1952: The Women’s Optionals at the Helsinki Olympics

In 1952, women’s gymnastics underwent a significant transformation. The Soviet Union made its Olympic debut, and the rest of the field struggled to keep pace. Strength clashed with artistry, difficulty with elegance, and the sport suddenly felt bigger than scores alone. The question was no longer just who would win, but what kind of gymnastics would set the standard for the future.

Here’s what happened on Wednesday, July 23, 1952, during the optionals portion of the competition.

Quick Links: Results and Standings | Videos | Commentary | Appendix: A Profile of Roberta Bonniwell, the U.S. head coach

Results and Standings

Team Standings

CTRY	Comp.	Opt.	Total
1. URS	226.08	227.95	454.03
2. HUN	222.42	226.94	449.36
3. TCH	215.53	217.79	433.32
4. SWE	212.34	215.29	427.63
5. BUL	216.38	210.59	426.97
6. ITA	212.90	213.64	426.54
7. GER	211.78	212.25	424.03
8. POL	204.63	214.89	419.52
9. ROU	209.15	207.11	416.26
10. AUT	204.41	204.99	409.40
11. FRA	204.97	203.58	408.55
12. YUG	201.50	206.82	408.14
13. USA	205.63	200.13	405.76
14. FIN	200.55	202.77	403.32
15. NED	199.11	203.91	403.02
16. GBR	197.55	196.76	394.31

*Note #1: There are calculation discrepancies in the official results, which list Germany’s compulsory score as 212.78 when it should be 211.78 based on the individual scores listed in the official book. Also, Yugoslavia’s optionals total is listed as 206.64, but it should be 206.82. The United States’ optionals total is listed as 200.13, but it should be 200.19.

*Note #2: Detailed team results will be included in the final post on the women’s competition at the 1952 Olympics.

All-Around Results – Top 10

Note: The awards were handed out on the third day, after the group rhythmic exercises. Nevertheless, the individual winners were known after the second day of competition.

Gymnast	CTRY	FX	BB	UB	VT	Total
1. Gorokhovskaya Maria	URS	9.50	9.43	9.63	9.63	38.19
2	Opt.	9.70	9.70	9.63	9.56	38.59
						76.78
2. Bocharova Nina	URS	9.40	9.46	9.56	9.80	38.22
1	Opt.	9.30	9.76	9.43	9.23	37.72
						75.94
3. Korondi Margit	HUN	9.40	9.46	9.70	9.10	37.66
4	Opt.	9.60	9.56	9.70	9.30	38.16
						75.82
4. Minaicheva Galina	URS	9.36	9.13	9.36	9.73	37.58
5	Opt.	9.60	9.53	9.53	9.43	38.09
						75.67
5. Urbanovich Galina	URS	9.43	9.40	9.16	9.70	37.69
3	Opt.	9.56	9.53	9.46	9.40	37.95
						75.64
6. Keleti Ágnes	HUN	9.50	9.43	9.46	8.90	37.29
8	Opt.	9.86	9.53	9.70	9.20	38.29
						75.58
7. Danilova Pelageya	URS	9.23	9.26	9.43	9.46	37.38
7	Opt.	9.43	9.50	9.56	9.16	37.65
						75.03
8. Shamrai Galina	URS	9.23	9.43	9.33	9.03	37.02
10	Opt.	9.63	9.36	9.60	9.36	37.95
						74.97
9. Jugeli Medea	URS	9.30	9.13	9.23	9.73	37.39
6		9.30	9.36	9.50	9.40	37.56
						74.95
10. Perényi Edit	HUN	9.16	9.06	9.40	9.33	36.95
11		9.66	9.30	9.56	9.30	37.82
						74.77

Note: The number under each gymnast’s name is her ranking after compulsories — in case you want to know how the results changed after the second day. The top row includes the compulsory scores, and the second row includes the optional scores. The third row lists the gymnasts’ all-around totals.

Note #2: Please pay attention to the column headers. The official results were not placed in today’s Olympic order.

