Gymnastics in Olympics
Gymnastics is an international sport practiced by many. Gymnasts train hard and prepare for their competitions well in advance. Whether they are young kids participating in beginner gym classes or they are experienced adults, they use flexibility, strength, agility, balance, and coordination. When a well trained gymnast steps onto the mat or jumps up on the beam, their focus and determination shines through gracefully in their routine.
Gymnastics requires perfect balance of Human body, mind and spirit. Gymnastics is a sport, which demands balance, prowess and understanding of the game. All these things have to be in tandem for a gymnast to be able to perform above par. Some of the gymnasts in the Olympic events over the years have displayed such prowess and skill which have led them to the top.
Both male and female contestants can participate in the Gymnastics section in the Summer Games. Often the gymnasts participate in more than one event to prove their mettle. However, the athletes are divided into various groups based on the age, gender and fitness of the gymnasts.Gymnastics categories in Olympics
Gymnastics was officially introduced in the Olympics domain during the year 1972. There are sub categories in the gymnastics like:
Floor Exercise
Vault
Wide Beam
Tumbling
Rings
Parallel Bars
Horizontal Bar
Pommel Horse
Uneven Bars
Hoop
Rhythm
Ball
Competition: Olympic competition consists of:
Team -- Six athletes are on a team. In preliminaries, five athletes compete on each event and four scores count. In finals, three athletes compete on each event and every score counts towards the team total.
Individual All-Around -- An athlete competes on all four events and the total score is added up.
Individual Events -- An event champion is named on each apparatus.
The Gymnastics legends have achieved success in their endeavor to display their talents and prowess. Some of them are:Great Gymnastic players in Olympics
Nadia Comaneci – The Romanian gymnast Nadia Elena Comaneci is one of the best players to have participated in the Olympics. The champion had won five gold medals in the gymnastics event in the Summer Games. She was also the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 at the Olympics.
Larisa Latynina – This Soviet Union gymnast was an invincible figure at the Olympic gymnastics. He had won 9 gold medals in his three appearances at he Olympics.
