At the 1961 University Games (also called the Universiade) in Sofia, Bulgaria, gymnastics was added to the program for the first time. It wasn’t a large competition — only 18 women and 28 men participated in the individual all-around competition.
But there were some big names, including 1960 Olympic gold medalists Mitsukuri Takahashi and Tamara Lyukhina, 1960 silver medalist Yuri Titov, as well as 1960 bronze medalists Sonia Iovan, Emilia Liță, and Elena Leușteanu. (There were other World and Olympic medalists at the competition.)
The events were split between two days: August 27 and August 28. The women competed on beam and floor on the first day and on bars and vault on the second. The men competed on floor, pommel horse, and rings on the first day and on vault, parallel bars, and high bar on the second day.
What follows are the complete results from the competition.
Note: Where possible, I have edited the spelling of the gymnasts’ names to match the spelling commonly used at other competitions. If that was not possible, I maintained the French spelling found in the official score sheet.
The Men’s Results
| Gymnast | Country | FX | PH | SR | VT | PB | HB | Total |
| 1. Mitsukuri Takahashi | JPN | 9.60 | 9.80 | 9.70 | 9.55 | 9.75 | 9.70 | 58.10 |
| 2. Titov Yuri | URS | 9.55 | 9.70 | 9.80 | 9.65 | 9.45 | 9.80 | 57.95 |
| 3. Kapsazov Velik | BUL | 9.55 | 9.40 | 9.85 | 9.65 | 9.75 | 9.70 | 57.90 |
| 4. Makurin Yuri | URS | 9.40 | 9.80 | 9.45 | 9.60 | 9.35 | 9.75 | 57.35 |
| 5. Nagasawa Yasuo | JPN | 9.65 | 9.55 | 9.55 | 9.30 | 9.45 | 9.15 | 56.65 |
| 6. Stoida Yuri | URS | 9.45 | 9.15 | 9.60 | 9.40 | 9.45 | 9.50 | 56.55 |
| 7. Leontiev Viktor | URS | 9.60 | 9.55 | 9.45 | 9.50 | 8.85 | 9.30 | 56.25 |
| 8. Tsuji Kenishi | JPN | 9.40 | 8.85 | 9.75 | 9.45 | 9.45 | 9.30 | 56.20 |
| 9. Prodanov Nikola | BUL | 9.30 | 8.90 | 9.50 | 9.60 | 9.55 | 9.25 | 56.10 |
| 10. Orendi Frederic | ROU | 9.15 | 9.25 | 9.10 | 9.65 | 9.00 | 9.40 | 55.55 |
| 11. Pazdera Ladislav | TCH | 9.25 | 9.10 | 9.30 | 9.10 | 9.20 | 9.40 | 55.35 |
| 12. Mirtchev Georgi | BUL | 9.30 | 9.10 | 9.10 | 9.50 | 9.40 | 8.65 | 55.05 |
| 13. Hidaka Yoshiharu* | JPN | 9.50 | 7.80 | 9.45 | 9.65 | 9.40 | 8.90 | 54.80 |
| 14. Klečka Karel | TCH | 9.40 | 9.40 | 8.85 | 9.15 | 8.40 | 9.50 | 54.70 |
| 15. Slivka Vladimir | TCH | 9.15 | 9.40 | 8.75 | 9.10 | 8.75 | 9.30 | 54.45 |
| 16. Christov Georgi | BUL | 9.40 | 8.00 | 9.25 | 9.30 | 9.00 | 9.05 | 54.00 |
| 17. Bechdolf Viktor | FRG | 8.85 | 8.35 | 8.95 | 9.20 | 8.90 | 9.10 | 53.35 |
| 18. Tohăneanu Gheorghe | ROU | 9.25 | 7.90 | 8.90 | 9.50 | 8.50 | 8.95 | 53.00 |
| 19. Kowalski Andrzej | POL | 8.85 | 8.80 | 8.65 | 9.05 | 8.85 | 8.30 | 52.50 |
| 20. Kubička Václav | TCH | 9.35 | 7.80 | 9.20 | 8.90 | 7.75 | 9.40 | 52.40 |
| 21. Zieliński Konrad | POL | 8.85 | 8.80 | 8.65 | 8.90 | 8.90 | 8.05 | 52.15 |
| 22. Holtz Uwe | FRG | 8.70 | 7.90 | 8.05 | 9.30 | 8.20 | 8.65 | 50.80 |
| 23. Mazurek Artur | POL | 8.95 | 6.40 | 8.45 | 9.10 | 8.75 | 8.85 | 50.50 |
| 24. Kelser Arnold | FRG | 8.60 | 5.60 | 8.05 | 9.35 | 7.90 | 8.70 | 48.20 |
| 25. Congiz Kinay Mehmet | TUR | 7.50 | 6.85 | 8.15 | 8.00 | 7.15 | 7.65 | 45.30 |
| 26. Sanlisoy Yalcyn | TUR | 8.00 | 6.30 | 7.65 | 7.95 | 6.25 | 6.45 | 42.60 |
| 27. Tanrisever Mustafa | TUR | 7.85 | 6.10 | 7.70 | 7.85 | 5.00 | 7.40 | 41.90 |
| 28. Tuncer Unay | TUR | 7.55 | 5.50 | 7.45 | 7.65 | 6.25 | 6.85 | 41.25 |
Note: Hidaka’s individual event scores do not add up to the all-around total listed in the results sheet.
