664 people have won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Is Simone Biles the youngest of them all? Continue reading Is Simone Biles the Youngest Person to Win the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Four thoughts on the latest honor Simone Biles has received. Continue reading Quick Reaction: Simone Biles Wins the Presidential Medal of Freedom
An overview of all the times a country won multiple All-Around titles at the Olympics, European Championships, and World Championships in the same year. Continue reading Countries That Won Multiple All-Around Titles in the Same Year
Tracking the changes to the way bib numbers were assigned from the Cold War era to present. Continue reading The Evolution of Gymnastics Bib Numbers
An overview of iconic bib numbers in gymnastics history. Continue reading The Most Famous Bib Numbers in Gymnastics History
How did 1st & 2nd year seniors fare against the 2x Olympians? Breaking down the age brackets of each Olympics to find out! Continue reading Age Distribution of Olympic Medalists
Profiling all the gymnasts who have gotten married or engaged in the last six months. Continue reading Gymnastics Marriage Announcements (June 2022 Edition)
In Part IV of this series, I discuss the lasting influence of the 1996 Olympics in ending the “little girl” era of gymnastics. Continue reading Why Did Gymnastics Pivot Towards Older Athletes? (Part IV)
In Part III of this series I examine the role Olesia Dudnik played in pushing the sport in the direction towards older gymnasts. Continue reading Why Did Gymnastics Pivot Towards Older Athletes? (Part III)
In Part II of this series I examine the how the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the 1992 All-Around ushered in a new era of older gymnasts. Continue reading Why Did Gymnastics Pivot Towards Older Athletes? (Part II)
In Part I of this series I examine the how the abolition compulsories and the introduction of specialists influenced a new generation of older gymnasts. Continue reading Why Did Gymnastics Pivot Towards Older Athletes? (Part I)
Thinking about which countries should host the next World Championships. Continue reading Countries That Should Host the Next World Championships
Quirky facts regarding Rotterdam being awarded the 2026 World Championships. Continue reading Quick Facts: Rotterdam Will Host the 2026 World Championships
Now that Memmel is a USAG program lead, it is time to ask questions regarding her continued support for Anna Li despite SafeSport allegations Continue reading Chellsie Memmel Supported a Gym With SafeSport Allegations
Showcasing the magazine segment that has documented the last 66 years of gymnastics history Continue reading Gymnasts and Faces in the Crowd
Clemson’s sextuplet transfer class showcases the power of an upstart gymnastics program when it is backed by a $100 million dollar athletic department. Continue reading How Did Clemson Get Six Transfers?
To put the longevity of Oksana Chusovitina into proper context, let’s compare her career to other eras. Continue reading What if Oksana Chusovitina Competed in a Different Era?
An overview of a defunct conference that was once the bastion of college gymnastics. Continue reading The River Dividing College Gymnastics
Clemson has all the advantages of being an upstart program, and none of the disadvantages. Continue reading Clemson: Amy Smith Holds All the Aces
Norah Flatley has risen to become one of the most popular NCAA gymnasts. But the reason for her popularity was nine years in the making. Continue reading Why Everyone Loves Norah Flatley
The retirement of Elena Eremina concludes one of the most unique careers in gymnastics history. Continue reading Elena Eremina Was a Rare One-Hit Wonder
Recapping the historic careers of Chellsie Memmel, Catalina Ponor, and Tatiana Gutsu. Continue reading Ponor, Memmel, and Gutsu Headline an Awesome 2022 Hall of Fame Class
NCAA teams usually empower the athletes representing their program. In women’s gymnastics, it is the other way around Continue reading NCAA Gymnasts Are Their Own Brand
Who are the most dominant athletes in men’s gymnastics? Points are awarded based on gold, silver, and bronze to find out. Continue reading Ranking the Most Dominant Men’s Gymnasts of All Time
In order to determine who was the most successful junior in gymnastics history, I looked at the results from five international junior competitions to establish a ranking. Continue reading Ranking the Most Successful Juniors in Gymnastics History
As her country experienced a horrific invasion, Daniela Batrona won World Cup medals on two different continents while being thrust into a role far greater than she ever could have imagined. Continue reading The Resiliency of Daniela Batrona
