Biography

Olga Korbut was born on May 16th, 1955 in Grodno (Hrodna), Belarus.

Her father, Valentin Korbut, worked as an engineer in a factory. Her mother, Valentina Korbut, was employed as a cook. Olga is the youngest of four sisters: Irina, born in 1946, Zemfira, born in 1948, and Ludmilla, born in 1953. Ludmilla Korbut, also a gymnast, achieved the title of Master of Sports.

Olga was noticed for her athletic ability in elementary school. Olga was the smallest in her class but she could run faster and jump higher than any of the other girls and many of the boys. She was always getting into mischief, climbing fences and trees to help herself to fruit. When she had her first gymnastics lesson she fell in love with the demanding sport. During these early stages, Olga showed tremendous promise and ability. Olga also had the example of her sister Ludmilla to look up to.

When Olga was eight years old she tried out for a place in the sports school run by Renald Knysh. Knysh has a well-deserved reputation for being a boldly innovative coach.

In 1967 Olga Korbut entered the Belarusan junior championships, then the following year entered the Spartakiade school championship. She won gold in the vault, the balance beam, and the uneven bars, while competing against some of the best young gymnasts in the Soviet Union.

In 1969, at the age of fourteen and a half, Olga Korbut competed in her first Soviet national championship. At the championship Olga then demonstrated for the first time two unique gymnastic moves created and developed with Knysh - a backwards aerial somersault on the balance beam (Korbut Salto) and a backflip-to-catch on the uneven bars (Korbut Flip).

The Korbut Flip was the first backward release move ever achieved on the bars. Olga placed 5th in this, her first senior competition. She just missed taking home a medal due to a slip on the uneven bars.

There was a lot of discussion about Olga's spectacular moves. Despite the uproarious applause from the audience and quiet commendation from the judges present, there was some sentiment expressed that such elements were 'not at all in keeping with glorious Soviet gymnastics'. Unfortunately, this was an official comment of the National Soviet Sports Council, and were early signs of the struggle Korbut and Knysh were to face in trying to have their style of gymnastics not only recognized, but also accepted and respected.

The next year Olga Korbut finished 8th in the Soviet national championships but remained the Soviet vault champion. She was taken as a reserve to the 1970 world championships and was allowed to demonstrate her gymnastic elements to the judges. They were impressed, and pr Despite her problems, she managed to place 4th in the 1971 Soviet national championships by an amazing effort. In addition, she earned her Master of Sports title. By the time of the new year of 1972, a much more humble Olga Korbut had emerged from these trials. Olga now had two goals to achieve in her life - to finish secondary school; Olga was always a good student (in comparison, she would be graduating a year early for an American student). The second goal was to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Olga finished 3rd in the Soviet national championships - the next step then was the Riga Cup, which was to be Olga Korbut's first major international competition. Olga won. This appearance allowed the Korbut Salto, the Korbut Flip and a new move, the Korbut Flic-Flac on the balance beam, to be named after her. (Ironically, subsequent gymnasts emerging later in the sport often took more than their "fair" share of credit for the ongoing development of these moves - many moves were renamed and accredited to the current gymnastic "flavor" of the month!)

Olga graduated from secondary school on schedule, then went on to compete for the USSR cup. This competition was also the selection trials for the Soviet Women's gymnastics team that would go to the Olympics in Munich.

With the heart of a warrior, Olga performed effortlessly. Her unique elements were so amazing, even the judges could not picture how she was able to do so many technically perfect moves, never seen before, with such an appealing smile. That smile, so innocent, yet also somewhat taunting the other competitors to even try her moves; most of which have yet to be duplicated even to this day.

Olga left these Olympic Games with 3 Gold Medals, title of "Athlete of the Year" from ABC "Wide World of Sports" and because of her labors, won millions of hearts and fans throughout the world.

When Olga returned to the Soviet Union she was awarded the Honored Master of Sport in gymnastics, the youngest person ever to be honored thus. She also worked hard in obtaining a college scholarship, an impressive feat considering the amount of time Olga spent traveling, training and performing. When she returned to Grodno, she was given a heroes welcome, and was paraded through the streets on the shoulders of her relatives. Olga then started receiving fan mail, to Olga's amazement. There were even letters from the United States, the Soviet Union's cold war enemy, and her extraordinary international appeal, alongside that of other notable Russian celebrities, may have helped pave the

When the fall of 1972 came, Olga was in college, practicing and doing tours. The schedule was hectic, even for someone as strong as Olga was.

