The premise of this list is to measure which All-Around podium was statistically the strongest when using total medals won in that very same competition as a benchmark. Points are awarded using my points system with 3-points for gold, 2-points for silver, and 1-point for bronze. Medals won in a team competition are not counted. Theoretically, the lowest a podium could score is 6-points while the absolute maximum possible point total is 30 points.
Make sure to check out the Data Hub for additional rankings, or click here for a link to this same list ordered chronologically starting from 1950-present.
Year | Event Type | Points |
1987 | Worlds | 26 |
1966 | Worlds | 25 |
1950 | Worlds | 24 |
1956 | Olympics | 24 |
1958 | Worlds | 24 |
1964 | Olympics | 24 |
1974 | Worlds | 24 |
1988 | Olympics | 24 |
1962 | Worlds | 23 |
1968 | Olympics | 23 |
1976 | Olympics | 23 |
1952 | Olympics | 22 |
1960 | Olympics | 22 |
1984 | Olympics | 22 |
1970 | Worlds | 20 |
2001 | Worlds | 20 |
2013 | Worlds | 20 |
1972 | Olympics | 19 |
1978 | Worlds | 19 |
1980 | Olympics | 19 |
1985 | Worlds | 19 |
1992 | Olympics | 19 |
1996 | Olympics | 19 |
1983 | Worlds | 18 |
2005 | Worlds | 18 |
2016 | Olympics | 18 |
2018 | Worlds | 18 |
1997 | Worlds | 17 |
2008 | Olympics | 17 |
1994 | Worlds | 16 |
1995 | Worlds | 16 |
2014 | Worlds | 16 |
2019 | Worlds | 16 |
1979 | Worlds | 15 |
1993 | Worlds | 15 |
2000 | Olympics | 15 |
2010 | Worlds | 15 |
1954 | Worlds | 13 |
1991 | Worlds | 13 |
2015 | Worlds | 13 |
2006 | Worlds | 12 |
2007 | Worlds | 12 |
2011 | Worlds | 12 |
2022 | Worlds | 12 |
2021 | Olympics | 11 |
1989 | Worlds | 10 |
1999 | Worlds | 10 |
2012 | Olympics | 10 |
2017 | Worlds | 10 |
2021 | Worlds | 10 |
1981 | Worlds | 9 |
2009 | Worlds | 9 |
2004 | Olympics | 8 |
2003 | Worlds | 6 |
I understand that this is a list that was arrived at by an objective and consistently-complied criteria. I can respect that. It was definitely intelligent.
Based on more subjective factors, the primary one being the composition of the podium with respect to the totality of each gymnasts accomplishments throughout her whole competitive career and impact on the sport, here are mine.
I feel like I can arrive at a pretty clear objective top 5 in chronological order:
1964 Olympics: Latynina, Caslavska, Astakhova
1977 Europeans: Comaneci, Mukhina, Kim
1985 Europeans: Shushunova, Gnauck, Omelianchik
1994 Team Worlds Finals: Milosovici, Khorkina, Dawes
2016 Olympics: Biles, Raisman, Mustafina
Very Honorable Mentions, (the next 5), pretty clearly demarcated from the top 5, also in chronological order:
1976 Olympics: Comaneci, Kim, Tourischeva
1988 Olympics: Shushunova, Silivas, Boginskaya
1994 Individual Worlds: Miller, Milosovici, Kochetkova
1995 Worlds: Podkopayeva, Khorkina, Milosovici
2015 Worlds: Biles, Douglas, Iordache
Horable Mentions, (the next 4 – just ended up that way) also in chronological order:
1961 Euros: Latynina, Astakhova, Caslavska
1983 Worlds: Yurchenko, Mostepanova, Szabo
1987 Worlds: Dobre, Shushunova, Silivas
1996 Europeans: Podkopayeva, Boginskaya, Milosovici
1997 Worlds: Khorkina, Amanar, Produnova
All of the above are my *opinions*, which are not necessarily the same as my *favorites*, although of course there would be an overlap.
Yes, of course the 1994 Team Worlds was not an actual podium, but this is my list, and those would have been the top 3, had there been a podium based on the finals.
Doing this for the men would be insanely more difficult. Normally, I try to respect the men equally, but honestly, it would be really, really REALLY difficult for the men – not just because there’s a longer history, but also because it’s harder to pick out only a small handful of “GOATs”. I could come up with 10-15 podiums, maybe, but I don’t think that I could separate them into tiers.
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Sorry, I added one to the 14 to make it into 15 (my last thought was to do the 1994 Team Worlds hypothetical podium, and when I added it, I was quite surprised at the overall composition), and knocking 2 others down 1 tier each, I forgot to say that the last grouping was now another grouping of 5, rather than 4. It made for wonderful symmetry, yet with a simple mistake in composing the reply.
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Once again, I feel horrible about it looking like I’m slighting anyone who is neither American, nor European – most specifically without there being an Asian anywhere in here. Again, I was going by the overall podium and the sum total of the contributions of the 3 individuals, without respect any country.
I feel like the best way that this could have been accomplished would be that with the incredible competitive field in 1996, if Mo Huilan could have made it onto the podium (in ANY position), then there’s a good chance that podium could have had an overall composition easily worthy being somewhere in the mix, above, depending upon who the other two were (wouldn’t matter the order of placement). Any of the 3 Romanians who actually did make it onto the podium, Miller, Dawes, Khorkina, Podkopayeva, and perhaps either Boginskaya or Piskun (bronze only for those two for reasons unique to this competition)… I would have definitely preferences upon the particular composition and placement, but really ANY of the 2 I just specified, as well as Mo Huilan, would easily be in the list above.
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