Олимпиада жеңімпазының тағдыры: Кеңестік гимнасткадан американдық жаттықтырушыға дейін

Soviet gymnast; American instructor since 1991

Korbut retired from gymnastics in 1977 at the age of 22, considered young for gymnasts of the period, (small town near Kalinkavichy). She started training at age 8, and entered a Belarusian sports school headed by coach Renald Knysh at age 9. There, Korbut's first trainer was Elena Volchetskaya, an Olympic gold medalist (1964), but she was moved to Knysh's group a year later. Initially he found her "lazy and capricious" but he also saw potential in her great talent, unusually supple spine, and charisma. She finished fifth at her first competition in the 1969 USSR championships, where she was allowed to compete as a 14 year old. In 1973, she won the Russian and World Student (i. e., University) Games, and a silver medal in the all around at the European Championships. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Soviet coaches and officials had designated Korbut as the woman who could beat the Romanian prodigy, Nadia Comăneci, but Korbut was injured and her performances in the games were sub par. She was overshadowed not only by Comăneci, but also by her own teammate Nellie Kim. In 1991, she and her family immigrated to the United States, because they were worried about the effects of fallout from the Chernobyl disaster on Belarus. They settled in New Jersey, where she taught gymnastics. They moved to Georgia two years later where she continued to coach. Korbut and Bortkevich divorced in 2000; In 2002 Korbut moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, to become head coach at Scottsdale Gymnastics and Cheerleading. Korbut faced Darva Conger on an episode of Celebrity Boxing which aired on 22 May 2002. Conger won by unanimous decision. Since then she has worked with private gymnastics pupils and done motivational speaking. Korbut travelled to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics. She watched the gymnastics competitions in the North Greenwich Arena, providing commentary by way of Twitter and Facebook. As well as historical artifacts, the exhibit featured the personal stories of 16 Olympic medallists, including Korbut. Korbut celebrated the 40th anniversary of her Olympic victories with an appearance at the exhibition on 3 August. She said "I didn't even expect this. I am so honored to be here." In 2017, Korbut sold her 1972 and 1976 Olympic medals amongst 32 lots (including two golds and a silver from the Munich Olympics) which fetched $333,500 at Heritage Auctions. In 1999, she spoke out about alleged sexual assault and rape she suffered at the hands of her coach, Renald Knysh, which he denied. Korbut stated, "The truth was that many of the gymnasts were not just sport machines but sexual slaves to their trainer. We were not just potential gymnasts but future concubines for himself." Later in 2018, Korbut appeared in a TV show in which she again spoke out about several incidents in which she alleged that her coach sexually assaulted her. As a result of Korbut speaking out publicly, several other gymnasts who had also trained under Knysh spoke of similar incidents to Korbut's allegations.

Korbut, who has won four Olympic gold medals, is best known for her move, the Korbut flip, a backflip performed on the uneven parallel bars, starting from a standing position on the high bar and then catching the same bar from below on the under swing. She also achieved the flip on the 4" balance bar onto the straddle position and later the flip landing on her feet. Named after Korbut since she was the first to perform the skill at an international competition in 1972, the move has since been made illegal in the Olympic Code of Points. In addition to greatly publicizing gymnastics worldwide, she also contributed to a marked change in the tenor of the sport itself. Prior to 1972, the athletes were generally older and the focus was on elegance rather than acrobatics. In the decade after Korbut's Olympic debut, the emphasis was reversed. Her 1972 Olympic achievement earned her the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year and ABC's Wide World of Sports title of Athlete of the Year. In a UK poll conducted by Channel 4 in 2002 the public voted "Olga Korbut charms the world" No.46 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments. With her display of artistry and grace Korbut, along with Nadia Comăneci, brought unprecedented popularity to the sport in the early to mid 1970s, attributes which are now seen as a lost art in gymnastics with athleticism taking precedence.

Vault: Handspring forward with a full twist onto the table with a full twist off, no saltos (4.0); and Handspring forward with a full twist onto the table with no twists or saltos off (3.60). Uneven Bars: Arched layout backflip from standing on top of the high bar to regrasp the same bar; and Back Layout Dismount from standing on top of the high bar to past the low bar (both no longer in the Code of Points). Balance Beam: Back handspring to swing down to cross straddle sit (B); Back Tuck Salto (C although not named after her, first to perform it); and Front Tuck Salto Dismount (A not named after her, first to perform). Floor: Back Layout to Chest Position (A).