Eileen Gu dominated the 2022 Olympics. But her dominance was even more staggering when you take a closer look at the results. Continue reading Eileen Gu is Even Better Than Her Medals Suggest
The Olympic Games has experienced an influx of ultra young athletes in recent years. So why did the IOC turn a blind eye to it until now? Continue reading The Recent Rise of Child Athletes in the Olympic Games
In any sports institution where doping is openly tolerated, the doping of child athletes is bound to occur as well. Continue reading Kamila Valieva: Whenever State-Sponsored Doping Exists, Child-Doping Always Follows
How the unusual circumstances of a doping case involving Kamila Valieva creates a dilemma for sports officials looking to achieve a solution that is fair to all parties involved. Continue reading The Ethical Dilemma of Allowing Kamila Valieva to Compete
Revelations involving Kamila Valieva remind us that coaches are usually the last to face the consequences when wrongdoing comes to light. Continue reading You Know Eteri Tutberidze is Going to Get Away With It
How a trip from the island Martinique to Tucson, Arizona highlights the difficulty gymnasts face when they hail from geographically isolated hometowns. Continue reading Melanie de Jesus dos Santos Needs a Private Jet
Kelly Sildaru was destined to be the breakout star of the 2018 Olympics until an ill-timed ACL injury put her Olympic aspirations on hold. The 2022 Olympics will be her redemption arc. Continue reading The Estonian Freestyle Skier Everyone Should Root For
The 1975 World Cup represented the end of an era for Soviet gymnastics. Continue reading The Last Major Competition Without Country Limits
Giving a breakdown on the incorrect retirement speculation regarding Artur Dalaloyan. Continue reading Quick Reaction: Artur Dalaloyan (Almost) Retires
Gymnastics is experiencing a new trend where becoming a 3x Olympian is far more common than it once was. Continue reading Gymnastics is Experiencing an Influx of 3x Olympians
In this link is a data table highlighting every gymnast who has appeared in an Olympic Games on three of more occasions. Continue reading The List of Gymnasts With the Most Olympic Appearances
As UCLA continues to mismanage its public response to the Alexis Jeffrey transfer fallout, it raises more questions that the program mismanaged its internal response as well. Continue reading Chris Waller: How NOT to Confront a Scandal
The breakup of the USSR gave Oksana Chusovitina the opportunity to extend her career in a way that wasn’t possible before. But how many other Soviet athletes found themselves in the same predicament? Continue reading Is Oksana Chusovitina the Last Soviet Athlete?
Nadia Comaneci brought widespread fame to Romanian gymnastics. But the program had been producing legendary gymnasts long before her arrival. In Part I of this series I cover the legendary Romanian gymnasts of 1964-1974. Continue reading The Great Romanian Gymnasts Who Came Before Nadia (Part II)
Nadia Comaneci brought widespread fame to Romanian gymnastics. But the program had been producing legendary gymnasts long before her arrival. In Part I of this series I cover the legendary Romanian gymnasts of 1952-1962. Continue reading The Great Romanian Gymnasts Who Came Before Nadia (Part I)
Recapping the careers of Natalia Yurchenko, Olga Mostepanova, Albina Shishova, Olga Bicherova, Tatiana Frolova, and Natalia Ilienko. Continue reading The Greatest Team That Never Went to the Olympics (Part II)
In 1983 the Soviets took the gold medal. Despite being one of the most well-rounded lineups in gymnastics history, not one member of this team became an Olympian. Continue reading The Greatest Team That Never Went to the Olympics (Part I)
The career of Oksana Chusovitina career has been so impressive that it is difficult to put her longevity into words. So instead I created a graphic to demonstrate how impressive it has been. Continue reading The Longevity of Oksana Chusovitina Visualized
Which country has the strongest program in gymnastics history? I calculate the medal leaders in the team competition to find out! Continue reading Countries With the Most Medals in the Team Competition
Which country has the strongest program in gymnastics history? I give 3 points for gold, 2 for silver, and 1 for bronze to find out. Continue reading Ranking the Most Dominant Programs in the Team Competition
The list of every American gymnast who has ever represented the United States in women’s gymnastics at the Olympics and World Championships Continue reading American Gymnasts With the Most Appearances at the Olympics and World Championships
