With the video of Olga Korbut doing the dead loop going viral, we explain what it is and why is it banned in gymnastics
Over the years, Olga Korbut has gone onto make her place in gymnastics folklore. Her sprawling skill set has seen her be regarded as one of the finest gymnasts to have made her presence felt on the global stage with one of their sequences, the dead loop also know as the Korbut flip recently going viral on social media platforms.
Watch Video Of Olga Korbut Doing The Dead Loop And Know Why Is It Banned In Gymnastics
1972. The "Dead Loop" of Olga Korbut, USSR! … No one has ever been able to repeat it! ☝️ pic.twitter.com/yl33DQtWql
— Interesting Channel (@InteresChannel) January 15, 2022
Despite it being regarded as one of the most tedious and threatening tricks in gymnastics, the grace and ease with which Korbut pulled it off left people awed. However, the dead loop somersault has been banned owing to the gargantuan level of risk needed to pull it off cleanly.
The dead loop which is performed by standing on a high bar and then executing a backflip before grabbing the bar again was performed by Olga of the Soviet Union at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. It was the first and last time the trick was documented at the global level with it being susbequently banned.
While Olga’s dead loop earned her 9.8 out of 10 at the time, she was refrained from performing it again and climbing the high bar owing to the threat of life it posed to her. Olga currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with her selling her medals at an auction back in 2017, a sale which sparked reports of her having gone broke.
Auctioneer Elon Werner had denied the claims saying, “She is doing well financially. She just wants to pass the medals on to people who will enjoy them, celebrate their achievements, things like that.”