Floor Exercise

Gymnast	CTRY	Comp.	Opt.	Total
1. Keleti Ágnes	HUN	9.50	9.86	19.36
2. Gorokhovskaya Maria	URS	9.50	9.70	19.20
3. Korondi Margit	HUN	9.40	9.60	19.00
4T. Gulyás Edit	HUN	9.26	9.73	18.99
4T. Urbanovich Galina	URS	9.43	9.56	18.99
6. Minaicheva Galina	URS	9.36	9.60	18.96

Balance Beam

Gymnast	CTRY	Comp.	Opt.	Total
1. Bocharova Nina	URS	9.46	9.76	19.22
2. Gorokhovskaya Maria	URS	9.43	9.70	19.13
3. Korondi Margit	HUN	9.46	9.56	19.02
4. Keleti Ágnes	HUN	9.43	9.53	18.96
5. Urbanovich Galina	URS	9.40	9.53	18.93
6. Stancheva Tsvetanka	BUL	9.43	9.43	18.86

Uneven Bars

Gymnast	CTRY	Comp.	Opt.	Total
1. Korondi Margit	HUN	9.70	9.70	19.40
2. Gorokhovskaya Maria	URS	9.63	9.63	19.26
3. Keleti Ágnes	HUN	9.46	9.70	19.16
4T. Bocharova Nina	URS	9.56	9.43	18.99
4T. Danilova Pelageya	URS	9.43	9.56	18.99
6. Perényi Edit	HUN	9.40	9.56	18.96

Vault

Gymnast	Country	Comp.	Opt.	Total
1. Kalinchuk Ekaterina	URS	9.70	9.50	19.20
2. Gorokhovskaya Maria	URS	9.63	9.56	19.19
3. Minaicheva Galina	URS	9.73	9.43	19.16
4. Jugeli Medea	URS	9.73	9.40	19.13
5. Urbanovich Galina	URS	9.70	9.40	19.10
6. Bocharova Nina	URS	9.80	9.23	19.03

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Videos

Maria Gorokhovskaya on Uneven Bars

Note: Korbut’s uneven bars dismount wasn’t entirely original. Gorokhovskaya had performed a version of it two decades earlier. What set Korbut apart was the added element of risk: she flipped over the low bar.

Keleti on Floor Exercise

Reminder: There wasn’t floor music at the time. Also, don’t believe the introductions to these videos. A lot of it is historically inaccurate. That said, we, the gymnastics community, are grateful to all those who have preserved these old routines.

Korondi on Uneven Bars

Korondi on Balance Beam

Again, don’t believe everything in the introduction to these videos. There weren’t event finals in 1952.

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Commentary

The Soviet Union

In 1952, Sovetsky Sport’s coverage wasn’t as florid as it was in, say, the 1970s. The sports newspaper of record tended to report “just the facts.” It did print a quote attributed to the all-around champion:

All-around champion of the XVth Olympic Games, Maria Gorokhovskaya, told the correspondent of Sovetsky Sport:

“Soviet gymnasts took the team first place at the Olympics. This victory was achieved by us as a result of intense struggle with the best gymnasts of the world, among which the most prepared are the athletes of the Hungarian People’s Republic. I had a chance to win the title of absolute champion of the Olympic Games. I am happy with the achieved victory, as it is a convincing proof of the superiority of the Soviet school of gymnastics.

“All of us are happy that we have justified the high trust of the Soviet people, who sent us to defend the honor of Soviet sport at the Olympic Games.”

Sovetsky Sport, no. 90, 1952

Абсолютная чемпионка XV олимпийских игр Мария Гороховская заявила корреспонденту «Советского спорта »:

«Советские гимнастки заняли на олимпиаде командное первое место. Эта победа достигнута нами в результате напряженной борьбы с лучшими гимнастками мира, среди которых наиболее подготовленными являются спортсменки Венгерской Народной Республики. Мне довелось выиграть звание абсолютной чемпионки олимпийских игр. Я счастлива достигнутой победой, так как она является убедительным доказательством превосходства советской школы гимнастики.

Все мы счастливы тем, что оправдали высокое доверие советского народа, пославшего нас защищать честь советского спорта на олимпийских играх».

