Greatest Women’s Gymnasts of All Time

They excelled on the world's biggest stage to become household names, international superstars and national heroes.

The world loves women’s gymnastics. Every four years at the Olympics, millions of fans enjoy the high-flying acrobatics and the drama (the drama!) when the world’s best gymnasts compete for their countries and medals.

Those who excel on the biggest world stage become household names, international superstars and national heroes. Names we never forget.

These are the greatest women’s gymnasts of all time.

50. Alicia Sacramone

Alicia Sacramone, Best Women's Gymnasts of All Time

U.S. gymnast Alicia Sacramone won just one Olympic medal. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 3, 1987 (Boston, Massachusetts)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2008 (Beijing)

Medals: 1 (silver, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Alicia Sacramone

Alicia Sacramone and the U.S. team struggled at the 2008 Olympics. Matt Dunham / AP Photo

Alicia Sacramone was an Olympic favorite heading into the 2008 games, but she came up short in the team competition, falling in two events that some said cost the U.S. the gold medal.

Sacramone shouldered the blame for the team’s failings in 2008, but experts pointed out the team was at a huge disadvantage going into Sacramone’s events due to a big points deficit to China.

What Happened Next: Alicia Sacramone

Alicia Sacramone married former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn. David Banks / AP Photo

Sacramone married former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn in 2014, and the couple have three daughters together.

She was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2016.

49. Courtney Kupets

Courtney Kupets, Best Women's Gymnasts Ever

U.S. gymnast Courtney Kupets won two Olympic medals. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: July 27, 1986 (Bedford, Texas)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2004 (Athens)

Medals: 2 (silver, team/bronze, uneven bars)

Bottom Line: Courtney Kupets

Courtney Kupets took bronze in the uneven bars in 2004. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP Photo

Courtney Kupets’ career is a study in perseverance, determination and toughness. She won a team gold medal at the world championships in 2003, tore her Achilles tendon that same year and came back to earn her spot on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team.

Her two silver medals at the 2004 Olympics were more impressive when we found out afterward she did it with a stress fracture in her hip.

Kupets also led the University of Georgia to four straight NCAA national championships from 2006 to 2009.

What Happened Next: Courtney Kupets

Courtney Kupets was named the head coach at the University of Georgia in 2017. Craig Ruttle / AP Photo

Kupets was named the head coach at the University of Georgia, her alma mater, in 2017.

She’s married to Chris Carter, a former gymnast for Great Britain, and the couple have three children together.

48. Terin Humphrey

Terin Humphrey, Top Women's Gymnasts in History

Terin Humphrey won two silver medals in the 2004 Olympics. Kevork Djansezian / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 14, 1986 (Saint Joseph, Missouri)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2004 (Athens)

Medals: 2 (silver, team all-around/silver, uneven bars)

Bottom Line: Terin Humphrey

Terin Humphrey won a silver medal in uneven bars at the 2004 Olympics. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

History probably isn’t going to be very kind to former U.S. Olympic gymnast Terin Humphrey.

She was removed from her position on the USA Gymnastics’ Athletes’ Council after 10 years when she shared a meme backing U.S. coaches and officials in the wake of the wide-ranging Olympic gymnastics scandal.

Humphrey, who won two silver medals at the 2004 Olympics, also was part of the U.S. team that won a world championship in 2003. She also won an NCAA championship in the uneven bars for the University of Alabama in 2004.

What Happened Next: Terin Humphrey

Terin Humphrey was a police officer after her gymnastics career. KCSpotlight / Twitter

Humphrey was a police officer for almost five years in Missouri following her gymnastics career, then left the police department and continued coaching gymnastics in the area.

She was a member of the selection committee that picked the U.S. gymnastics team in 2012 and remained involved with U.S. gymnastics team until 2019, when she was removed from her role after she sent out a tweet that seemed to criticize victims in a highly publicized abuse scandal.

47. Henrietta Onodi

Henrietta Onodi is one of the best women's gymnasts of all time

Henrietta Onodi won two medals in the 1992 Olympics. Susan Ragan / AP Photo

Born: May 22, 1974 (Bekescsaba, Hungary)

Olympic country: Hungary

Olympic years: 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta)

Medals: 2 (1992, gold, vault/silver, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Henrietta Onodi

Henrietta Onodi, Top Women's Gymnasts in History

Hungarian gymnast Henrietta Onodi receives a gold medal in 1992. John Gaps III / AP Photo

Hungarian Olympic legend Henrietta Onodi has a move named after her — the “Onodi” — a half-turn jump into a full walkover on the balance beam. Even though the move originated by Soviet Olga Mostepanoya in 1983, Onodi perfected it.

Onodi’s power was on full display at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona when she won a gold medal in the vault and barely missed the gold in floor exercise.

She was the first Hungarian to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics in over 30 years.

What Happened Next: Henrietta Onodi

Henrietta Onodi was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2010. International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

Onodi married U.S. Olympic pentathlete Jimbo Haley and is now a U.S. citizen.

She spent time in Miami working for the World Olympians Association in 2001 and was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2010.

46. Laurie Hernandez

Laurie Hernandez is one of the best women's gymnasts of all time

U.S. gymnast Laurie Hernandez won two medals in 2016. Julio Cortez / AP Photo

Born: June 9, 2000 (Old Bridge Township, New Jersey)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Medals: 2 (gold, team all-around/silver, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Laurie Hernandez

Laurie Hernandez helped lead the U.S. to gold in the team competition in 2016. Julio Cortez / AP Photo

One of the members of the fabled “Final Five” team for the United States at the 2016 Olympics, Laurie Hernandez turned her back on competing for the University of Florida and went pro right before the Olympics.

Hernandez was a huge contributor to the U.S. team gold medal with big showings in vault, beam and floor exercise and followed that up one week later with a silver medal in the balance beam.

What Happened Next: Laurie Hernandez

Laurie Hernandez wrote a book, “I Got This: To Gold and Beyond.” Michael Owen Baker / AP Photo

After the Olympics, Hernandez became the youngest contestant (and winner) on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2016.

She was also the host of the first season of “American Ninja Warrior” and wrote a book, “I Got This: To Gold and Beyond” that was on the New York Times bestseller list.

45. Dominique Moceanu

Dominique Moceanu, left, with her coaches Bela Karolyi and Martha Karolyi in 1996. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 30, 1981 (Hollywood, California)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 1996 (Atlanta)

Medals: 1 (gold, team)

Bottom Line: Dominique Moceanu

Dominique Moceanu helped lead the U.S. to its first-ever team gold in 1996. John Gaps III / AP Photo

Dominique Moceanu’s career represents one of the biggest “what-ifs?” in gymnastics history. Moceanu, the last 14-year-old Olympic gymnast, seemed poised for superstardom at multiple Olympic games because of her age and talent, but came away with just one gold medal in the team competition in 1996.

Injuries hampered Moceanu more than anything in 1996, and she fell flat in her individual events, with the closest she came to winning a medal being a fourth-place finish in floor exercises. She effectively retired from gymnastics in 2000, but had a brief, unsuccessful return to the sport in 2006.

What Happened Next: Dominique Moceanu

Dominique Moceanu, left, was emancipated from her parents when she was 17 years old. Dmoceanu / Twitter

Moceanu was emancipated from her parents when she was 17 years old after accusing them of squandering most of the money earned during her time as an Olympic gymnast.

She married Dr. Michael Canales, a former Ohio State gymnast, and the couple had three children together.

Her oldest son, Vincent, appeared as a contestant on “American Ninja Warrior” in 2020.

