The only gymnast capable of stealing some of the Japanese team's thunder in the early 1970s, Nikolai Andrianov made sure his country's flag waved above the Olympic All-around podium in 1976. That was the beginning: Four years later, Andrianov marshalled the Soviet team to gold in Moscow, supplanting Japan as the world's top programme. Andrianov holds the record for most Olympic medals won by a male gymnast, with 15.
The daughter of a professional football player and a former World Champion in Rhythmic Group Gymnastics, Anna Bessonova was a star from the beginning, winning a surprise bronze at her debut World Championships in 2001. The star of the Ukrainian team from that moment on, she was one of the few high-level gymnasts to win golds both as a member of the Group and as an individual on the World stage.
Being the first American Mixed Pair to win gold at a World Championships was only one of the pioneering accomplishments in the careers of Arthur Davis and Shenea Booth. After tying Yuri Trubitsin and Elena Kirjanova for the World title in 2002, Booth and Davis returned stronger in 2004, winning a second World gold, this time alone. Both enjoyed professional renown after retiring from competition: Davis as a choreographer, Booth as an acrobat and performing artist.
With five World gold medals, Jonatan Canada is the most successful performer in the history of Aerobic Gymnastics. His talent was not limited to a single Aerobic discipline: with partner Alba de las Heras, Canada shared the World title in Mixed Pairs in 1996, and tasted Trio gold with de las Heras and Israel Carrasco in 2002. But it was in Individual Men’s competition where he proved most brilliant: along with Korea’s Park Kwang Soo, Canada is the only gymnast to have won three World titles in the category (1998, 2000, 2002) in addition to gold at The World Games in 2001. As a final curtain call, he and de la Heras took the Mixed Pairs title at The World Games in 2005, nine years after their initial triumph on the World stage.
Latynina’s All-around crown passed to the dynamic Czech Vera Caslavska at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. To date, Caslavska is the last gymnast to have won back-to-back All-around titles -- she successfully defended her Olympic title in 1968, and added another three gold medals in event finals.
For 12 years between 1954 and 1966, Boris Shakhlin's name appeared at the top of scoreboards at the World Championships and Olympic Games. The premier gymnast of the strong Soviet teams of the 1950s, Shakhlin retired in 1966, an Olympic gold medallist on all events except Floor Exercise and Still Rings.
On a team noted for its expertise on Uneven Bars and Balance Beam, Cheng shone on Vault, where she won three World titles (2005-07), and on Floor, where she clinched the Chinese women’s only Olympic team gold in Beijing in 2008.
Even when executing their most difficult elements, Sergei Popov and Mikola Cherbak never lost their sense of elegance, which followed them in their competitive careers and beyond. Together they shared two World titles (2006, 2008) as well as gold at The World Games in 2009. Afterward, they passed onto a new stage as professional acrobats, bringing their brand of Acro in shows across Europe.
His black hair and captivating presence on the floor drew the attention of the crowds, while a solid family backing in and out of the gym propelled Revaz Gurgenidze to two World titles and gold at The World Games. With Anna Katchalova he captured gold at The World Games in 2005 and the World title in 2006. A stint with Cirque du Soleil followed before Guregenidze made a comeback with Tatiana Okulova in 2010 and 2012, their collaboration leading to a run of silver at Worlds. Finally in 2014, with new partner Marina Chernova and a host of new difficulty, the World title was once again his. After Gurgenidze’s retirement, Chernova for her part went on to win another gold with new partner Georgii Pataraia at the 2016 Worlds.
Oksana Chusovitina’s storied career, which began with a World gold on Floor Exercise in 1991 and extended a quarter century later through the Rio Olympic Games, is one for the ages. Now in her early 40s, the grande dame of the sport is still at the summit of her abilities, as she showed in 2017 by making the Vault final at the World Championships.
No Olympic Trampoline gymnast is as decorated as Canada's Cockburn, who earned three Olympic medals -- a silver and two bronze -- over a prosperous career that spanned four Olympic Games. Following the birth of her daughter Emilie (with 2000 Olympic Trampoline bronze medallist Mathieu Turgeon) in 2013, Cockburn took a break from the sport. She returned for the 2015 Pan American Games in her hometown of Toronto, which accorded her a hero's welcome.
The 14-year-old from Onesti, Romania became world famous after the first day of competition at the 1976 Montreal Games, where she scored the first perfect 10 at the Olympics in the modern era of Gymnastics for her compulsory Bars routine. She would go on to earn six more perfect marks over the course of the Games, and remains one of the most legendary figures in the sport.