The Women’s Results
| Gymnast | Country | BB | FX | UB | VT | Total |
| 1. Pervushina Irina | URS | 9.500 | 9.966 | 9.733 | 9.700 | 38.899 |
| 2. Lyukhina Tamara | URS | 9.666 | 9.633 | 9.800 | 9.766 | 38.865 |
| 3T. Manina Tamara | URS | 9.800 | 9.466 | 9.566 | 9.500 | 38.332 |
| 3T. Iovan Sonia | ROU | 9.633 | 9.500 | 9.666 | 9.533 | 38.332 |
| 5. Volchetskaya Yelena | URS | 9.433 | 9.400 | 9.333 | 9.633 | 37.799 |
| 6. Leușteanu Elena* | ROU | 9.300 | 9.533 | 9.500 | 9.333 | 37.666 |
| 7. Dimova Tsvetana* | BUL | 9.333 | 9.166 | 9.533 | 9.500 | 37.532 |
| 8. Liță Emilia* | ROU | 9.366 | 9.366 | 9.233 | 9.366 | 37.331 |
| 9. Bilić Mirjana | YUG | 9.133 | 9.233 | 9.400 | 9.600 | 37.366 |
| 10. Trashlieva Yulia | BUL | 8.366 | 9.666 | 9.533 | 9.066 | 36.631 |
| 11. Kamecka Lidia | POL | 9.000 | 9.002 | 8.866 | 9.000 | 35.868 |
| 12. Pogačnik Nevenka | YUG | 8.666 | 8.733 | 8.966 | 9.000 | 35.365 |
| 13. Dziuba-Balska Brygida | POL | 9.266 | 9.266 | 7.866 | 8.966 | 35.364 |
| 14. Rashkova Dimitrina | BUL | 8.100 | 8.900 | 9.200 | 8.733 | 34.933 |
| 15. Milke Halina | POL | 9.033 | 8.633 | 7.866 | 9.133 | 34.665 |
| 16. Kočiš Tereza | YUG | 8.333 | 9.100 | 8.133 | 9.233 | 34.799 |
| 17. Wehl Barbara | FRG | 7.666 | 8.633 | 8.500 | 9.166 | 33.965 |
| 18. Kassapeteva Zlatka | BUL | 8.366 | 9.400 | 9.466 | 5.933 | 33.165 |
Note #1: Leușteanu’s, Dimova’s, and Liță’s individual event scores do not add up to the all-around total listed in the results sheet.
Note #2: In the official results, Manina is listed as third and Iovan as fourth. However, newspaper reports indicate that the gymnasts tied for third: “3. Marina (U.R.S.S.) 38,332 p. (9,566-9,500) și SONIA IOVAN 38,332 p. (9,666—9,533)…” (Sportul, August 29, 1961).
The photo caption above also says that Iovan and Manina were tied for bronze.
Note #3: The table is not listed in modern-day Olympic order because the gymnasts did not compete in Olympic order.
Note #4: Pervushina’s 9.966 on floor meant that three judges gave her a 10 on floor. A fourth judge gave her a 9.9. (At the time, there were five judges in women’s gymnastics. The high and low scores were dropped, and the remaining three scores were averaged. In Pervushina’s case, the three averaged scores were 10, 10, and 9.9.)