Note: Although this quote was technically printed after the third day of competition, I’m including it here because the events of that day—particularly the controversies surrounding the team portable apparatus competition—warrant detailed discussion in a separate post.

Hungary

Unlike Sovetsky Sport, Hungary’s leading sports paper, Népsport, was ahead of its time. It leaned into storytelling—sometimes edging into creative nonfiction—in its coverage. Take, for instance, how it reported on Korondi’s and Keleti’s gold-medal triumphs.

—All athletes with days off, come aboard!

This was the call on Wednesday afternoon at the Hungarian accommodation in Otauiemi. Anyone who can is going to Messuhalli to cheer on our gymnasts.

The arena is jam-packed, more than 3000 people squeezed in the bleachers.

The Hungarian team is scheduled to start at 4 p.m., but the start is delayed because the teams scheduled for the early afternoon have not yet finished their routines.

Finally, at 6 o’clock, our competitors take to the floor.

They start on the uneven bars, the apparatus on which we have the best chance of winning the Olympic title. Our competitors are performing brilliantly. Their routines are slightly longer than those of the competitors we have seen so far, but their strength does not leave them.

Almost every member of the team is giving their best on this apparatus. Keleti’s routine is superb.

The whole arena stands still when they announce that Korondi is the next one. She is our biggest hope. She seems a bit nervous but when she reaches for the apparatus everything seems to be alright.

She performs her exercise with wonderful poise, she stays steady throughout it, she holds the arabesque, the swing comes in great rhythm. She stands on the mat at the end of the exercises as if she had been “nailed to the ground.”

Applause comes from everywhere. This is just for the exercise, not the results. Then we hear the whistle. This is the judge’s sign to display the scores on the scoreboards. Just for a split second, I think every Hungarian asks themselves the same thing:

— Did she do it? Did the judges see the same perfect bar exercise?

The scoreboards are raised high, all eyes are on them. 9.7, 9.8, 9.6, 9.7, 9.7. A quick calculation, and Gyula Aradi, the coach of our women’s team, rushes over to Korondi to congratulate her.

There are no words to describe what comes next. The entire Hungarian group hugs and kisses each other. A huge commotion breaks out. Margit Korondi has won our first Olympic championship.

The boxers and rowers can’t help but throw our new Olympic champion in the air.

— Slow down the celebration — says Mrs. Herpich — we still need Korondi on the other apparatus.

Now our competitors are much happier and more relaxed as they make their way to vault. And the joy of the first championship is already having an effect. Our competitors are vaulting much better now than in previous competitions. But we can still not overtake the amazing Soviet gymnasts’ advantage on this apparatus.

While vault is in session, we ask Korondi, our first gold medal winner. How do you feel now?

—I know that it is usual and a bit boring already that people after winning a championship say that they are happy. But tell me, what else could I say?

She tears up happily. And then adds:

– I can’t deny that I was very nervous when I was walking up to the apparatus but when I put my hand on the handrail, I felt like I was at the Sport Hall. I concentrated and everything went well. Now I know that I didn’t practice this for nothing during all those months.

Our competitors perform quite nice handsprings on the vault, then they move on to the floor exercise.

Now it is time to cheer again. This time for Keleti. She has the best chance to win on this event. The whole team is moving well now, almost no errors in these routines. Tass, Köröndi and Mrs. Gulyás move incredibly well. After each exercise longer and longer pauses are necessary as the applause just won’t stop. Keleti is the last one to perform from our team.

She is a bit pale when she runs up to the center.

Her moves are amazing. The elements of her exercise are becoming harder and harder. The strength elements are integrated seamlessly into the feminine rhythmic moves.

Her handstand is perfect, her split and her arabesque are also amazing.

When she finishes the exercise, the entire Hungarian team cries out as one.

— We have the second one . . .

I mean the second gold medal. The scoreboards go up. We see two 10s, but we can’t pay attention to the rest of them because almost the entire audience rushes into the hall to congratulate the athletes on their wonderful routines. All we can see is that the total score is 9.85. So that’s another success. 