Simone Biles wins an award from the BBC which is one of the most remarkable awards of her career Continue reading Simone Biles Wins Yet Another Prestigious Award
Who are the Olympic “power couples” of Rhythmic Gymnastics? Continue reading Olympic Rhythmic Gymnasts Who Married a Fellow Olympian
These athletes were legends in their sport, but never competed on the biggest stage and most prestigious competition in women’s gymnastics. Continue reading The Greatest Gymnasts Who Never Went to the Olympics
Oksana Chusovitina is the most admired gymnast when it comes to celebrating longevity. Vanessa Ferrari should be considered in a similar light. Continue reading The Unprecedented Longevity of Vanessa Ferrari
As USA Gymnastics moves into the post-Tom Forster era, there were three moments that best illustrate how he should be remembered. Continue reading The Three Things Tom Forster Should Be Remembered For
Who are the Olympic “power couples” in gymnastics? In this article I’ll give you all the names of an Olympic gymnast who married a fellow Olympian. Continue reading The List of Every Olympic Gymnast Who Married a Fellow Olympian
Who are the Olympic “power couples” in gymnastics? In this article I provide further insights on that topic. Continue reading Writeup: Olympic Gymnasts Who Married a Fellow Olympian
In a multi-national union between two Olympic gymnasts that hasn’t occurred in decades, Diana Varinska announced she is engaged. Continue reading Diana Varinska Gets Engaged and Joins Nadia Comaneci in a Rare Marriage Milestone
The amount of talent the Soviets had in 1976 was ludicrous. Four All-Around Champions, eight Hall of Famers, 14 Olympic appearances, a dozen child prodigies, the list goes on… Continue reading The Start List of the 1976 USSR Cup Was Insane
She was the underdog gymnast from an underdog program who rose to become an icon of women’s gymnastics. Continue reading Gymnastics Bio #10: Henrietta Onodi
In gymnastics history there have been a wide variety of prestigious junior competitions. But what happens when the Champions of these competitions turn senior? Continue reading Are Junior Champions Likely to Become Senior Champions?
These gymnasts once lead the Olympic All-Around standings, but they didn’t have the same luck in AA Finals. Part II covers the gymnasts of 2008-2021. Continue reading Gymnasts Who Won Olympic AA Qualifications But Not AA Finals (Part II)
These gymnasts once lead the Olympic All-Around standings, but they didn’t have the same luck in AA Finals. Part I covers the gymnasts of 1972-2000. Continue reading Gymnasts Who Won Olympic AA Qualifications But Not AA Finals (Part I)
Without revealing the context, if I were to have told you that these gymnasts competed against each other, your first reaction would be “that’s impossible.” Continue reading Bizarre Encounters in Gymnastics History
The Longines Prize for Elegance has become a staple of the World Championships. Why did it disappear? Continue reading Bring Back the Longines Prize for Elegance
As the Tokyo Olympic cycle comes to its conclusion, I recap the 15 most successful gymnasts of the past five years. In this part I profile the gymnasts ranked 7th to 1st. Continue reading The 15 Greatest Gymnasts of the Tokyo Quad (Part II)
As the Tokyo Olympic cycle comes to its conclusion, I recap the 15 most successful gymnasts of the past five years. In this part I profile the gymnasts ranked 15th to 8th. Continue reading The 15 Greatest Gymnasts of the Tokyo Quad (Part I)
SafeSport violations in rhythmic gymnastics expose the continued cultural failures of USAG. Continue reading The Stupidity of USAG (October 2021 Edition)
At the 2021 World Championships two gymnasts achieved a milestone that had happened only twice before within their respective program. Continue reading What Melnikova and Ashikawa accomplished at the 2021 World Championships
Who was the best gymnast of the current decade? I give 3 points for gold, 2 for silver, and 1 for bronze to find out. Continue reading Ranking the Most Dominant Gymnasts of the Decade (2020s)
Two gymnasts tasted success for the first time. More importantly, they did it together. Continue reading The Rise of Leanne Wong and Kayla DiCello
Hitomi Hatakeda was on the verge of making history for herself, her family, and her country before one ill-timed skill brought her 2021 run to a halt. Continue reading Quick Reaction: Hitomi Hatakeda’s Injury
Three countries will appear in Event Finals for the first time ever. But that is only the beginning of all the feats that were accomplished in qualifying at the 2021 World Championships. Continue reading The Gymnasts Who Made History at the 2021 World Championships
Explaining the difference between “Martha” and “Marta” Karolyi. Continue reading When Did Marta Karolyi Become “Martha?”