Some time in the winter of 1973 a BBC documentary crew came to Grodno and filmed a one hour special about Olga Korbut. The program was an honest portrayal of her day to day life. It showed that she was in many ways a regular young woman. It also showed that Olga was intelligent, spirited and determined, and extraordinary too.

In March of 1973 with her health and condition much improved she led the Soviet women's gymnastic team on a tour of the United States. Olga reveled in the superstar attention, saying, "I expected a warm welcome, but not this warm" the first time she was greeted by her fan club in Los Angeles. "I don't feel like a star," she said. But she is a star.

In New York she received two of her athlete of the year awards. The Associated Press award was presented at Madison Square Garden live on television. Refreshed from the tour Olga went into training for the World University Games that were held in Moscow in August 1973.

In 1974 Olga Korbut competed in the World Championship's at Verna Bulgaria, where she won 5 medals.

In 1975 the United Nations honored Olga for ability to bring the world together by naming her the "Women of the Year" and awarded her with the "Gold Tuning Fork".

Also in 1975, Olga was selected as "Athlete of the Year" by Women's Sport Foundation.

She continued to amaze the athletic community when she won one her fourth Olympic Gold Medal at Montreal in 1976. After which she made the transition to coaching the Soviet team. Thus leaving competitive gymnastics an undisputed champion and a pioneer of such advanced techniques, that these techniques are still considered "impossible".

In 1977 Olga Korbut retired from gymnastic competition. She completed college and became a head coach at Belarusian team.

In 1979, Olga Korbut gave birth to Richard, her only child.

In 1988 Olga Korbut was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame as the first inductee.

In 1991 Olga Korbut and her family immigrated to the United States.

During the 1996 Olympic Games she was the official attache of Belarus. She was interviewed and profiled on NBC sports and given the accolade "The Mother of Gymnastics".

In 1994, Olga was named a Sport Illustrated as one the top athletes in the past 40 years.

In 1999 Olga Korbut was entered in the roll of the best sportswomen of the XX century in the classification of Italian agency AHCA.

Now Olga Korbut lives in Scottsdale (Arizona, USA).

Olga Korbut, with her winning smile and elfin physique, touched the hearts of people throughout the world. She inspired emotions of protectiveness in people from all walks of life, generating sympathy for herself, and an intense interest in the sport that started an explosion of new training centers.

This Belarusian gymnast almost singlehandedly turned women's gymnastics into the popular sport it is today. How come?

Prior to the 1972 Olympics, women's gymnastics had been a sport practiced by women, not young girls. Larissa Latynina continued to compete and win even after bearing children. Vera Caslavska was 26 when she stunned the world at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. Olga's charm and technical daring changed that, and the sport became dominated by younger, slighter, more athletic gymnasts. She opened a door for many people. Only 4 years later, Nadia Comaneci at age 14 was able to become a next star in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Olga's principle strength as a gymnast was her originality. She was extremely flexible, giving her advantages in the floor and beam exercises. However, it was her more daring tricks - the back flip while standing on the high bar and her back tuck on the beam - that won her the admiration of millions. She was a master at manipulating a crowd, selecting her floor music for maximum emotional impact whatever setting in which she performed. In Munich in 1972, she became the talk of the planet. People of every nation were asking one question: "Did you see that Belarusian girl, Olga Korbut, on TV last night?" One spectator, acting out the impulses of Olga's many fans, rushed to bring the weeping gymnast a bouquet of flowers in sympathy. President Nixon, upon meeting her at the White House, told her: "I have always been impressed with your ability to land on your feet.”

Olga won gold medals for her beam and floor routines in the Munich Olympics, and returned with the team in 1976. Olga was a great gymnast, but more than that, Olga Korbut became an icon, a legend. She did more to ease the tensions of the Cold War than all the politicians and diplomats of the day put together. She made us all feel like part on one big family.