The cheering has not died down yet and we are already at the balance beam. Mrs. Daruházi starts out amazing but she falls by the end. After Tass’s headstand balance, handstand and the stretched jump of Tass, Mrs. Gulyás’s handstand-splits get a huge applause.

Then it’s Keleti’s turn again. She performs even the most difficult moves with ease, without a hint of hesitation, her jumps are perfect, her splits are brilliant, and her dismount is flawless. She receives a 9.9 from two judges, while two others give her a lower score. Her total is 9.53. She is the fourth with this score. Korondi overtakes her.

— I am tremendously happy that Korondi and I won the first two Hungarian Olympics championships. I think that the floor exercise went really well and I did my best on the balance beam as well.

Népsport, July 24, 1952

—Minden szabadnapos sportoló a fedélzeire!

Ez a jelszó szerdán délután az Otauiemiben lévő magyar szálláson. Aki csak teheti, megy ki a Messuhalliba, szurkolni tornásznőinknek.

Zsúfolásig megtelt a terem, több mint 3000 ember préselődött össze a lelátókon.

Négy órára van kitűzve a magyar csapat rajtja, de késik a kezdés, mert a koradélutáni sorra került csapatok még nem fejezték be gyakorlataikat.

Végre 6 órakor szerhez kerülnek versenyzőink. 

Korláton kezdenek, rögtön azon a szeren, amelyen a legtöbb esélyünk van az olimpiai bajnokság megszerzésére. Nagyszerűen mozognak versenyzőink. Kissé hosszabb a gyakorlatuk, mint az eddig látott versenyzők, de  végig bírjátok erővel.

Szinte a csapatnak minden tagja legjobb tudását adja ezen a szeren. Nagyszerűen elkerült Keleti gyakorlata.

Néma csend lesz a hatalmas teremben, amikor a hangszórón közlik, hogy Korondi következik, ő a legesélyesebbünk. Kicsit idegesnek látszik, amikor a szerhez lép, de aztán nincs semmi baj.

Csodálatosan szép tartással végzi gyakorlatát, egy pillanatra sem Inog meg, szépen kitartja a mérlegállást, jó ütemüek a billenések s úgy áll le a szőnyegre a gyakorlat befejezése után, mintha „földbe verték “ volna.

Felzúg a taps. Ez még csak a gyakorlatnak szól, nem az eredménynek. Egy pillanat múlva elhangzik a sípszó, a versenybíró ezzel jelzi, hogy kérj a pontozótáblák felmutatását. A másod
perc töredéke alatt úgy gondolom, most itt a teremben minden magyarnak ez
a gondolata:

— Vajon sikerült-e? Vajon a pontozók is olyan tökéletésnek látták korlátot?

Magasba emelkednek a táblák, minden szempár rájuk tapad . 9.7, 9.8, 9.6, 9.7, 9.7 Gyors számolás s Aradi Gyula, női csapatunk edzője már rohan oda Korondihoz— gratulálni.

Le sem lehet írni a következő jelenetét. A magyar tábor tagjai egymást ölelik, csókolják. Hatalmas hangzavar támad. Korondi Margit megszerezte első olimpiai bajnokságunkat.

Az ökölvívókat és evezősöket alig lehet lebeszélni arról, hogy örömünkben ne dobálják a levegőbe újdonsült olimpia bajnoknőnket.
— Csak lassan az örömmel és ünnepléssel — mondja csillapítótag Herpichné — Korondira még a többi szeren is szükség van.

Most már sokkal boldogabban, felszabadultan vonulnak át versenyzőink a lóhoz. S az első bajnokság öröme már érezteti hatását. Sokkal jobban ugranak most versenyzőink, mint az eddigi versenyeken. A nagyszerű szovjet versenyzők előnyét azonban ezen a szeren nem tudják behozni.

Amig a lóugrás folyik megkérdezzük Korondit, első aranyjelvényesünket. Mit érez most?

—Tudom megszokott és talán unalmas már, hogy valaki a bajnokság megnyerése után azt mondja, hogy nagyon boldog vagyok. De mondják, hát mit is mondhatnék . . .