Some thoughts on a recent interview featuring Martha Karolyi Continue reading The Shame of Martha Karolyi
The 2021 Olympics produced a highly diverse field of Olympic medalists, but the same can not be said when looking at the list of career medal leaders in women’s gymnastics. Continue reading The Lack of Racial Diversity In Women’s Gymnastics Medal Leaders
Who is the best gymnast from South Korea? I give 3 points for gold, 2 for silver, and 1 for bronze to find out. Continue reading Ranking the Most Dominant South Korean Gymnasts
It is often said gymnasts “skip” the World Championships following the Olympics. But is that assertion true? Continue reading Do Post-Olympic World Championships Have Weaker Fields?
In 2021 Anastasia Ilyankova became the latest Olympian from a Russian city with a storied gymnastics history. Continue reading The Russian City That Does Nothing but Produce Olympic Gymnasts
Reflections on the Afghanistan women’s soccer team and the powerful figures who led it. Continue reading Remembering the Afghanistan Women’s Soccer Team
Simone Biles may not realize it, but she just gifted Elena Mukhina something that is long overdue. Continue reading What Simone Biles did for Elena Mukhina
42 bullet points representing the most funky and compelling statistics from the 2021 Olympics Continue reading Whacky Stats and Records From the 2021 Olympics
Angelina Melnikova is the unusual case of a gymnast who only seems to get better with time. Continue reading The Growing Strength of Angelina Melnikova
In this 2-part series I cover the rare phenomenon of the “near-Olympic team.” Part II covers teams from the 2000s-present Continue reading Did Everyone Go to the Olympics Without Me? (Part II)
In this 2-part series I cover the rare phenomenon of the “near-Olympic team.” Part I covers teams from the 1970s-1990s. Continue reading Did Everyone Go to the Olympics Without Me? (Part I)
These gymnasts didn’t make an Olympic team, but their young training partner did. Continue reading Gymnasts Who Were Role Models For a Future Olympian
Ranking the strongest All-Around podiums in gymnastics history based on success throughout the rest of the competition. Continue reading Ranking the Most Dominant All-Around Podiums
Ranking the strongest All-Around podiums in gymnastics history based on success throughout the rest of the competition. Continue reading Ranking the Most Dominant All-Around Podiums (By Year)
Simone Biles in Paris 2024? Here is why it makes so much sense. Continue reading Three Reasons Why Simone Biles Should Compete in 2024
2021 France will be represented by gymnasts born in the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. More importantly, all of them were born French and have always lived in France. Continue reading France 2021: The Olympic Team From Three Different Continents
My take on the 2021 British Team Continue reading Quick Reaction: Great Britain Names 2021 Olympic Team
Analyzing the decision to not name Becky Downie to the 2021 Olympic team. Continue reading The Becky Downie Situation
Simone isn’t just beating her competitors, but anyone who dares to oppose her. Continue reading Simone Biles Always Wins
It is not what you win, it is not how you win, it is the story that gets told along the way. Continue reading How Will Simone Biles’ Career Be Remembered?
The 2021 U.S. Classics is shockingly young, over half the competitors are 1st or 2nd year seniors. Continue reading The 2021 U.S. Classics Features an Incredibly Young Field
The 2021 U.S. Classic will feature 42 gymnasts, it may be one of the most talented fields ever assembled in a domestic American meet Continue reading Can We Talk About How Impressive this 2021 U.S. Classics Start List Is?
Dominique Dawes wants to change gymnastics, and she won’t mince words in an attempt to accomplish that goal. Continue reading Dominique Dawes is on a Mission to Fix Gymnastics
In the final days of the Cold War, a 20 year old former gymnast made a daring attempt to scale the Berlin Wall. Continue reading The Gymnast Who Died at the Berlin Wall
For 1st-year seniors it is usually impossible to win the All-Around at the European Championships. Only Nadia Comaneci had done it, now Viktoria Listunova can say the same. Continue reading Viktoria Listunova Achieved a Record Only Held by Nadia Comaneci
Three thoughts on what the reitement of Daniela Trica means for the future of Romanian gymnastics. Continue reading Quick Reactions: Daniela Trica Retires
The 2021 European Championships proved gymnastics is still dominated by young athletes, but exceptions are becoming more common. Continue reading What the 2021 European Championships Tell Us About Age Trends in Gymnastics
After two years of being overshadowed by her sister, Jessica Gadirova has crashed onto the scene in her international senior debut. Continue reading The Arrival of Jessica Gadirova
In any other era Viktoria Listunova would be your typical child prodigy, but between COVID-19 and Simone Biles, this era has been anything but typical. Continue reading The Unusual Rise of Viktoria Listunova
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