I was six years old during the 1972 Munich Olympics. This was the same Olympics where Palestinian terrorists assaulted the Olympic Village taking several hostages. After a brief 34 hour pause, the games continued. At the same Olympics, Mark Spitz won seven gold medals along with seven world records in swimming.
But I think the world was captivated by 17-year-old Olga Korbut. Her acrobatics help pioneer and inspire some of the maneuvers done today in competition. And some that are still illegal to use.
I happened to come across one of her routines and have added the link here.
This was for the event finals. Her earlier attempts at this same routine were less than stellar. I saw some footage of these and she was crying after her mistakes. But when it matter it was near perfect. The crowd thought it was but the judges only awarded a 9.8.
She won three gold medals in balance beam, floor exercise, and team competition. Even after that unbelievable performance on the uneven bars, she only took home the silver.
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