn’t turn her neck. However, every day after the doctor’s visit, M. Klimenko took Mukhina to the gym, removed the orthopedic collar from her, and she worked out until the evening. At that time, the gymnast felt her legs going numb; felt signs of weakness, which soon became familiar to her.
Elena Mukhina loop korbut video tragedy: complicated gymnast program
“At that time, she didn’t make the team at all. Because of this, grief occurred. 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 the Olympic champion. He did not do very well for the champion. Elena had very severe pain in the leg, and he forced me to continue working,” reported 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 float and a difficult jump (1.5 somersaults and a turn of 540 degrees), she had to land head down in a somersault.. Elena remembers that 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. But the coach thought that the new element was not dangerous for the champion and did not want to listen to his ward.
“I saw myself falling many times during a performance in my dreams,” the gymnast reported. – I saw how they carried me out of the hall. I understood that sooner or later this would finally come true. I felt like an animal being driven with a whip along a long corridor. But again and again I went to the gym. It's probably fate. But you shouldn’t be offended by fate.”
To all fans athletics the name of Olga Korbut is known. While training on the uneven bars, the athlete accidentally performed a unique trick, making it into the history of the sport. The Soviet gymnast became famous throughout 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 top crossbar of the uneven bars, the gymnast does a back somersault and, making a loop, grabs the top rail with her hands. The element was first shown at the national championship in 1970, as a result of which Olga made a splash and joined 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 sparked a boom in gymnastics in the United States.
The international media did not skimp on flattering epithets addressed to Olga, who became an 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 received an advantage in competitions. It gave an advantage to the athlete who performed it, and Western athletes did not know how to perform it. One way or another, but in order to avoid serious injuries among artistic gymnasts unique element The “Korbut loop” was banned by the rules, and now it can no longer be seen 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 loop, Mukhina broke her spine and forever ended not only her career, but also her normal full life. The famous Korbut loop became fatal for Elena, making her disabled. After this tragic incident, the element is banned in all official competitions in order to prevent injury.
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Olga Valentinovna Korbut(May 16, 1955, Grodno, Belarusian SSR, USSR) - Soviet gymnast, four-time Olympic champion, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1972). advocated Armed forces. Trained with Renald Knysh. Olga Korbut Graduated from the Grodno State Pedagogical Institute (1977) with a degree in trainer-teacher.
Olga Korbut came to gymnastics in the second grade at school in the gymnastics club of Yaroslav Ivanovich Korol in 1963.
At age 10 in 1965 Olga Korbut I ended up in Knysh’s group. The first great success came in 1970 - she became the USSR champion 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, Belarusian SSR, USSR
Coach(es): Renald Knysh
Height: 1.52 m
Weight: 39 kg
Achievements of Olga Korbut
4-time Olympic champion:
1972 - team championship, balance beam and floor exercise,
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 absolute champion of the USSR in 1975, multiple champion of the USSR,
Winner of the silver medal at the 1973 European Championship in the absolute championship.
The first gymnast to perform a somersault on the balance beam.
The history of artistic gymnastics included the confrontation between Lyudmila Turishcheva and Olga Korbut. Turishcheva personified the old academic gymnastics 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 crowd favorite. However, in a tough fight for absolute championship, 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 the uneven bars and does a back somersault, clinging to the top bar bars The element was performed during her uneven bars routine 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 with their feet on the top of the bars).
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 “Miracle with Pigtails” was shot, in which she herself performed sports exercises (starring Irina Mazurkevich).
Olga Korbut ended her sports career after the Montreal Olympics. In 1977 she received a diploma from the Faculty of History of the University of Grodno. In 1978, she married the famous singer, lead singer of the Pesnyary group Leonid Bortkevich and lived with him for 22 years, has a son. In 2000 they separated.
The Korbut loop is an element prohibited in modern gymnastics, named after Olympic champion Olga Korbut. She performed it at the Olympics in Munich, which shocked the audience.
Prohibited for gymnasts
The Korbut loop is an element prohibited in modern gymnastics, named after Olympic champion Olga Korbut. She performed it at the Olympics in Munich, which shocked the audience.
There is still no consensus on why the Korbut loop was banned. Some say that this is simply an traumatic element, others argue that the reason lies in the new rules of gymnastics (athletes are prohibited from placing their feet on the uneven bars).