44. McKayla Maroney

McKayla Maroney is one of the best women's gymnasts of all time

U.S. gymnasts McKayla Maroney’s “unimpressed” picture sparked one of the greatest internet memes of all time. Julie Jacobson / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 9, 1995 (Aliso Viejo, California)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2012 (London)

Medals: 2 (gold, team all-around/silver, vault)

Bottom Line: McKayla Maroney

McKayla Maroney won two medals for the U.S. at the 2012 Olympics. Gregory Bull / AP Photo

California native McKayla Maroney, the daughter of former Purdue quarterback Mike Maroney, was the source of one of the greatest internet memes of all time when the picture of her on the medal stand receiving the silver medal in vault at the 2012 Olympics went viral.

Maroney’s facial expression — the “not impressed” look — gained her worldwide fame, but her achievements on the “Fierce Five” shouldn’t be overlooked. She helped lead that U.S. team to the gold medal and her silver in the vault, despite how she looked, was still impressive.

What Happened Next: McKayla Maroney

McKayla Maroney began a career as a singer in 2020. Bebeto Matthews / AP Photo

Maroney was one of the key witnesses to testify against Dr. Larry Nassar, who worked for Michigan State and sexually abused Maroney and scores of other gymnasts for years.

Nassar received 40-to-175 years in prison and Maroney was among the victims awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2018.

She began a career as a singer in 2020, releasing two singles under the stage name “Ghost.” She also had a guest-starring role on “Hart of Dixie” for six episodes.

43. Maxi Gnauck

Maxi Gnauck, second from right, won four medals at the 1980 Olympics. AP Photo

Born: Oct. 10, 1964 (Berlin, East Germany)

Country: East Germany

Olympic years: 1980 (Moscow)

Medals: 4 (gold, uneven bars/silver, all-around/bronze, team/bronze, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Maxi Gnauck

Maxi Gnauck dominated at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Classic Gymnastics / YouTube

The first German inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Maxi Gnauck grabbed four medals at the 1980 Olympics, including a gold in the uneven bars.

In that vein, Gnauck is considered one of the greatest to ever participate on the uneven bars, but missed her chance to add to her Olympic haul in 1984 when East Germany boycotted the Olympics.

What Happened Next: Maxi Gnauck

Maxi Gnauck was the first German gymnast inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Teodora1976uk / Twitter

Gnauck was severely injured in 1988 in a freak accident on a waterslide and almost permanently paralyzed, requiring emergency surgery for three plates to fuse her vertebrae.

Following her recovery, Gnauck spent time as a gymnastics coach in Germany and in Switzerland since 2005.

In 2000, she was the first German gymnast inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

42. Eva Bosakova

Eva Bosakova competed in three Olympics for Czechoslovakia. Amazon

Born: Dec. 18, 1931 (Miada Boleslav, Czechoslovakia)

Died: Nov. 10, 1991 (Prague, Czechoslovakia)

Country: Czechoslovakia

Olympic years: 1952 (Helsinki), 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome)

Medals: 4 (1952, bronze, team all-around; 1956, silver, balance beam; 1960, gold, balance beam/silver, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Eva Bosakova

Eva Bosakova won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. Amazon

Eva Bosakova was one of the top gymnasts for Czechoslovakia throughout their rivalry with the powerhouse Soviet Union and helped lead the way in three different Olympic Games, earning a medal in all three.

Her specialty was the balance beam, where she won a gold medal in 1960 after taking silver in 1956.

Bosakova’s biggest contribution to the sport was also in the balance beam, where she is credited as being the first person to ever complete a cartwheel in the event.

What Happened Next: Eva Bosakova

Eva Bosakova become a gymnastics coach in Czechoslovakia. zuzz0 / Twitter

Following the end of her career, Bosakova was a member of the Czechoslovak Song and Dance Ensemble before becoming a gymnastics coach in Czechoslovakia.

Bosakova died in 1991, at 59 years old.

41. Shawn Johnson East

Shawn Johnson East was a star for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 19, 1992 (Des Moines, Iowa)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2008 (Beijing)

Medals: 4 (gold, balance beam/silver, team all-around/silver, all-around/silver, floor)

Bottom Line: Shawn Johnson East

Shawn Johnson East won four medals in the 2008 Olympics. Julie Jacobson / AP Photo

Despite participating in just one Olympic games and winning just one gold medal, Shawn Johnson East is one of the most popular gymnasts in history. Which is a major credit to Johnson East’s combination of charisma and talent.

She also won silver medals in all-around and floor.

What Happened Next: Shawn Johnson East

Shawn Johnson East won “Dancing With the Stars” in 2009. Willy Sanjuan / AP Photo

Johnson East won Season 8 of “Dancing With the Stars” in 2009 and married NFL long snapper Andrew East in 2016.

Olympic teammate Nastia Liukin, who won gold in the all-around in 2008, is the godmother to her only child.

40. He Kexin

He Kexin helped lead China to the gold medal in team at the 2008 Olympics. Julie Jacobson / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 1, 1992 (Beijing, China)

Country: China

Olympic years: 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London)

Medals: 3 (2008, gold, team all-around/gold, uneven bars; 2012, silver, uneven bars)

Bottom Line: He Kexin

China’s He Kexin has been the subject of a long-running Olympic controversy about her actual age. Matt Dunham / AP Photo

He Kexin, the most successful Chinese female gymnast in Olympic history, became a national hero in 2008 when she won gold in the uneven bars and helped lead China to gold in the team competition. She proved she wasn’t a one-time Olympic standout when she followed that up with silver in the uneven bars in 2012.

Controversy over her career still surrounds He. Chinese state newspaper Xinhua published a story stating she was 14 years old (not 16 as the national team claimed) in 2008 and therefore ineligible to compete. The story was taken down, and He has always denied her age documents were manipulated.

What Happened Next: He Kexin

He Kexin retired from gymnastics in 2013. shirai_iii / Twitter

He Kexin officially retired from gymnastics in 2013 and has lived a relatively low-profile life since then.

She was reportedly studying at Beijing Normal University in 2016 and is involved with promoting the 2022 Winter Olympics that will be held in Beijing.

39. Tatiana Gutsu

Tatiana Gutsu, right, won gold in the all-around at the 1992 Olympics. Dieter Endlicher / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 5, 1976 (Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union)

Country: Unified Team

Olympic years: 1992 (Barcelona)

Medals: 4 (gold, team all-around/ gold, all-around/ silver, uneven bars/ bronze, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Tatiana Gutsu

Tatiana Gutsu won two gold medals at the 1992 Olympics. Stephen Savoia / AP Photo

Tatiana Gutsu dominated at the 1992 Olympics while representing the Unified Team — a group of Soviet Bloc countries who competed at the Summer and Winter Olympics together that year.

Gutsu’s victory over American Shannon Miller by .012 in the all-around is still the closest margin of victory in Olympic history in that competition. Gutsu also helped lead her team to the all-around gold that year.

What Happened Next: Tatiana Gutsu

Tatiana Gutsu became a gymnastics coach in Michigan. TatianaGutsu / Twitter

After her competitive career was over, Gutsu moved to the United States, where she’s been a gymnastics coach in Michigan for the last two decades.

In 2017, Gutsu accused former Soviet Olympic gold medal gymnast Vitaly Scherbo of raping her when she was 15 years old.

38. Lilia Podkopayeva

Lilia Podkopayeva dominated the 1996 Olympics. Susan Ragan / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 15, 1978 (Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union)

Country: Ukraine

Olympic years: 1996 (Atlanta)

Medals: 3 (gold, all-around/ gold, floor exercise/ silver, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Lilia Podkopayeva

Lilia Podkopayeva won the all-around gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. Elise Amendola / AP Photo

Ukrainian gymnast Lilla Podkopayeva’s amazing run at the 1996 Olympics can’t be undersold. Podkopayeva cracked two ribs earlier in the year, recovered from that and dominated at the Olympics, winning gold in the all-around and floor exercise, along with silver in the balance beam.

She pulled off the (somewhat surprising) rare feat of winning an all-around world championship one year and being all-around Olympic champion the next.

She also was the last gymnast to win an Olympic all-around title and gold in an individual event until Simone Biles in 2016 and still remains the only gymnast to win an Olympic gold all-around and not medal in the team competition.