Könnyezik a boldogságtól. Aztán még ezeket mondja;
— Nem tagadom, amikor elindultam a szer felé, nagyon izgatott voltam , de amikor megfogtam a kárfát már ügy éreztem magam , mintha csak a Sport-csarnokban lennék, összpontosítottam , s minden sikerült. Nem hiába gyakoroltam ezt hónapokon át.

A lovon igen jó átfordulásokat mutatnak be versenyzőink, e aztán a talaj gyakorlathoz vonulnak át.

Itt ismét szurkolhatunk. Most Keletiért. Ebben a számban neki van a legtöbb esélye. Most jól mozog az egész csapat, szinte nincs is hiba a gyakorlatokban. Tass, Köröndi és Gulyásné nagyszerűen mozog. Minden gyakorlat után hosszabb szünetet kell tartani, mert csak nehezen ül el a hatalmas tapsorkán csapatunkból utolsónak következik Keleti.

Kissé sápadt, amikor befut a középére.

Csodálatosan tornázik. Nehezebbnél-nehezebb elemek váltakoznak gyakorlatában. Az erő-részek nagyszerűen olvadnak be a nőies ritmikus mozdulatokba.

Hibátlan futólagos kézenállása, spárgája után nagyszerűen sikerült a mérlegbeállása is.
Amikor befejezi gyakorlatát, az egész magyar csoport szinte egy emberként kiált fel.
— Megvan a mósodik . . .

Mármint az aranyérem. Felmutatják a táblákat. Két 10-est látunk, a többire nem tudunk figyelni, mert csaknem az egész közönség betódul a terem be, hogy gratuláljon a csodálatos gyakorlatokhoz. Csak azt látjuk már, hogy összpontszám a 9.85. Tehát ez is sikerült.

Még el sem ül a tombolás, már a gerendánál vannak versenyzőink. Daruháziné nagyszerűen kezd, de a gyakorlat végén leesik. Tass fejenállás-mérlege, kézenátfordulása és kanyarlati leugrása után Gulyásné kézállás-spárgája kap hatalmas tapsot.

Aztán ismét Keleti a sor. A legnehezebb mozdulatokat is könnyedén végzi, egy cseppnyi belerezdülése sincs, tökéletesen szökell, ragyogó a spárgája, a leugrással sincs baj. Két pontozótól 9.9-et kap, kettő pedig kevesebbre értékeli gyakorlatát. Összpontszáma 9.53 lesz. _ Ezzel negyedik lesz. Korondi is megelőzi.

— Kimondhatatlanul boldog vagyok, hogy Korondinak és nekem sikerült megnyernem az első két magyar olimpiai bajnokságot. Nagyszerűen ment a talaj-gyakorlat és úgy éreztem, hogy a gerendán is tudásom legjavát adtam.

Czechoslovakia

Even though the Czechoslovak team took third, the press still lambasted the judges, drawing a political line in the sand.

The judging panel was composed of two-thirds of female representatives of capitalist countries, who chose a much stricter standard of judging for the Czechoslovak team than for the teams of capitalist countries. This was especially evident in the optional floor exercise for the Czechoslovak athlete, Věchtová, who was awarded very low marks for her very nice floor exercise. The leaders of the Czechoslovak team protested against this decision, but their protest was rejected. Nevertheless, Věchtová remained the best Czechoslovak gymnast in the optional routines. 

Rudé Právo, July 24, 1952

Sbor rozhodčích je totiž složen ze dvou třetin ze zástupkyň kapitalistických států, které volily pro československé družstvo daleko přísnější měřítko při posuzování než pro družstva kapitalistických států. Projevilo se to zejména ve volných prostných u čs. representantky Věchtové, která za velmi pěkná prostná byla velmi nízko oceněna. Vedoucí československého družstva protestovali proti topiuto rozhodnutí, jejich protest byl však zamítnut. Přesto zůstala Věchtová nejlepší československou gymnastikou ve volných sestavách. 

Note: Here was the judging panel for the women’s optional floor exercise:

Floor exercise: Ms. Bertoni (Italy), Ms. Albert (Romania), Ms. Kowacs (Hungary), Ms. Walshaw (Great Britain), Ms. Ingohsrud (Norway).

