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Welcome to another commissioned episode. Club Gym Nerd member, Alison, helped support the podcast by asking us to talk about the greatest myths, legends and unexpected moments in gymnastics history. Thank you so much Alison! Spencer, and Jessica chat about:
- Greatest Myths:
- Menstruation, height, beam width, Raducan’s gold medal, and pregnancy doping
- Legends:
- Age stereotype-defining heroes in the Olympics and NCAA from Chusovitina to Daria Bijak
- Innovators from Mo Huilan, Hali Sheriff, to Elvira Teza
- The 1974 NCAA Championship streaker
- Champions from Khorkina, Shun Fujimoto, Gabby Douglas and Vera Caslavska
- Unexpected Moments
- The vault height during the all-around final at the Sydney Olympics
- 2004 Olympics men’s gymnastics multifaceted debacle
- Wildlife
- Age falsification. Why do only the Asian countries get punished?
- Lingerie gymnastics
- The judge who gave an impossible score
- Tie breakers, wooden legs, circus discrimination, and that one time when Alijaz Pegan broke the P-bars
SUPPORT THE SHOW
- Join Club Gym Nerd here or commission your own episode.
- Buy one of our awesome goodies here.
RELATED EPISODES
- 228: Leotards (Commissioned)
- 225: 1992 Olympics Recap with Wendy Bruce (Commissioned)
- 185: 2008 Olympic All-Around Finals (Commissioned)
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Still listening to you- Khorkina has a skill named after her on every apparatus!
So does Shushunova!
I have the impression (but no facts to back it up) that there was documentary evidence of age falsification by China and North Korea, and also that the investigation into those cases was opened within some kind of statute of limitations. While for Romania, there are gymnasts talking about it NOW, or years after the fact, but that any kind of official investigation would have had to start much closer to the competitions in question.
That kind gymcastic for all the Greta gymnastics info but also because I had forgotten all about streamers with stockings on their faces. I’d forgotten that was a thing!
The myth that infuriates me the most is that the Japan’s federation “paid” the judges to change Uchimura’s score in London team final that NBC has perpetuated. It’s such a disrespect, they fail to explain that’s part of every single inquiry procedure.
I also feel you should have named Aleftina Priakhina on the inovators. She competed the first double double, standing full, zamolodchikova beam mount an DTY(I think). It’s a shame the biggest meet she made was euros.