What Happened Next: Lilia Podkopayeva

Lilia Podkopayeva won the Ukrainian version of “Dancing With The Stars” in 2007. Wikipedia

Podkopayeva won the Ukrainian version of “Dancing With The Stars” in 2007 and finished third in the Eurovision Dance Contest in 2008.

She’s also served as an ambassador for the United Nations on several occasions — first on the U.N.’s council for HIV/AIDS awareness, then on the Council of Europe for Sport, Tolerance, and Fair Play

37. Svetlana Boginskaya

Svetlana Boginskaya won back-to-back team gold medals in 1988 and 1992. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 9, 1973 (Minsk, Soviet Union)

Country: Soviet Union (1988), Unified Team (1992), Belarus (1996)

Olympic years: 1988 (Seoul), 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta)

Olympic medals: 5 (1988, gold, team all-around/gold, vault/silver, floor exercise/ bronze, all-around; 1992, gold, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Svetlana Boginskaya

Svetlana Boginskaya started her career as a figure skater. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Part of the last Olympic gymnastics team for the Soviet Union, Svetlana Boginskaya won a pair of gold medals in 1988, then returned to win another gold medal in 1992 as part of the Unified Team, but this time in the team competition.

Boginskaya, a former ice skater herself, was inspired by Katarina Witt’s comeback at the 1994 Winter Olympics and made her own comeback from retirement to participate in the 1996 Olympics with Belarus, although she did not medal that year.

What Happened Next: Svetlana Boginskaya

Svetlana Boginskaya was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2006. Nicolemens / Twitter

Boginskaya famously appeared in a B-52s video in 1992 and moved to the United States following the end of her career, when she married an American and set up a home in Houston.

Boginskaya, who was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2006, also sells gymnastics apparel online and spent years creating gymnastics camps around Houston.

36. Sandra Izbasa

Sandra Izbasa, center, won gold in the floor exercise in 2008. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: June 18, 1990 (Bucharest, Romania)

Country: Romania

Olympic years: 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London)

Medals: 4 (2008, gold, floor exercise/bronze, team all-around; 2012, gold, vault/bronze, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Sandra Izbasa

Sandra Izbasa won medals in back-to-back Olympics in 2008 and 2012. Matt Dunham / AP Photo

Romanian gymnast Sandra Izbasa pulled off a rare feat in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She won gold in one individual event, floor, in 2008, then won gold in a totally different event, vault, in 2012.

One of the most devastating injuries you can suffer in any sport is an Achilles tendon tear, which Izbasa went through in 2010. That she was able to come back and win the gold in 2012, where she also helped her team win bronze in the team all-around, makes her success story even more incredible.

What Happened Next: Sandra Izbasa

Sandra Izbasa took time to obtain her bachelor’s degree. JoseanCoss / Twitter

Izbasa took a brief break from gymnastics in 2013 to obtain her bachelor’s degree but returned to the sport briefly in 2015 in hopes of making the Olympic team in 2016.

Izbasa eventually backed off her training when she realized there wasn’t enough time to prepare her routine to qualify.

35. Andreea Raducan

Andreea Raducan was stripped of her all-around gold medal in 2000. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 30, 1983 (Barlad, Romania)

Country: Romania

Olympic years: 2000 (Sydney)

Medals: 3* (gold, all-around — disqualified/gold, team all-around/silver, vault)

Bottom Line: Andreea Raducan

Andreea Raducan officially won two medals at the 2000 Olympics. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan was at the center of one of the biggest Olympic controversies of all time.

Raducan was the winner of the gold medal in the all-around at the 2000 Olympics — an instant, international superstar and the first Romanian to win all-around gold since Nadia Comaneci in 1976. One week after her win, she was stripped of her gold medal because of a failed drug test, courtesy of a banned substance in a cough medicine given to her by the team doctor.

Raducan was cleared of any wrongdoing, but the gold went to teammate Simona Amanar, and the doctor was suspended for four years.

What Happened Next: Andreea Raducan

Andreea Raducan was was president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation from 2017 to 2020. GymCastic / Twitter

It would have been easy for Raducan to become bitter about having her gold medal taken away, but she bounced back and won three gold medals at the 2001 World Championships.

Raducan retired from gymnastics in 2002 and has stayed busy ever since. She’s been a sports journalist for EuroSport television and covered some of the biggest sporting events in Romania.

She was named president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation in 2017 but stepped down in 2020 when both the Romanian men’s and women’s teams failed to qualify for the Olympics.

34. Dominique Dawes

Dominique Dawes won four medals at the 1996 Olympics. Susan Ragan / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 20, 1976 (Silver Spring, Maryland)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney)

Medals: 4 (1992, bronze, team all-around; 1996, gold, team all-around/bronze, floor; 2000, bronze, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Dominique Dawes

Dominique Dawes competed in three Olympics for the United States. John Gaps III / AP Photo

Dominique Dawes is one of only three American gymnasts to participate in three different Olympic Games, and the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.

Dawes’ crowning achievement in Olympic competition as part of the “Magnificent Seven” in 1996, when she led the U.S. to the gold medal in the team competition and was the only gymnast to see her scores in all eight events count toward the final score.

The one thing separating Dawes from the upper tier of American gymnasts in history is her performance in individual events, where she’s never finished higher than bronze.

What Happened Next: Dominique Dawes

Dominique Dawes pursued a career in acting for a while. Frank Micelotta / AP Photo

Dawes has stayed busy since her gymnastics career ended, including when she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 2002.

Dawes pursued a career in acting for a while, including a role in the “Grease” Broadway musical in the early 2000s.

She’s also served as the president of the Women’s Sports Federation and the co-chair for the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.

33. Natalia Kuchinskaya

Natalia Kuchinskaya helped the Soviet Union to a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics. AP Photo

Born: March 8, 1949 (Leningrad, Soviet Union)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1968 (Mexico City)

Olympic medals: 4 (gold, team all-around/gold, balance beam/bronze, all-around/bronze, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Natalia Kuchinskaya

Natalia Kuchinskaya on the medal stand at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. AP Photo

Natalia Kuchinskaya was the star of the 1968 Olympics, winning gold in the balance beam and team competition for the powerful Soviet Union and claiming bronze medals in two other events.

How popular was Kuchinskaya in 1968? The aspiring ballet dancer turned Olympic star was nicknamed “The Bride of Mexico” and “Mexico’s Sweetheart” during the games and there was even a folk song, “Natalie,” about her that became popular.

But Kuchinskaya was burned out of her sport and never competed again after 1968.

What Happened Next: Natalia Kuchinskaya

Natalia Kuchinskaya has run a gymnastics club in Illinois since the 1980s. perfnonfreedom / Twitter

Kuchinskaya coached gymnastics in the USSR, Japan and the United States following her retirement from the sport and married an eye doctor in 1980.

She moved to the United States and has run a gymnastics club in Illinois since the 1980s.

She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2006.

32. Gina Gogean

Gina Gogean won four medals at the 1996 Olympics. Thomas Kienzle / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 9, 1978 (Campuri, Vrancea, Romania)

Country: Romania

Olympic years: 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta)

Medals: 5 (1992, silver, team all-around; 1996, silver, all-around/bronze, team all-around/bronze, balance beam/bronze, vault)

Bottom Line: Gina Gogean

Gina Gogean had her birth papers doctored by the Romanian government. Koji Sasahara / AP Photo

Stoic and tough, Gina Gogean was actually only 13 years old when she participated in the 1992 Olympics. The Romanians doctored her birth certificate and spotted her one year, saying she was born in 1977.

Gogean’s demeanor and no-frills routine may have cost her a gold medal at some point, but she did end up with five medals overall.

What Happened Next: Gina Gogean

Gina Gogean began judging international competitions in 2001. IGHOF1 / Twitter

Gogean retired after the world championships in 1998 and went on to have a career as a commentator and coach in her native Romania and Scotland.