The Minutes from the Women’s Technical Committee Meeting

Germany

The 1936 Olympic champions struggled a bit during optionals. Here’s a quick summary:

Beam battles: The Germans steadied themselves—no falls this time—but Hungary, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia dazzled on the beam.

Squeaky clean bars: Germany grabbed 4th on this event, led by clean sets from Walther, Grages, and Ostermeyer. But Gorokhovskaya stole the show with a jaw-dropping dismount.

Vault woes: Germany didn’t practice sticking, handing Italy and Sweden the edge, even though three Germans cracked 9+.

Floor rebound: Gloom gave way to joy as the Germans delivered steady routines in the 8.5–9.1 range.

Here are the full details:

The optional routines of the second day

Balance beam: The Germans do much better gymnastics than the day before. Now that the obligation of the compulsory routine is eliminated. However, the gymnasts from Hungary, Russia, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden, who feel at home on this apparatus, show what you can actually do on a 12 cm wide beam. However, while the Swedes never cross the line, the acrobatics of the other triumph and win high scores. But their gymnastics prowess is also undeniable. However, we are only just behind the Nordic countries and are catching up with Italy. The routines of Ranna Grages and Irma Walther also measure up according to these Olympic standards (9.13 and 9.23). But all Germans breathe a sigh of relief when the routines have passed without a fall.

Bars: Germany takes 4th place, just ahead of Italy and Sweden. All gymnasts perform safely and cleanly, especially Irma Walther (9.00), Ranna Grages (8.93) and Elisabeth Ostermeyer (8.93). Here, too, however, the judges had to award higher scores not only for artistic merit but also for the greater gymnastics difficulty of the leading teams, with Maria Gorokhovskaya (Russia) performing the most astonishing feat with a back salto from standing on the low bar over the high bar.

[Note: Gorokhovskaya’s salto did not go over the high bar.]

The first three places have already been decided here, because the lead of the three leading teams is too big to consider their confidence and their skills. But Sweden, Germany and Italy are only a fraction of the way apart. The Germans now have to keep up, because they rightly trust their team gymnastics on the third day.

Vault: An unpleasant surprise! Germany is currently in 6th place on this apparatus, while Sweden comes out with a high score. The German method of rhythmically continuing the vault, which is often (and not unjustly) found in our halls, prevents the stability required here after the vault. This is an important result for the upcoming training! Nevertheless, three Germans (Voss, Grages and Ostermeyer) score above the coveted 9, but cannot prevent Italy and Sweden from gaining a clear lead here.

Floor exercise: The initial despondency of our gymnasts has given way to a palpable joy in the Olympic Games. They achieve almost all the same performances they showed at home, all between 8.50 and 9.10. In other words: confidence and consistency, though without the most difficult elements seen from others. From a human perspective, this is a valuable result. Since Sweden and, above all, Italy achieved higher scores, a strong performance in the group gymnastics on the next day will be required to improve their position. Will they succeed?

“Frauenturnen,” Olympiade 1952: Auszug aus dem offiziellen Standardwerk des Nationalen Olympischen Komitees

Die Kürübungen des zweiten Tages

Schwebebalken: Die Deutschen turnen wesentlich besser als am Vortage. Nun, da die Bindung der vorgeschriebenen Übung entfällt, zeigen aber die auf diesem Gerät sich zu Hause fühlenden Turnerinnen aus Ungarn, Rußland, Tschechoslowakei und Schweden, was man eigentlich auf einem 12 cm breiten Balken alles turnen kann. Während jedoch die Schwedinnen die Grenzen nie überschreiten, feiert die Akrobatik der anderen Triumphe und erobert hohe Punktzahlen. Doch auch ihr turnerisches Können ist unbestreitbar. Wir bleiben aber nur knapp hinter den Nordländerinnen und holen gegen Italien etwas auf. Die Übungen von Ranna Grages und Irma Walther bestehen auch nach diesen olympischen Maßstäben gemessen (9.13 und 9.23). Doch alle Deutschen atmen erleichtert auf, wenn die Übungen ohne Sturz vorübergegangen sind.

