Korbut, Olga (1955-…), a gymnast from what is now Belarus, became an international sports celebrity for her performance at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. Korbut competed for the former Soviet Union in the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games. A slight figure weighing only 90 pounds (41 kilograms) and standing just 5 feet (150 centimeters) tall, Korbut was 17 years old when she competed at Munich. She won gold medals on the balance beam, in the floor exercise, and in the team event, and a silver medal on the uneven parallel bars.
Korbut’s popularity after her Olympic Games performance was credited with initiating a new interest in gymnastics among girls and young women throughout the world. The skill, exuberance, and high risk of her gymnastics routines revolutionized the sport.
In 1973, Korbut was World Student Games Champion and finished second in the European Championships. She again came second in the 1974 World Championships. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, Korbut won a team gold medal and a silver medal on the beam. She retired from Olympic competition after the 1976 games.
Olga Valentinovna Korbut was born on May 16, 1955, in Grodno, Belarus. At the age of 11, she entered a special sports school run by her coach, Renald Knysh. From Knysh, she learned to do a back somersault on the balance beam. She eventually became a gymnastics coach and moved to the United States in 1991. In 1988, Korbut became the first individual inducted into the Internatrional Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