Gogean began judging international competitions in 2001.

31. Maria Gorokhovskaya

Maria Gorokhovskaya, center, won all-around gold at the 1952 Olympics. Just Artistic Gymnastics / YouTube

Born: Oct. 17, 1921 (Yevpatoria, Soviet Russia)

Died: July 22, 2001 (Tel Aviv, Israel)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1952 (Helsinki)

Medals: 7 (1952, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/silver, team PA/silver, vault/silver, uneven bars/silver, balance beam/silver, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Maria Gorokhovskaya

Maria Gorokhovskaya was one of the Soviet Union’s first gymnastics stars. intlgymnast / Twitter

Maria Gorokhovskaya set the record with seven medals in a single Olympics in 1952, when she represented the Soviet Union with two golds, including the all-around, and five silver medals.

Gorokhovskaya set the standard by which all other Soviet Union gymnasts would be judged. The 1952 Olympics were the first time the Soviets competed in any international competition.

What Happened Next: Maria Gorokhovskaya

Maria Gorkohovskaya was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. sovietvisuals / Twitter

Maria Gorokhovskaya, who was Jewish, went on to have a lengthy career as an international judge before immigrating to Israel in 1990, where she worked as a gymnastics coach until her death in Tel Aviv in 2001.

She was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

30. Karin Buttner-Janz

Karin Buttner-Janz won silver in the team all-around in 1972. AP Photo

Born: Feb. 17, 1952 (Lubben, East Germany)

Country: East Germany

Olympic years: 1968 (Mexico City), 1972 (Munich)

Medals: 7 (1968, silver, uneven bars/bronze, team all-around; 1972, gold, vault/gold, uneven bars/silver, all-around/silver, team all-around/bronze, team all-around/bronze, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Karin Buttner-Janz

Karin Buttner-Janz, center, won gold medals in two individual events in 1972. AP Photo

Karin Buttner-Janz turned in one of the greatest performances in an Olympic Games in 1972, when she won five medals, including two gold medals in individual events.

That year, she pulled off one of the bigger upsets in Olympic gymnastics history when she defeated Olga Korbut on the uneven bars, an event some thought Korbut was unbeatable in.

What Happened Next: Karin Buttner-Janz

Karin Buttner-Janz became a respected orthopedic surgeon after gymnastics. HistoryNed / Twitter

Buttner-Janz’s career after gymnastics was fascinating. She became one of the most respected orthopedic surgeons in the world.

She’s even credited with the development of an artificial spine disk known as the Charite Disc.

29. Erzsebet Gulyas-Koteles

Erzsebet Gulyas-Koteles particpated in three Olympic games for Hungary. Classic Gymnastics / YouTube

Born: Nov. 3, 1924 (Budapest, Hungary)

Died: June 16, 2019 (Budapest, Hungary)

Country: Hungary

Olympic years: 1948 (London), 1952 (Helsinki), 1956 (Melbourne)

Medals: 5 (1948, silver, team all-around/1952, silver, team all-around/bronze, team/portable apparatus; 1956, gold, team/portable apparatus; silver, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Erzsebet Gulyas-Koteles

Erszebets Gulyas-Koteles won a gold medal in her final Olympics in 1956. Classic Gymnastics / YouTube

Erzsebet Gulyas-Koteles participated in three different Olympic games for Hungary, winning medals each time.

Gulyas-Koteles won her lone gold medal in her final Olympic games, in 1956, on the now-shelved team portable apparatus event.

One could make a case that the Hungarian national gymnastics team during this stretch was the equivalent of the Buffalo Bills in U.S. team sports. They were silver medalists in the team all-around competition in three straight Olympics in 1948, 1952 and 1956.

What Happened Next: Erzsebet Gulyas-Koteles

Erzsebet Gulyaz-Koteles taught physical education. alysbun / Twitter

Following her competitive career, Gulyaz-Koteles taught physical education and worked as an administrator for several gymnastics academies.

Gulyaz-Koteles died in 2019, at 94 years old.

28. Sofia Muratova

Sofia Muratova competed for the Soviet Union. Classic Gymnastics / YouTube

Born: July 13, 1929 (Leningrand, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union)

Died: Sept. 25, 2006 (Moscow, Russia)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome)

Medals: 8 (1956, gold, team all-around/bronze, team PA/bronze, all-around/bronze, uneven bars; 1960, gold, team all-around/silver, all-around/silver, vault/bronze, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Sofia Muratova

Sofia Muratova battled injuries in two of her Olympic turns. Classic Gymnastics / Twitter

Injuries kept Sofia Muratova from achieving what might have been next-level Olympic fame. She was hurt for the 1952 Olympics and couldn’t participate. She was hurt again for the 1960 Olympics but gutted out a pair of silver medals in the all-around and vault, along with a bronze in the balance beam.

Muratova’s two gold medals came in team competition in back-to-back Olympics.

The true story of her success was in overcoming the tragedy of her childhood. Her mother was killed as her family fled during the Nazis’ siege of Leningrad in 1941.

What Happened Next: Sofia Muratova

Sofia Muratova is one of the best women’s gymnasts of all time. Wikipedia

Sofia Muratova was married to four-time Olympic champion Valentin Muratov, who was also the coach of the national team from 1960 to 1968, and following her retirement, Muratova also went into coaching.

Sofia Muratova died in 2006, followed just months later by her husband.

27. Tamara Manina

Tamara Manina won two medals in the balance beam. sovietvisuals / https://twitter.com/sovietvisuals/status/1186993296297598977

Born: Sept. 16, 1934 (Petrozavodsk, Respublika Kareliya, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1956 (Melbourne), 1964 (Tokyo)

Medals: 6 (1956, gold, team all-around/silver, vault/silver, balance beam/bronze, team PA; 1964, gold, team all-around/silver, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Tamara Manina

Tamara Manina competed for the Soviet Union in two Olympics. WikiCommons

Tamara Manina won four medals at the 1956 Olympics, including a team gold for the Soviet Union, but had to miss the 1960 Olympics because of injury.

Manina proved her toughness by returning to the Olympics in 1964, where she once again helped lead the Soviets to gold in the team competition along with winning silver in the balance beam.

What Happened Next: Tamara Manina

Tamara Manina became a famous sports scientist. AP Photo

Manina’s contributions to sports extend beyond her career on the mat. She’s also gained fame as a world-renowned sports scientist and the author of more than 40 books on the subject.

Since 1975, she’s been a professor at the Saint Petersburg State Art-Industrial Academy.

26. Catalina Ponor

Catalina Ponor won three gold medals at the 2004 Olympics. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 20, 1987 (Constanta, Romania)

Country: Romania

Olympic years: 2004 (Athens), 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Medals: 5 (2004, gold, team all-around/gold, balance beam/gold, floor exercise; 2012, silver, floor exercise/bronze, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Catalina Ponor

Catalina Ponor is one of the most celebrated Romanian athletes in history. Kevork Djansezian / AP Photo

Catalina Ponor is one of the most successful, honored Olympic gymnasts in Romanian history.

She participated in three Olympics for Romania and had her best showing in 2004, leading her country to the gold medal in the 2004 team competition, gold in the balance beam and gold in the floor exercise.

For her final Olympics in 2016, she was chosen as Romania’s flag bearer, which was the first time this honor was bestowed on a gymnast. More amazing? Ponor did this all with a congenital heart defect.

What Happened Next: Catalina Ponor

Catalina Ponor Ponor was a judge for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. StuDonetzESPN / Twitter

Ponor was one of the judges announcing the Romanian points on the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest and is engaged to famous Romanian actor/director Bogdan Jianu.