The ban is also associated with the injury of gymnast Elena Mukhina, who complicated the element by adding a screw to it, but failed to perform it, landed on her head and remained disabled for the rest of her life. True, there is a version that at that time Mukhina was not performing a Korbut loop at all, but a 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, the athletes were tied in terms of the number of Olympic gold medals (4 medals each), but Turishcheva won more often at the World Championships.
Based on Korbut’s biography, a film was made in 1974 called “The Miracle with Pigtails.” The main role in the film was played by Irina Mazurkevich, but Korbut performed all the sports elements personally.
After the games in Munich, Korbut went on tour to the USA. They say that thanks to her, there was a real boom in artistic gymnastics in America. In other countries the girl was also adored. For example, in the famous Madame Tussauds Museum there is a wax figure of her.
As for her personal life, the gymnast was married to the lead singer of the Pesnyary group, Leonid Bortkevich. The couple had a son, Richard, but in 2000, Leonid and Olga separated after being married for 22 years.
Back in the 90s, Olga became an emigrant and left for the USA. Last year, it was reported that the gymnast auctioned off her Olympic medals to cope with financial problems. Allegedly, about 200 thousand dollars were obtained for the medals. True, the athlete herself denied this information...
In the end, I suggest once again enjoying the amazing skill of Olga Korbut
Indeed, Olga Korbut will be remembered for a long time by gymnastics fans. She can safely be put on a par with the best athletes in history. She deserved it!
The world famous Soviet gymnast Olga Valentinovna Korbut was born on May 16, 1955 in the city of Grodno, Belarus. At the age of 8, the girl began to engage in gymnastics, and she made this decision on her own. Since 1963, Olga attended the section of coach Yaroslav Korol.
Interestingly, at that time the girl looked quite plump 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 artistic gymnastics coach Renald Knysh. It was this specialist who was able to discern hidden talent in the well-fed girl.
The young athlete turned out to be very hardworking and thought only about the correct execution of gymnastic elements. Olga Korbut’s first steps in artistic gymnastics and a tangible achievement happened in 1970, when the 15-year-old athlete won the USSR championship in the vault. After such progress of the gymnast, the coaches signed her up for the national team.
Awards and achievements of Olga Korbut
Olga Korbut 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 exercise;
- 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 was having fun on the uneven bars during a break between classes and randomly performed a unique trick. Her coach Renald Knysh managed to notice this and, together with Olga, began to practice the loop, which later received the name Korbut.
The element performed by Olga, “Korbut Loop,” generally looked like this. The execution of the unique element begins on the top crossbar of uneven bars. The gymnast stands on it with her feet and flies into the air, performing a back somersault, then returns to the top 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 apply to 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 master this dangerous and extremely difficult element.
The first performance of the Korbut loop at official competitions happened at the USSR championship in 1970. The young then 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 spectators were overjoyed when a young Soviet gymnast with her signature pigtails performed a unique new element in her uneven bars program. The international media did not skimp on flattering epithets addressed to Olga Korbut, who, after a phenomenal element, became an Olympic champion.
The following year, the Soviet gymnast was awarded the title of best athlete in the world. Olga Korbut’s noose left no one indifferent.
What does the Korbut Loop look like?
The loop is performed only on a pair of crossbars of different heights. Upon completion of the previous element, the athlete comes to the top bar, stands on it with her feet and pushes off, flying into the air and doing a back somersault, that is, jumping over herself backwards.
Having completed the flip in the air, the gymnast returns to the same crossbar from which she just came 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 girl’s body meets on its way with a low crossbar just below the waist, in the hip area. At the same time, the gymnast begins to rotate her legs and arms around the low axis, gracefully releasing the upper bar with her hands.
Thus, having completed a full rotation, the girl springs back from the lower crossbar, which begins to bend. As a result of this movement, she flies up in the air and quickly grabs the top bar with her hands. To complete such a complex figure, the gymnast performs a graceful dismount onto the mats.
Why was the Korbut Loop banned?
Performing dangerous stunts significantly increases the likelihood of serious injury in an already unsafe sport. Therefore, the removal of this element from the artistic 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 made the obvious decision only after the tragedy. The reason for the ban was very serious - a serious injury to the athlete. In July 1980, Elena Mukhina, while preparing for the 1980 home Olympic Games, unsuccessfully performed the Korbut Loop and landed on the floor, hitting her head hard. The result of this 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 their performances at competitions, athletes often come up with difficult and spectacular elements to perform, thereby increasing the risk of injury in dangerous artistic 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.