A versatile member of the strong Romanian team of the 2010s, Oana Corina Constantin shone at everything she put her hand to. While the fitness instructor savored World title with her team in 2012, The World Games title in 2013 and golds with the Trio and Group in 2014, it was not until the twilight of her career in 2016 that she captured the one medal missing from her vast collection: gold in Women’s Individual -- and a moment in the spotlight all her own.
Being the first American Mixed Pair to win gold at a World Championships was only one of the pioneering accomplishments in the careers of Arthur Davis and Shenea Booth. After tying Yuri Trubitsin and Elena Kirjanova for the World title in 2002, Booth and Davis returned stronger in 2004, winning a second World gold, this time alone. Both enjoyed professional renown after retiring from competition: Davis as a choreographer, Booth as an acrobat and performing artist.
Irina Deriugina’s two World All-around titles, captured in 1977 and 1979, made her the face of Rhythmic Gymnastics in Soviet Ukraine. While Deriugina was influential as a gymnast, paving the way for the Ukrainian stars of the 1990s and 2000s, she has had even more success as a coach: she and her mother Albina now guide the country’s best at the Deriugina School in Kiev.
The 2012 Olympic champion in Men's Trampoline graced all World and Olympic podiums between 2007 and 2014, his three World titles and two Olympic medals a symbol of China's decade of superiority in Trampoline. Though eclipsed by his younger teammates in 2015, Dong Dong's heart still burns with competitive fire. Chasing the medal record of the great Alexander Moskalenko, he welcomes a third Olympic battle in Rio.
It goes to show that persistence wins ultimate prizes. Konstantin Pilipchuk and Alexei Dudchenko finished second at three consecutive World Championships (2006, 2008 and 2010) before finally claiming World gold in 2012 and 2014. Their playful artistic style on the competition floor, mixed with the absolute mastery of their skills, made them a rare pair.
One of the early protégées of the celebrated Bulgarian Rhythmic school of the 1960s and 1970s, Mariya Gigova was the first gymnast from her country to win the coveted World All-around title, which she did three times (1969, 1971 and 1973). Gigova’s speciality was the Hoop, the apparatus with which she won four World golds, a feat still unprecedented today.
His black hair and captivating presence on the floor drew the attention of the crowds, while a solid family backing in and out of the gym propelled Revaz Gurgenidze to two World titles and gold at The World Games. With Anna Katchalova he captured gold at The World Games in 2005 and the World title in 2006. A stint with Cirque du Soleil followed before Guregenidze made a comeback with Tatiana Okulova in 2010 and 2012, their collaboration leading to a run of silver at Worlds. Finally in 2014, with new partner Marina Chernova and a host of new difficulty, the World title was once again his. After Gurgenidze’s retirement, Chernova for her part went on to win another gold with new partner Georgii Pataraia at the 2016 Worlds.
Three Aerobic World titles (1998, 1999, 2002) in Individual Women’s mark Yuriko Ito out as the best Japanese Aerobic gymnast in history. Along with Brazil’s Marcela Lopez, the high-energy Ito is the only woman to have tripled down on World gold in Individual.
A mainstay of the French national team for more than a decade, former Artistic gymnast Joly contributed to its enormous success in several categories. Her greatest moments included winning gold at the World Championships in 2008 and at The World Games in 2009 with Mixed Pairs partner Julien Chaninet. After a fruitful career, she initially retired after the 2014 World Championships, but returned in 2016 to guide the French to their first ever World title in Aerobic Step.
Alina Kabayeva was a smiling sensation. No matter how hard the skills she performed or how much flexibility was required, when she was before the judges, her smile never wavered. The Uzbek-born phenomenon had plenty of reasons to grin during her decade-long international career: After winning bronze at the 2000 Olympics, she captured the ultimate prize in Athens in 2004 before retiring gracefully, still at the top of her game, three years later.
In the realm of Rhythmic Gymnastics, Evgeniya Kanaeva's accomplishments outshine those of any other competitor. The only two-time Olympic champion to date in Rhythmic Gymnastics, Kanaeva became the sport's latest ingenue when she won the Olympic crown in Beijing in 2008, and solidifed her status as its most legendary figure when she successfully defended it four years later. Nothing stopped her in the interim, either: at the 2009 Worlds, she became the first ever to sweep all five individual golds, a feat she repeated in 2011.
The first Olympic champion in women's Trampoline also demonstrated great sportswomanship off it. At the 2001 World Championships, the judges awarded Karavaeva the title. But the Russian herself did not agree with the result: realising that a judging mistake had robbed Germany's Anna Dogonadze of gold, Karavaeva gave the World medal to her friend and competitor. This generous gesture did not go unnoticed: Karavaeva's actions were lauded by the FIG and IOC, who awarded her with the prestigious International Fair Play award. Karavaeva would go on to recapture the World title in 2005 and 2007.
