GK Recently found this great photo of Olga Korbut in a GK warm-up and we wanted to give her a proper shout out by paying tribute to her successful gymnastics career.
The year was 1969 when Korbut entered her first adult Soviet national championship and introduced back somersaults on both the beam (Korbut Salto) and the bars (Korbut Flip) to gymnastics. Although the judges disagreed with the changes she was making to the sport, the crowd instantly fell in love with her. Her bold dazzling moves, some that have never been replicated, took Korbut to the 1972 Munich Olympics where she earned 3 Gold Medals and the Montreal Olympics in '76 where she brought home her fourth Gold medal and stole the hearts of fans throughout the world. Korbut was an instant star! Her smile was sweet and contagious; she was bright, daring, and easy to love. Perhaps that's why she acquired so many positives titles. After the '72 Olympics, ABC named her "Athlete of the year"; the United Nations named her "Woman of the Year" in 1975 for her ability to bring the world together; and in 1994 Sports Illustrated listed her as one of the top athletes in the last 40 years.
As you can imagine, there's so much more to tell about this amazing woman, but the point is, she's helped to shape our sport, and for that, we love her.
If you want to warm up and cool down in the brand that champions like Olga Korbut wear proudly, visit our selection of warm-ups online.
GK. Choice of Champions