The International Gymnastics body is the world's oldest international sports body, having been established in 1881. The history of gymnastics began in antiquity when philosophers advocated it as a means of fusing mental and physical activity. With the emergence of more events during the 19th century, notably the gymnastics competition at the newly resurrected Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, the sport saw a rise in popularity.
Since its introduction at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, artistic gymnastics has been a part of every edition of the event. Before women were initially permitted to compete, there was a 32-year ban on male athletes until the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The women's schedule wasn't formed until 1952 when it consisted of seven events. Later, it was reduced to six events, which has remained the same since the 1960 Rome Games. Eight events are scheduled for the men's programme.
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The COVID-19 epidemic caused a one-year postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but it didn't take away from the competitors' incredible fitness and tenacity. American gymnast Simone Biles, a fan favourite with an amazing 25 world medals and five Olympic medals, was the centre of attention. Her unannounced absence from many events during the team final because of mental health issues, however, grabbed the front stage. Biles triumphantly returned despite everything, winning a bronze medal on the balance beam on the last day of competition.
New stars rose in her absence. In this event, Sunisa Lee continued the American tradition by shining brilliantly and winning gold in the women's all-around and bronze on the uneven bars. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil created history by taking home the silver medal in gymnastics for the all-around, which was her first Olympic medal, and then won the gold medal in vault. Mykayla Skinner won silver in the vault, while Jade Carey won gold in the floor exercise, adding to the American team's victory.
In the team competition, Great Britain won the bronze, their first team medal in ninety-three years, while the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) won the gold, ending the United States' record of winning five straight team golds. The men's competition was just as successful as the ROC, with Daiki Hashimoto of Japan standing out and winning gold in both the high bar and the all-around.
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Simone Biles made a stunning Olympic debut in Rio, taking home four gold medals and a bronze. Dubbed the "Final Five," the American women's team dominated the match, defeating Russia by eight points to take team gold. Aly Raisman became the second-most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history after she added silver medals to the American tally in the all-around and floor exercise.
Japan regained the team gold in the men's competition, while Kohei Uchimura won the all-around championship for the second time in a row. Despite having a successful qualifying round, the men's U.S. team finished seventh in the finals. Romania, a dominant force in women's gymnastics since 1976, ended an incredible run of qualifying.
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After being dubbed the "Fierce Five," the American women's team won the team gold in London for the first time since 1996. In history, Gabby Douglas became the first African American to win the individual and team all-around championships. Due to a tiebreaker, Aly Raisman only missed out on a medal in the all-around competition after winning gold in the floor exercise and bronze in the balancing beam.
The American men's team had a strong start but collapsed, placing sixth overall. China triumphed, capturing team gold for the second time in a row. Japan advanced to silver, forcing Great Britain to bronze, following a successful complaint over Kohei Uchimura's pommel horse score.
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China's gymnasts were outstanding at home, taking home many individual gold medals as well as the men's and women's team crowns. In the women's all-around, American competitors Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson took first place. Johnson took home the gold on the balancing beam, while Liukin equalled the American record for the most medals won at a single Games with five.
Even without some of its best athletes, the United States managed a surprising bronze as a team in the men's tournament. With nine gold medals out of a total of 14, the Chinese men's team was unbeatable. Nevertheless, there was controversy surrounding the women's uneven bars final, with China's He Kexin winning gold over Liukin due to a tie-breaking rule.
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Japan's men won team gold in Athens, reclaiming their reputation as a gymnastics dynasty, while the United States won their first team silver since 1984. In the face of controversy over a scoring error that disqualified South Korea's Yang Tae-Young from first place, Paul Hamm staged a remarkable comeback to win gold in the all-around competition. He did it by a mere .012 points.
Carly Patterson defeated Svetlana Khorkina of Russia to become the second American woman to win the gold medal in the all-around competition. For the first time, Romanian women, who had dominated since 1976, were excluded from the medals.
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Dramatic occurrences characterised the Sydney Games, especially in the women's all-around competition. Misconfigured vault apparatuses resulted in crashes, one of which involved Svetlana Khorkina of Russia. The Romanian Andreea Raducan lost her gold medal as an all-around player after testing positive for a prohibited substance. She attributed the drug to a cold remedy that her team doctor had given her. Simona Amanar, her teammate, was subsequently given the gold.
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The "Magnificent Seven," the U.S. women's team, won their first-ever team gold in Atlanta. Kerri Strug's brave leap with a broken ankle went viral. However, the men's U.S. team came in sixth.
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Vitaly Scherbo, a gymnast from Belarus who competed for the Unified Team, put on a remarkable display by taking home six gold medals, including four in one night. That incredible accomplishment is still one of the most unforgettable in Olympic history.
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In Seoul, Soviet competitor Vladimir Artemov—who had a reputation for usually coming in second—won the all-around championship. Dmitry Bilozerchev, his colleague, recovered from a serious injury to win several medals, including the gold in the pommel horse and rings.
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As the first female American to win the all-around gold, Mary Lou Retton became a national phenomenon. The men's team from the United States also prevailed, taking home team gold for the first time in Olympic history. Several individual medals completed their triumph, making the 1984 Games a landmark occasion for American gymnastics.
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