A model of consistency and elegance on the mat, Sawao Kato was recompensated with 12 Olympic medals, eight of them gold. Kato, the Olympic champion in 1968 and 1972, is the last man to have won back-to-back All-around golds at the Games and holds the record for the number of Olympic gold medals won in the sport.
Once considered too tall for Gymnastics, the statuesque Svetlana Khorkina turned the tables on her detractors by pioneering new and creative skills that suited her 1.65 meter frame. Khorkina was best on the Uneven Bars, where she won Olympic gold in 1996 and 2000.
The impish Olga Korbut captivated the public with her daring backflip catch on Uneven Bars at the 1972 Munich Games. Korbut’s bold routines, which resulted in three gold medals, also helped push the sport in a new direction as gymnasts added new, innovative, and more difficult elements to their exercises.
In the precocious Yana Kudryavtseva, Rhythmic Gymnastics found its new "It" girl following the retirement of the legendary Evgenia Kanaeva. A three-time World champion (2013-15) at just 18, Kudryavtseva, the "Angel with Iron Wings," became the youngest gymnast ever to win the World All-around title in 2013, when she was just 15. She is the heavy favorite for Olympic gold in Rio, the only jewel not in her crown of accomplishments.
The swan of the Soviet Gymnastics school that burst onto the international scene in the 1950s, Larissa Latynina owns 18 medals, nine of them gold, from the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games. She held the record for the most Olympic medals won by a single athlete until 2012, when it was broken by swimmer Michael Phelps.
Li Ning's impeccable air sense and precise performances made him China's first "Prince of Gymnastics" in the early 1980s. Li helped the Chinese men captured their first ever World team title in 1983, and added three individual golds at the Los Angeles Games a year later. He went airbourne for the last time at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he lit the Olympic flame during the Opening Ceremony.
Few couples have enjoyed a greater run of success on the Aerobic floor than Sara Moreno and Vicente Llli. After being crowned Mixed Pairs World champions in 2010, they retained their title in 2012, the same year Moreno was Individual Women’s champion. The duo equally took the crown at the inaugural European Games in 2015.
They were the driving forces behind Russia’s Acrobatic success in Women’s Trio, and for nearly a decade on the international stage their combined efforts catapulted them to five World medals, three of them gold. The “Ekaterinas,” the best bases of their era, paired first with flier Gouzel Khassanova to win the World title in 2004 and took silvers with Albina Zimmarova and Anastasia Chistykova, respectively, in 2006 and 2008. But it was with the diminutive Aygul Shaykhudinova that they achieved their greatest results: back-to-back World titles in 2010 and 2012, with golds at The World Games in 2009 and 2013 bookending their triumphant collaboration.
The immensely successful careers of Yulia Lopatkina and Anna Mokhova straddled a radical format change in World competition, when medals were given out for Balance, Tempo and Overall performances to the incorporation of the all-important Combined exercise. Stylish and dynamic, they won regardless, going undefeated in their category at the World Championships between 1999 – where they swept the golds -- and their final bow in 2004. In the history of the discipline, Acro has rarely seen such a dominant pair.
Gifted with grace, power and technical mastery, Marcela Lopez remained unbeatable in Individual Women’s competition for three straight editions of the World Championships (2006, 2008, 2010). The Brazilian talent also earning gold in her predilection at The World Games in 2009. Before her individual breakout performance in 2006, Lopez was part of Brazil’s golden Trio in 2004, in company with Marina Lopez and Cibele Oliani.
Two-time World champion Wayne Miller gave the sport of Trampoline one of its eponymous skills, which still bears his name today. The Miller -- a skill combining two flips and three twists -- was the result of trial and error; Miller initially set out to work on a diving skill that involved entering the water head first. Miller's coach suggested adding an extra half twisting somersault at the end, and bringing it to the Trampoline. The final product helped lift him to the World titles in 1966 and 1970. The "Miller" is so hard that the best are still performing it today.
Romanian strength in Aerobic Gymnastics at the dawn of the FIG era was embodied by the dynamic Claudiu Moldovan, Andrei Nezezon and Claudiu Varlam, World titlists in Trio in 1996 and 1997. Of the three, Moldovan rested longest at the summit, pairing with Remus Nicolai and Gheorghe Dorel Mois for a third Trio title in 2000.
Few couples have enjoyed a greater run of success on the Aerobic floor than Sara Moreno and Vicente Llli. After being crowned Mixed Pairs World champions in 2010, they retained their title in 2012, the same year Moreno was Individual Women’s champion. The duo equally took the crown at the inaugural European Games in 2015.