25. Oksana Chusovitina

Oksana Chusovitina participated in seven Olympics for three different countries. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: June 19, 1975 (Bukhara, Uzbek SSR, USSR)

Country: Unified Team (1992), Uzbekistan (1996, 2000, 2004, 2016), Gerrmany (2008, 2012)

Olympic years: 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens), 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Medals: 2 (1992, gold, team all-around; 2008, silver, vault)

Bottom Line: Oksana Chusovitina

Oksana Chusovitina is on a stamp in Uzbekistan. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Oksana Chusovitina had a pretty wild career. She’s the only female gymnast to ever participate in seven different Olympic games and one of only two female gymnasts to compete for three different countries.

Even crazier is that Chusovitina’s two Olympics medals came 16 years apart. She won gold for the Unified Team in the team competition in 1992, then won silver in the vault for Germany in 2008.

What Happened Next: Oksana Chusovitina

Oksana Chusovitina qualified for the 2021 Olympics. people / Twitter

Chusovitina was so popular in Uzbekistan they put her on a stamp.

Want to know something else really cool? She’s qualified for the 2021 Olympics, where she’ll be one of the oldest Olympians of all time at 46 years old.

She hopes to win a medal in the vault.

24. Olga Lemhenyi-Tass

Olga Lemhenyi-Tass competed in three Olympics for Hungary. Hungarian Gymnastics / YouTube

Born: March 29, 1929 (unknown)

Country: Hungary

Olympic years: 1948 (London), 1952 (Helsinki), 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome)

Medals: 6 (1948, silver, team all-around; 1952, silver, team all-around/bronze, team/portable apparatus; 1956, gold, team/portable apparatus/silver, team all-around/bronze, horse vault)

Bottom Line: Olga Lemhenyi-Tass

Olga Lemhenyi-Tass won three silver medals for Hungary. Hungarian Gymnastics / YouTube

To all of the gymnasts around the world who participated in two — even three — different Olympic games, Hungary’s Olga Lemhenyi-Tass would like you to hold her beer.

Lemhenyi-Tass participated in four different Olympics. Lemhenyi-Tass medaled in three of those Olympics but only won gold once, in the now-shelved team/portable apparatus event in 1956.

What Happened Next: Olga Lemhenyi-Tass

Olga Lemhenyi-Tass was born in 1929. OldestOlympians / Twitter

Lemhenyi-Tass wasn’t the only Olympian in her family. Her husband, Dezso, played for the Hungarian national water polo team and won a silver medal in 1948 and gold medal in 1952.

23. Daniela Silivas

Daniela Silivas won three gold medals in 1988. James Gerberich / AP Photo

Born: May 9, 1972 (Deva, Romania)

Country: Romania

Olympic years: 1988 (Seoul)

Medals: 6 (1988, gold, uneven bars/gold, balance beam/gold, floor exercise/silver, team all-around/silver, all-around/bronze, vault)

Bottom Line: Daniela Silivas

Daniela Silivas dominated the 1988 Olympics. Sadayuki Mikami / AP Photo

Daniela Silivas added her name to the long line of Romanian Olympic standouts in 1988, when she was the only medalist, male or female, to medal in every single event and posted seven perfect 10 scores throughout the competition.

There was some controversy over Silivas’ score in the vault portion of the all-around — she only lost the gold medal by .025 — but she’s refused to talk about it over the years.

What Happened Next: Daniela Silivas

Daniela Silivas, center, was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2002. GymnasticsIre / Twitter

Silivas moved to the United States and has been a gymnastics coach in the Atlanta area since the early 1990s.

In 2002, she became the youngest gymnast ever inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

22. Svetlana Khorkina

Svetlana Khorkina won seven medals over the course of three Olympics. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 19, 1989 (Belogrod, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union)

Country: Russia

Olympic years: 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens)

Medals: 7 (1996, gold, uneven bars/silver, team all-around; 2000, gold, uneven bars/silver, team all-around/silver, floor exercise; 2004, silver, all-around/bronze, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Svetlana Khorkina

Svetlana Khorkina won two gold medals in the uneven bars. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Few gymnasts in Olympic history have been able to medal at three Olympic games. Svetlana Khorkina is one of them.

She won back-to-back gold medals in the uneven bars in 1996 and 2000, part of her seven total medals in Olympic competitions. Her gold in the uneven bars in 1996 was especially dramatic because she fell in the same event in the all-around competition just days earlier.

Labeled a diva throughout her career, Khorkina was actually tough as nails — and a team player. Sensing a hot hand, she gave up her spot in the 2000 vault finals to teammate Elena Zamolodchikova, who went on to win the gold medal.

What Happened Next: Svetlana Khorkina

Svetlana Khorkina got involved in politics after her career. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP Photo

After retiring in 2005, Khorkina was named vice president of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.

She was an ambassador for the 2014 Olympics and has been involved in politics in her home country since her retirement as well, serving as a deputy for the Russian state Duma in 2009 and 2011.

21. Shannon Miller

Shannon Miller won seven medals in her Olympic career. Santiago Lyon / AP Photo

Born: March 10, 1977 (Rolla, Missouri)

Olympic country: United States

Olympic years: 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta)

Olympic medals: 7 (1992, silver, all-around/silver, balance beam/bronze, team all-around/bronze, uneven bars/bronze, floor exercise; 1996, gold, team all-around/gold, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Shannon Miller

Shannon Miller was part of the U.S. gold medal-winning team in 1996. Elise Amendola / AP Photo

American gymnast Shannon Miller didn’t let her career become defined by the 1992 Olympics, where she set the record for most medals won in an Olympic games without winning a gold medal, when she brought home three silver medals and two bronze medals.

In 1992, Miller’s loss by just .012 points to Tatiana Gutsu in the all-around final is still the closest defeat in Olympic history in the competition. Miller bounced back with two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics, in balance beam and the team competition with the “Magnificent Seven” squad.

What Happened Next: Shannon Miller

Shannon Miller survived ovarian cancer. Gregory Bull / AP Photo

Miller, who lives in Florida, beat ovarian cancer in 2011. She’s made it her mission in life to help other women detect the early signs of the disease and is an advocate for survivors.

20. Lavinia Milosovici

Lavinia Milosovici won two gold medals in 1992. John Gaps III / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 21, 1976 (Lugoj, Romania)

Country: Romania

Olympic years: 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta)

Medals: 6 (1992, gold, vault/gold, floor exercise/silver, team all-around/bronze, all-around; 1996, bronze, team all-around/bronze, all-around)

Bottom Line: Lavinia Milosovici

Lavinia Milosovici won six Olympic medals. Koji Sasahara / AP Photo

Lavinia Milosovici, known as “Milo,” is one of many amazing Romanian gymnasts, and she overcame scarlet fever as a child, then the Romanian Revolution, to become one of the most-decorated Olympic gymnasts in history.

Milo’s crowning achievement was the 1992 Olympics, where she won gold in the vault and floor exercise, bronze in the all-around and helped lead Romania to silver in the team competition.

What Happened Next: Lavinia Milosovici

Lavinia Milosovici was born in 1976. 2am_eu / Twitter

Milosovici was banned from any association with the Romanian national team for five years after she performed gymnastics topless for two Japanese DVDs and posed nude in a Japanese magazine.

19. Nellie Kim

Nellie Kim was one of the Soviet Union’s most popular gymnasts. AP Photo

Born: July 29, 1957 (Shurab, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1976 (Montreal), 1980 (Moscow)

Medals: 6 (1976, gold, team all-around/gold, vault/gold, floor/silver, all-around; 1980, gold, floor/gold, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Nellie Kim

Nellie Kim won five gold medals for the Soviet Union. AP Photo

Nellie Kim was the favorite headed into the 1976 Olympics, but was upstaged by a young upstart named Nadia Comaneci from rival Hungary, and that’s despite winning three gold medals.

Kim was also the second gymnast to score a perfect 10 in Olympic competition (after Comaneci) and returned to win another gold medal in the floor exercise at the 1980 Olympics.

