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Gymnastics goes International
In 1881 the Bureau of the European Gymnastics Federation was formed. This meant the gymnastics was now an organized sport internationally. Today, the federation is called the International Gymnastics Federation, or FIG as most gymnasts call it. -
Gymnastics in the USA
In 1883, gymnastics in the US got a governing body, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). This was the first governing body the US had. -
Gymnastics in the Olympics
Gymnastics first appeared in the Olympics in 1896, however the sport was much different than it currently is today. -
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The Soviet Union Rules
From 1952 - 1992, the Soviet Union won every team gold medal at the Olympics. They were known for their incredible difficulty and execution. They were a huge powerhouse in the sport of gymnastics. -
USAG
In 1970, USA Gymnastics (USAG) was formed as the sports sole governing body. It is still in use today. -
Nadia Comaneci
In 1976, at the Olympic games Nadia Comaneci because the first gymnast to ever get a perfect 10. Nadia was just 14 years old. She was coached by Bela Karolyi, who would later defect to the US with his wife Martha. -
The Karolyi's
In 1981, Bela and Martha Karolyi defected to the US from Romania. They were perhaps the biggest influence on American gymnastics as we know it. The Karolyi's trained some of the biggest names in gymnastics. They were the coaches that you had to go to if you wanted to make it to the Olympics. -
The Magnificent Seven
At the 1996 Olympic games, the US won the team gold and ended Russia's reign in gymnastics. The team comprised of Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps was dubbed, The Magnificent Seven. The most famous moment from this event was Kerri Strug's vault. After injuring her ankle on her first vault, Strug managed to perform her second one and land on one leg to clinch the team gold medal. -
Martha's Reign
In 2000, after Bela's retirement from National Team Coordinator, his wife Martha became the NTC, where she led many gymnasts to gold until her retirement after the 2016 Olympics. -
The Olympic All-Around
In 2004, the Olympic all-around gold medal was won by Carly Patterson of the USA. Since then, every Olympic all-around gold medal had gone to the US. With Nastia Liukin getting it in 2008, Gabby Douglas in 2012, and Simone Biles in 2016. -
The Fierce Five
At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the US women won the second Olympic team gold medal in history. The team was comprised of Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, Mckayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross. -
Simone Biles' Domination
In 2013, Simone Biles rose to the surface and is perhaps the greatest female gymnast of all time. She has yet to lose a competition since her reign began in 2013. She has the ability to perform great difficulty and great execution. Biles is the most decorated female gymnast of all time. She took a break for 2 years after domination in 2016 at the Olympics. She came back recently in 2018. Even with the many mistakes she had, she still won. With no signs of losing, Biles looks better than before. -
The Final Five
At the Rio Olympics in 2016, the US women continued their hold on the team gold and won again. The team formed of Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian named themselves The Final Five. The name was in reference to many things. First it was the last year that the Olympic team will be comprised of 5 girls, as the FIG is changing the team to 4, so they are the last team of 5 to win gold. Second, it was Martha's 5th and final Olympic Games as NTC. -
The Nassar Scandal
In 2016, an article was published telling of the sexual abuse by team doctor, Larry Nassar. USAG had been aware of the abuse after many gymnasts came forward, yet they didn't do anything. Since the initial article over 150 women have come out publicly that they were abused by Nassar as well. It had been happening for the past 30 years, and no one in leadership did anything to stop it. Nassar was sentenced to 175 years in prison. USAG fired all of their management and is currently restructuring.