The first king of Olympic Trampoline, Moskalenko dominated the sport during the 1990s, winning five individual world titles between 1990 and 2001. He initially retired in 1998, but returned to the sport shortly after learning Trampoline would be part of the 2000 Olympic programme. His efforts were not in vain: he captured Olympic gold medal in Sydney by a whopping 2.4 points over his nearest competitor. Despite a nagging back, Moskalenko stuck around for another four years, going on to win silver at the Athens Games at the twilight of a brilliant career.
With Aliya Mustafina, Russia’s long wait for a World All-around champion finally came to an end in 2010. A serious knee injury sustained in 2011 threatened her chances for success at the 2012 Olympics, but Mustafina was not to be deterred. With four medals in London, including gold on Uneven Bars, she became Russia’s most decorated athlete at the Games. Four years later in Rio, she added another three medals, retaining her Olympic title on the Uneven Bars, and successfully defending her All-around bronze.
The first of the great Russians of the post-Soviet era, Nemov combined Soviet elegance with exceptional personal charisma. Powerful and precise on the competition floor, he enjoyed showed off his playful nature during popular exhibition performances. But it was in competition where he really distinguished himself. He retired with 12 Olympic medals, including the 2000 All-around gold.
Romanian strength in Aerobic Gymnastics at the dawn of the FIG era was embodied by the dynamic Claudiu Moldovan, Andrei Nezezon and Claudiu Varlam, World titlists in Trio in 1996 and 1997. Of the three, Moldovan rested longest at the summit, pairing with Remus Nicolai and Gheorghe Dorel Mois for a third Trio title in 2000.
Email: voskner@gmail.com On the Aerobic floor, Tatyana Solovieva and Vladislav Oskner were an unstoppable force, winning back-to-back golds at The World Games (1997, 2001) and four World Mixed Pairs titles in a row (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002), the most of any pair in Aerobic’s 20-year history. The pair’s involvement in the sport didn’t end with their competitive careers: Oskner became a judge, while Solovieva was head coach of the Russian national Aerobic team before her death in 2016. Her son Denis Soloviev is a two-time World medallist.
An integral part of the “Golden Girls” generation of Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics during the 1980s, Bianca Panova is famous for being the first gymnast ever to sweep all five individual gold medals at a World Championships, which she accomplished in Varna in 1987, to the delight of the home crowd. Change passport to BEL 12.11.2024
As the curtain fell on the 20th century, Korea’s Park Kwang Soo was the toast of the Aerobic World. After a bronze medal finish at the inaugural World Championships in 1995, Park came back to win the competition in 1996, 1997 and 1999, finishing second in 1998 and 2000. His six World medals in a single category are a record in Individual Men’s competition.
Maria Petrova’s dominance on the World and European level endured from 1992 to 1996, as she racked three World (1993-95) and two European (1992, 1994) All-around titles. Petrova is one of only four gymnasts to have won three World All-around golds, a select group that includes her countrywoman Maria Gigova.
It goes to show that persistence wins ultimate prizes. Konstantin Pilipchuk and Alexei Dudchenko finished second at three consecutive World Championships (2006, 2008 and 2010) before finally claiming World gold in 2012 and 2014. Their playful artistic style on the competition floor, mixed with the absolute mastery of their skills, made them a rare pair.
The elegant “Lilipod” enchanted judges and audiences alike with her balletic style, which concealed extreme power tumbling and vaulting abilities. Podkopayeva triumphed over one of the most competitive fields ever to win All-around gold in Atlanta in 1996, a year after becoming World champion.
Even when executing their most difficult elements, Sergei Popov and Mikola Cherbak never lost their sense of elegance, which followed them in their competitive careers and beyond. Together they shared two World titles (2006, 2008) as well as gold at The World Games in 2009. Afterward, they passed onto a new stage as professional acrobats, bringing their brand of Acro in shows across Europe.
At the twilight of the Soviet era, the "man from Minsk" made sure the system that created him went out in a golden blaze of glory. In a tour de force unlikely to be seen again, Scherbo captured six of the eight golds available in the men's competition, winning the All-around, with the Unified Team, as well as Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault and Parallel Bars. He ended his career after the 1996 Olympics, retiring 10 Olympic and 23 World medals, the latter a record in Gymnastics.
They were the driving forces behind Russia’s Acrobatic success in Women’s Trio, and for nearly a decade on the international stage their combined efforts catapulted them to five World medals, three of them gold. The “Ekaterinas,” the best bases of their era, paired first with flier Gouzel Khassanova to win the World title in 2004 and took silvers with Albina Zimmarova and Anastasia Chistykova, respectively, in 2006 and 2008. But it was with the diminutive Aygul Shaykhudinova that they achieved their greatest results: back-to-back World titles in 2010 and 2012, with golds at The World Games in 2009 and 2013 bookending their triumphant collaboration.