What Happened Next: Nellie Kim

Nellie Kim helped create a new scoring system for gymnastics. Sean_nanigan / Twitter

Kim has been instrumental in women’s gymnastics since her retirement, including helping create a new scoring system in 2005 following a judging scandal at the 2004 Olympics.

18. Carly Patterson

Carly Patterson won an all-around gold medal in 2004. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 4, 1988 (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2004 (Athens)

Olympic medals: 3 (2004, gold, all-around; 2004, silver, team all-around; 2004, silver, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Carly Patterson

Carly Patterson retired shortly after the 2004 Olympics. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

American gymnast Carly Patterson’s all-around gold medal at the 2004 Olympics was notable for being the first all-around gold won by an American in a non-boycotted Olympics. Patterson’s win was overshadowed by her struggles in the team competition, where the Americans failed to defend their gold medal.

Patterson’s gymnastics career came to an abrupt halt shortly after the 2004 Olympics when doctors diagnosed her with several bulging discs in her back. Patterson was advised she may have trouble walking if she didn’t retire, and formally walked away from the sport.

What Happened Next: Carly Patterson

Carly Patterson had a brief recording career following her retirement from gymnastics. Larry Papke / AP Photo

Patterson had a brief recording career following her retirement from gymnastics and in 2009 had one of her songs feature don the ABC show “Make It Or Break It” about a family of gymnasts trying to make the Olympics.

She married strategy consultant Mark Caldwell in 2012, and the couple has three children and live in the Dallas area.

17. Ecaterina Szabo

Ecaterina Szabo won four gold medals in 1984. AP Photo

Born: Jan. 22, 1967 (Zagon, Romania)

Country: Romania

Olympic years: 1984 (Los Angeles)

Medals: 5 (1984, gold, team all-around/gold, vault/gold, balance beam/gold, floor/silver, all-around)

Bottom Line: Ecaterina Szabo

Ecaterina Szabo only fell short in the 1984 all-around. AP Photo

In the storied history of Romanian gymnasts, only Ecaterina Szabo stands behind Nadia Comaneci.

Szabo is a legend in her native country, where there’s an elementary school and a sports museum named after her, but her fame doesn’t really extend past those borders. Which isn’t necessarily fair.

Szabo was the favorite headed into the 1984 Olympics and thought to be the next coming of Comaneci, but despite winning four gold medals, Szabo was upstaged by her loss to Mary Lou Retton in the all-around — by just .05.

What Happened Next: Ecaterina Szabo

Ecaterina Szabo is a gymnastics coach in France. marconst / Twitter

Szabo led her team to a gold medal in 1987 at the World Championships.

She married Romanian Olympic kayaker Christian Tamas in 1991, and the couple moved to France in 1992, where she’s been a coach ever since.

16. Margit Korondi

Margit Korondi won bronze in the 1952 all-around. Just Artistic Gymnastics / YouTube

Born: June 24, 1932 (Celje, Slovenia)

Country: Hungary

Olympic years: 1952 (Helsinki), 1956 (Melbourne)

Medals: 8 (1952, gold, uneven bars/silver, team exercises/bronze, all-around/bronze, balance beam/bronze, floor exercises/bronze, team apparatus; 1956, gold, team apparatus/silver, team combined)

Bottom Line: Margit Korondi

Margit Korondi won six medals in the 1952 Olympics. Just Artistic Gymnastics / YouTube

Margit Korondi burst onto the international stage with six medals at the 1952 Olympics, including gold in the uneven bars. She added another gold medal in 1956 in the now-defunct team apparatus event.

Korondi stacked medals in other events as well, picking up two silver medals and four bronze medals.

What Happened Next: Margit Korondi

Margit Korondi immigrated to the United States after the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. AP Photo

Korondi was part of a huge contingent of Hungarians who immigrated to the United States after the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

Korondi settled in Houston initially, then made her way to the Las Vegas area where she had a long career as a gymnastics coach.

15. Mary Lou Retton

Mary Lou Retton won gold in the all-around in 1984. AP Photo

Born: Jan. 24, 1968 (Fairmont, West Virginia)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 1984 (Los Angeles)

Medals: 5 (1984, gold, all-around/silver, team all-around/silver, vault/bronze, uneven bars/bronze, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Mary Lou Retton

Mary Lou Retton became a national hero after the 1984 Olympics. AP Photo

Mary Lou Retton became an international superstar and one of the most beloved athletes in U.S. history with her performance at the 1984 Olympics.

Retton, a West Virginia native, became the first American to win Olympic gold in the all-around competition with her thrilling defeat of Romanian favorite Ecaterina Szabo with perfect 10s in the last two events, the vault and floor exercise.

The drama was ratcheted up when it was revealed that Retton had knee surgery just five weeks before the Olympics.

What Happened Next: Mary Lou Retton

Mary Lou Retton was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. Jordan Strauss / AP Photo

Retton spent the next decade following her gold medal victory as one of the most popular athletes in America.

She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997 and became the first woman inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

14. Aly Raisman

Aly Raisman was the captain on back-to-back U.S. Olympic teams. Gregory Bull / AP Photo

Born: May 25, 1994 (Needham, Massachusetts)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Olympic medals: 5 (2012, gold, team all-around/gold, floor exercise/bronze, balance beam; 2016, gold, team all-around/silver, all-around/silver, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Aly Raisman

Aly Raisman won three gold medals. Julio Cortez / AP Photo

Aly Raisman is one of the most influential gymnasts in Olympic history.

She was a two-time Olympic captain for the United States’ famed “Fierce Five” and “Final Five” squads in 2012 and 2016, leading the way to back-to-back gold medals in team competition. Raisman also won gold for her floor routine in 2012 and then an all-around silver medal in 2016.

What Happened Next: Aly Raisman

Aly Raisman was one of many gymnasts who received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Evan Agostini / AP Photo

Raisman was on the hit ABC show “Dancing With the Stars,” where she finished fourth in 2013 and made a cameo appearance in the Maroon 5 video “Girls Like You” in 2018.

Raisman was one of the many gymnasts who received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award following their bravery in uncovering the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal.

13. Yelena Shushunova

Yelena Shushunova won four medals at the 1988 Olympics. Sadayuki Mikami / AP Photo

Born: May 23, 1989 (Leningrad, Russian SSR, Soviet Union)

Died: Aug. 16, 2018 (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1988 (Seoul)

Medals: 4 (1988, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/silver, balance beam/bronze, uneven bars)

Bottom Line: Yelena Shushunova

Yelena Shushunova was the final all-around gold medal winner for the Soviet Union. AP Photo

Standing just 4-foot-10, Yelena Shushunova was a dynamic athlete who was the final all-around gold medalist in the storied history of the Soviet Union’s gymnastics team.

She won four medals at the 1988 Olympics, including helping lead her country to the gold medal in the team competition.

What Happened Next: Yelena Shushunova

Yelena Shushunova, right, died in 2019 at just 49 years old. Ad Bucor / Facebook

Shushunova retired just two months after the 1988 Olympics and returned home to teach and coach gymnastics.

Shushunova died from complications from pneumonia in 2018, in her native Saint Petersburg, at just 49 years old.

12. Nastia Liukin

American gymnast Nastia Liukin, center, was actually born in Moscow, Russia. Rob Carr / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 30, 1989 (Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2008 (Beijing)

Medals: 5 (2008, gold, all-around/silver, team all-around/silver, uneven bars/silver, balance beam/bronze, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Nastia Liukin

Nastia Liukin won the all-around gold in 2008. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Nastia Liukin was born in Moscow to a pair of famed Russian gymnasts. Her father is 1988 Olympic gold medalist Valeri Liukin, and mother is 1987 world clubs champion in rhythmic gymnastics Anna Kotchneva. Nastia became an American citizen after her parents immigrated to the United States when she was two years old.

Liukin’s Olympic career was hampered by her age. She was 10 months too young to qualify for the 2004 Olympics before she went on to win the all-around gold at the 2008 Olympics, where she also won four other medals.

On the flip side, she was past her prime when the 2012 Olympic trials rolled, around and she failed to make the U.S. team.

What Happened Next: Nastia Liukin

Nastia Liukin wrote her autobiography “Finding My Shine” in 2015. Richard Shotwell / AP Photo

Liukin has been on two seasons of “Dancing With the Stars” since her retirement and was also on “American Ninja Warrior” in 2020.

She wrote her autobiography “Finding My Shine” in 2015, which was the same year she was the grand marshal for the Indy 500.

11. Aliya Mustafina

Aliya Mustafina is one of the best women's gymnasts of all time

Aliya Mustafina won back-to-back gold medals in 2012 and 2016 on the uneven bars. Julie Jacobson / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 30, 1994 (Yegoryevsk, Russia)

Country: Russia

Olympic years: 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Medals: 7 (2012, gold, uneven bars/silver, team all-around; 2016, gold uneven bars/silver, team all-around/bronze, all-around/bronze, all-around/bronze, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Aliya Mustafina

Aliya Mustafina’s father, Farhat, was a gold-medal winning wrestler. Gregory Bull / AP Photo

Aliya Mustafina is tied with Svetlana Khorkina for the most Olympic medals won by a Russian gymnast with seven.

Mustafina deserves credit for being one of the most durable gymnasts in the history of Olympic competition and definitely one of the gymnasts who defined the 2010s, most notably with her back-to-back gold medals in the uneven bars at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

She’s also not the only Olympic medalist in her family. Her father, Farhat Mustafina, won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling for the Soviet Union in 1976.

What Happened Next: Aliya Mustafina

Aliya Mustafina was born in 1994. Ivan Sekretarev / AP Photo

Mustafina was recovering from an injury in a hospital in 2015 when she met her future husband and Russian Olympic bobsledder Alexey Zaitsev.

They were married in 2016, had a daughter together in 2017 and divorced in 2018.

10. Gabby Douglas

All three of Gabby Douglas’ career medals are gold. Gregory Bull / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 31, 1995 (Newport News, Virginia)

Country: United States

Olympic years: 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Medals: 3 (2012, gold, team all-around/ gold, team all-around; 2012, gold, all-around)

Bottom Line: Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas won the all-around gold medal in 2012. Gregory Bull / AP Photo

American gymnast Gabby Douglas is a trailblazer in sports, not just Olympic sports. The first African-American to win all-around gold at the Olympics, she also was the first American to win all-around gold and team gold in 2012.

She doubled down on the Olympic team gold at the 2016 Olympics, and her story was so inspiring it was made into a Lifetime movie. How influential is Douglas? She had a Barbie doll modeled after her. She was on a Wheaties box. Equipment used by her at the 2012 Olympics is now in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Full icon status, check.

What Happened Next: Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas had a reality television show, “Douglas Family Gold.” Phil Mccarten / AP Photo

Douglas had a reality television show, “Douglas Family Gold,” that came out in 2016. In 2020, she was the winner of “The Masked Dancer,” the spin-off show of “The Masked Singer,” performing as Cotton Candy.

Douglas was also one of the many brave gymnasts who came forward about being abused by former Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar, who was given a life sentence for his crimes in 2017.

9. Simona Amanar

Simona Amanar is one of the most decorated gymnasts in Olympic history. Ed Reinke / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 7, 1979 (Constanta, Romania)

Country: Romania

Olympic years: 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney)

Medals: 7 (1996, gold, vault/silver, floor exercise/bronze, all-around/bronze, team all-around; 2000, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/bronze, floor exercise)

Bottom Line: Simona Amanar

Simona Amanar, center, won gold in the all-around in 2000. AP Photo

Romanian gymnast Simona Amanar has a complicated Olympic legacy, which isn’t necessarily her fault. Amanar had the unfortunate luck of finishing as the silver medalist in the 2000 all-around to Romanian teammate Andreea Raducan, who was stripped of her gold medal just one week after the competition because of a failed drug test.

Amanar, who also won a gold medal in vault in 1996, initially refused to accept the medal after it was discovered Raducan’s failed test wasn’t even her fault, but accepted the medal eventually in order to share it with Romanian fans.

It’s as weird as it sounds.

What Happened Next: Simona Amanar

Simona Amanar was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2007. gavril_run / Twitter

Amanar retired in 2000 and married Romanian attorney Cosmin Tabara in 2002. She’s been the vice president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation since the mid-2000s.

Amanar was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2007.

8. Ludmilla Tourischeva

Ludmilla Tourischeva, center, won the gold medal in the all-around in 1972. AP Photo

Born: Oct. 7, 1952 (Grozny, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1968 (Mexico City), 1972 (Munich), 1976 (Montreal)

Medals: 9 (1968, gold, team all-around; 1972, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/gold, team all-around/silver, floor exercise/bronze, vault; 1976, silver, vault/silver, floor exercise/bronze, all-around)

Bottom Line: Ludmilla Tourischeva

Ludmilla Tourischeva won three consecutive gold medals in the team competition in the Olympics. AP Photo

Ludmilla Tourischeva’s focused, understated persona is legendary in the sport. She was gracious to the point that Soviet Union teammate Olga Korbut was able to grab part of the spotlight at the 1972 Olympics despite Tourischeva winning gold in the all-around.

Tourischeva crafted one of the most dominating Olympic runs in the history of gymnastics — nine total medals over three Olympic games.

What Happened Next: Ludmilla Tourischeva

Ludmilla Tourischeva competed in three Olympics. papaliukin / Twitter

Tourischeva married one of the Soviet Union’s greatest Olympians, sprinter Valeriy Borzov, who swept the 100-meter and 200-meter gold medals at the 1972 Olympics.

Following her retirement from competition, Tourischeva became a coach and one of her proteges, Lillia Podkopayeva, won the Olympic gold medal in the all-around at the 1996 Olympics.

7. Polina Astakhova

Polina Astakhova, center, competed in three Olympics for the Soviet Union. AP Photo

Born: Oct. 30, 1936 (Zaporizhia, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union)

Died: Aug. 6, 2005 (Kiev, Ukraine)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome), 1964 (Tokyo)

Medals: 10 (1956, gold, team all-around/bronze, team/apparatus; 1960, gold, team all-around/gold, uneven bars/silver, floor exercise/bronze, all-around 1964, gold, team all-around/gold, uneven bars/silver, floor exercise/bronze, all-around)

Bottom Line: Polina Astakhova

Half of Polina Astakhova’s 10 career medals were gold. AP Photo

They don’t make ’em like they used to. Polina Astakhova won 10 medals for the Soviet Union spread out over three different Olympic games from 1956-1964.

Nicknamed “The Russian Birch” and “Madonna” for her beauty and grace, Astakhova was an obsession for journalists in the western world during most of her career.

The one medal that eluded Astakhova was the gold in all-around. She was leading through seven of eight events before a slip on the beam cost her the medal. That disappointment kept her from competing for an entire year.

What Happened Next: Polina Astakhova

Polina Astakhova was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2002. allysbun / Twitter

Beginning in 1972, Astakhova worked as a national coach for the Ukrainian gymnastics team.

She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2002.

Astakhova died of pneumonia, in 2005, at 68 years old.

6. Agnes Keleti

Agnes Keleti is one of the best women's gymnasts of all time

Agnes Keleti won 10 Olympic medals in her career. AP Photo

Born: Jan. 9, 1921 (Budapest, Hungary)

Country: Hungary

Olympic years: 1952 (Helsinki), 1956 (Melbourne)

Medals: 10 (1952, gold, floor exercise/silver, team all-around/bronze, uneven bars/bronze, team, portable; 1956, gold, uneven bars/gold, balance beam/gold, team, portable/gold, floor exercise/silver, all-around/silver, team all-around)

Bottom Line: Agnes Keleti

Agnes Keleti survived the Holocaust and went on to Olympic fame. Oded Balitty / AP Photo

The story of Agnes Keleti’s path to Olympic glory is unlike any athlete in Olympic history, and probably in all of sports.