Romania’s Daniela Silivas seemed able to do everything, and proved it by earning seven perfect 10s at the 1988 Olympics, as many as Nadia herself earned in 1976. Although the All-around gold went to Yelena Shushunova, Silivas scored three of the four golds in event finals, making sure her name went down in history as well.
On the Aerobic floor, Tatyana Solovieva and Vladislav Oskner were an unstoppable force, winning back-to-back golds at The World Games (1997, 2001) and four World Mixed Pairs titles in a row (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002), the most of any pair in Aerobic’s 20-year history. The pair’s involvement in the sport didn’t end with their competitive careers: Oskner became a judge, while Solovieva was head coach of the Russian national Aerobic team before her death in 2016. Her son Denis Soloviev is a two-time World medallist.
They were the driving forces behind Russia’s Acrobatic success in Women’s Trio, and for nearly a decade on the international stage their combined efforts catapulted them to five World medals, three of them gold. The “Ekaterinas,” the best bases of their era, paired first with flier Gouzel Khassanova to win the World title in 2004 and took silvers with Albina Zimmarova and Anastasia Chistykova, respectively, in 2006 and 2008. But it was with the diminutive Aygul Shaykhudinova that they achieved their greatest results: back-to-back World titles in 2010 and 2012, with golds at The World Games in 2009 and 2013 bookending their triumphant collaboration.
For all their titles and for all their glory, this Chinese Men’s Group remains well known for managing to incorporate the human jumprope, a see-it-to-believe-it skill, into their routine at the 2012 Worlds. The jumprope just scratched the surface of the Group’s abilities, which also included a rare combination of three release moves, which they used to dominate competition at the World Championships not just in 2012 but at The World Games in 2013 and a second Worlds in 2014.
Mitsuo Tsukahara's five Olympic gold medals earned between 1968 and 1976 place him squarely in the hall of the greats. He is better remembered, however, for the gifts he gave the sport in the form of two elements that bear his name. The first, a basic vault, is one of the cornerstones of the event. The second, the full-twisting double back somersault he used as a dismount from Horizontal Bar, is still one of the most popular elements in Gymnastics.
The absolute master of the All-around since 2009, Kohei Uchimura's quest for perfection has led him to six consecutive World All-around titles, three more than any other gymnast, male or female. Nicknamed "Superman" by his competitors, Uchimura's CV also includes the 2012 Olympic All-around title and 19 World medals, 10 of them gold. Uchimura has no plans to stop anytime soon: his goals include competing before his home crowd at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Romanian strength in Aerobic Gymnastics at the dawn of the FIG era was embodied by the dynamic Claudiu Moldovan, Andrei Nezezon and Claudiu Varlam, World titlists in Trio in 1996 and 1997. Of the three, Moldovan rested longest at the summit, pairing with Remus Nicolai and Gheorghe Dorel Mois for a third Trio title in 2000.
For all their titles and for all their glory, this Chinese Men’s Group remains well known for managing to incorporate the human jumprope, a see-it-to-believe-it skill, into their routine at the 2012 Worlds. The jumprope just scratched the surface of the Group’s abilities, which also included a rare combination of three release moves, which they used to dominate competition at the World Championships not just in 2012 but at The World Games in 2013 and a second Worlds in 2014.
For all their titles and for all their glory, this Chinese Men’s Group remains well known for managing to incorporate the human jumprope, a see-it-to-believe-it skill, into their routine at the 2012 Worlds. The jumprope just scratched the surface of the Group’s abilities, which also included a rare combination of three release moves, which they used to dominate competition at the World Championships not just in 2012 but at The World Games in 2013 and a second Worlds in 2014.
The hardworking Yang Wei finished second at his first Olympic Games in 2000, but never stopped working until he attained the ultimate Olympic prize. Throughout his nearly decade-long career, he was the driving engine of the Chinese men's team. He retired in glory after the 2008 Olympics, where he finally attained the summit of the sport: Olympic gold with his team, and the All-around title for himself.
For all their titles and for all their glory, this Chinese Men’s Group remains well known for managing to incorporate the human jumprope, a see-it-to-believe-it skill, into their routine at the 2012 Worlds. The jumprope just scratched the surface of the Group’s abilities, which also included a rare combination of three release moves, which they used to dominate competition at the World Championships not just in 2012 but at The World Games in 2013 and a second Worlds in 2014.