Keleti, who is Jewish, fled her home in Nazi-occupied Hungary to live in the countryside as a maid, using forged documents that identified her as a Christian. Her mother and sister survived by hiding, but her father was gassed to death in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

She didn’t make her Olympic debut until 1952, at 31 years old, when she won four medals and then came back to win four gold medals at the 1956 Olympics, when she was 35 years old.

What Happened Next: Agnes Keleti

Agnes Keleti turned 100 in 2021. Laszlo Balogh / AP Photo

Keleti, who was also a professional cello player, was granted political asylum in Australia in 1956 after the Soviet Union invaded Hungary.

She emigrated to Israel in 1957 and spent the next four decades working as a physical education instructor and gymnastics coach.

Keleti, the oldest living Olympian, turned 100 years old in January 2021.

5. Olga Korbut

Olga Korbut is one of the more famed gymnasts in Olympic history. AP Photo

Born: May 16, 1955 (Hrodna, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1972 (Munich), 1976 (Montreal)

Medals: 6 (1972, gold, team all-around/gold, balance beam/gold, floor exercise/silver, uneven bars; 1976, gold, team all-around/silver, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Olga Korbut

Olga Korbut won four gold medals and two silver medals in two Olympics. AP Photo

Few athletes can claim to be the one who changed their sport because of their sheer ability. Orga Kolbut is one of them. ‘

Her performance at the 1972 Olympics redefined gymnastics from the sport it had been, with older, less mobile athletes to younger, more acrobatic athletes. Her “Korbut Flip” on the uneven bars brought her four gold medals.

What Happened Next: Olga Korbut

Olga Korbut was born in 1955. John Marshall / AP Photo

Korbut’s life following her Olympic glory has been tinged with sadness, including her revelation that former coach Renald Knysh sexually assaulted her. After Korbut spoke out, several more gymnasts who trained under Knysh revealed they’d been sexually assaulted by him as well.

Korbut was also arrested for shoplifting in Arizona in 2002. In 2017, she auctioned off her Olympic medals for close to $340,000 dollars.

4. Vera Caslavska

Vera Caslavska is one of the best women's gymnasts of all time

Vera Caslavska was a hero to the people in her native Czechoslovakia. AP Photo

Born: May 3, 1942 (Prague, Czechoslovakia)

Died: Aug. 30, 2016 (Prague, Czech Republic)

Country: Czechoslovakia

Olympic years: 1960 (Rome), 1964 (Tokyo), 1968 (Mexico City)

Medals: 11 (1960, silver, team all-around; 1964, gold, all-around/gold, vault/gold, balance beam/silver, team all-around; 1968, gold, all-around/gold, vault/gold, uneven bars/gold, floor exercise/silver, team all-around/silver, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Vera Caslavska

Vera Caslavska won all-around gold in consecutive Olympics. AP Photo

Vera Caslavska is one of just two gymnasts to win Olympic gold in the all-around in consecutive games and tallied an amazing 11 medals over three Olympics.

But Caslavska’s real story is that of a political dissident and hero to the people of her native Czechoslovakia. Her protests during the Soviet Union’s anthem during the 1968 Olympics in response to the Soviet invasion of her country led to her forced retirement from the sport.

What Happened Next: Vera Caslavska

Vera Caslavska died of pancreatic cancer in 2016 at the age of 74. AP Photo

Vera Caslavska became the head of the Czech Olympic Committee during the 1990s. She married fellow Czech Olympian and distance runner Josef Odlozil in 1968 during the Mexico City Olympics.

The two divorced in 1987, and in 1993, during a fight with their oldest son, Martin, Josef was punched and fell to the floor, striking his head and causing his death.

Caslavska went into hiding for over a decade after the incident, but returned to help train younger gymnasts in the early 2000s. She died of pancreatic cancer in 2016, at 74 years old.

3. Larisa Latynina

Larisa Latynina has won more Olympic medals than any gymnast. AP Photo

Born: Dec. 27, 1934 (Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union)

Country: Soviet Union

Olympic years: 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome), 1964 (Tokyo)

Medals: 18 (1956, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/gold, vault/gold, floor exercise/silver, uneven bars/bronze, team/apparatus; 1960, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/gold, floor exercise/silver, uneven bars/silver, balance beam/bronze, vault; 1964, gold, team all-around/gold, floor exercise/silver, all-around/silver, vault/bronze, uneven bars/bronze, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Larisa Latynina

Larisa Latynina is arguably the most dominant Olympic gymnast in history. AP Photo

Larisa Latynina’s nine gold medals are the most for any Olympic gymnast and the second-most gold medals for any Olympian, ever.

Her 18 medals were the most medals won by any Olympian from 1964 until 2012, and she’s still the only woman to win gold in the team, all-around and an individual event in a single Olympics. And she did it twice.

What Happened Next: Larisa Latynina

Larisa Latynina retired from competition in 1966. Gregory Bull / AP Photo

Latynina retired from competition in 1966 and was just as good as a coach, leading the Soviet Union to team gold in 1968, 1972 and 1976, then overseeing the entire 1980 Olympics gymnastics competition in Moscow.

She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1998.

2. Simone Biles

Simone Biles is one of the best women's gymnasts of all time

American Simone Biles won four gold medals in 2016. Rebecca Blackwell / AP Photo

Born: March 14, 1997 (Columbus, Ohio)

Olympic country: United States

Olympic years: 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Medals: 5 (2016, gold, team all-around/gold, all-around/gold, floor exercise/gold, vault/bronze, balance beam)

Bottom Line: Simone Biles

Simone Biles won the all-around gold at the 2016 Olympics. Rebecca Blackwell / AP Photo

American gymnast Simone Biles became an international superstar at the 2016 Olympics when she won four gold medals, including in all-around and floor exercise, along with leading the U.S. to the team gold medal.

Biles’ performance at the Olympics and in the preceding world championships has been so dominant that she’s already considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time.

What Happened Next: Simone Biles

Simone Biles was born in 1997. Jeff Roberson / AP Photo

Biles will try to cement her status as the greatest Olympic gymnast of all time in 2021 after winning her seventh U.S. Championship and qualifying for the Olympics by winning the All-Around competition at the Olympic trials.

1. Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Comaneci is one of the best womens gymnasts of all time

Romania’s Nadia Comaneci stunned the world at the 1976 Olympics. AP Photo

Born: Nov. 12, 1961 (Onesti, Romania)

Olympic country: Romania

Olympic years: 1976 (Montreal), 1980 (Moscow)

Olympic medals: 9 (1976, gold, all-around/gold, uneven bars/gold, balance beam/silver, team all-around/bronze, floor exercise; 1980, gold, balance beam/gold, floor exercise/silver, all-around/silver, team alla-round)

Bottom Line: Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Comanecia scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic history. AP Photo

Nadia Comaneci is the greatest Olympic gymnast and one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

At just 14 years old, she wowed the entire world with her performance at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, scoring the first perfect 10 in Olympic history on the way to gold medals in the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam to go with a bronze in floor exercise and silver in team all-around.

Comaneci followed that up with two gold medals and two silver medals at the 1980 Olympics. How would she have done in 1984? We’ll never know because the Romanian government, wanting to keep its thumb on Comaneci, did not allow her to compete.

What Happened Next: Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Comanecia became an American citizen in 2001. Michael Sohn / AP Photo

Comaneci was part of a group that defected from Romania in 1989. They traveled through Communist Hungary and Austria, mostly on foot and at night, until they were able to get to a plane to take them to the United States.

She moved to Oklahoma to work with American Olympian Bart Conner at his gymnastics school, married him in Romania in 1996 and became an American citizen in 2001.

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