Barren: Deutschland erhält den 4. Platz, knapp vor Italien und Schweden. Alle Turnerinnen sicher und sauber in ihrem Vortrag, besonders Irma Walther (9.00), Ranna Grages (8.93) und Elisabeth Ostermeyer (8.93). Die Punktrichterinnen müssen jedoch auch hier die diesmal nicht nur artistischen, sondern auch größeren turnerischen Schwierigkeiten der führenden Mannschaften höher bewerten, wobei ein freier Salto von Maria Gorokowskaja (Rußland) rückwärts über den hohen Holm vom Stand auf dem niederen Holm wohl die erstaunlichste Leistung darstellt.

Die ersten drei Plätze sind hier bereits entschieden, denn der Vorsprung der drei führenden Mannschaften ist zu groß, ihre Sicherheit und ihr Können zu überlegen. Aber nur um Bruchteile von Punkten liegen Schweden, Deutschland und Italien voneinander getrennt. Die Deutschen müssen jetzt den Anschluß halten, denn mit Recht vertrauen sie auf ihre Gruppengymnastik am dritten Tag.

Pferdsprung: Eine unangenehme Überraschung! Deutschland landet gerade an diesem Gerät auf dem 6. Platz, während Schweden nüt einer hohen Punktzahl herauskommt. Die deutsche Methode, den Sprung rhythmisch fortzusetzen, die vielfach (und nicht mit Unrecht) in unseren Hallen anzutreffen ist, verhindert die hier geforderte Standsicherheit nach dem Sprung. Das ist ein wichtiges Ergebnis für die kommende Schulung! Trotzdem kommen drei Deutsche (Voss, Grages und Ostermeyer) über die begehrte 9, können aber nicht verhindern, daß Italien und Schweden sich hier einen deutlichen Vorsprung erkämpfen.

Bodenturnen/Gymnastik: Die anfängliche Verzagtheit unserer Turnerinnen ist einer spürbaren Freude am olympischen Spiel gewichen. Sie erreichen fast alle ihre daheim gezeigten Leistungen, alle zwischen 8.50 und 9.10. In Worte übertragen heißt das: Sicherheit und Beständigkeit, allerdings ohne die letzten Schwierigkeiten der anderen. Das ist menschlich gesehen ein wertvolles Ergebnis. Da Schweden und vor allem auch Italien höhere Punktzahlen erreichen, bedarf es am nächsten Tage einer ganzen Leistung in der Gruppengymnastik, um sich doch noch um eine Position zu verbessern. Wird es gelingen?

Note: As we’ll see below, Germany’s Official Report opined that gymnastics was becoming too difficult and too reliant on strength.

United States

The bronze medalists in 1948 were caught off guard in 1952. Gymnastics had changed significantly.

After our first week of practice, the team appeared to be shaping up nicely and our hopes for success were high. However, observation of the work of the incoming European teams disclosed the undeniable fact that a new type of interpretive rhythmic gymnastics, widely divergent from our American system, had spread throughout Europe in the past four years. It includes to some degree, movements and choreography of dance, and was noticeable in the team drills, free exercises, and to some extent, on the balance beam. The emphasis is now on beauty, grace and choreography and tends away from strength, power, and sustained movements.

Roberta Bonniwell, United States 1952 Olympic Book

The U.S. knew that it needed to get in better shape.

The superlative performances of most European teams, shown by their splendid conditioning, was proof of the many months of consistent training. Those of us who are concerned with future performances of the American teams in international competitive gymnastics for women must first solve this training problem.

It is imperative that all past and present gymnasts, instructors, and officials make this their personal concern.

Roberta Bonniwell, United States 1952 Olympic Book

Too Much Difficulty?

The Germans weren’t sold on the new direction of women’s gymnastics. To them, strength and difficulty were overshadowing artistry, which was nicht so gut.

But there were also parts of the training in Helsinki that made your heart stop. How desperate—and oh so telling—was the helpless gesture of little Swiss Eugster when he saw some Russian women performing the “Swiss handstand,” a strength exercise that even the muscular Chukarin had failed to complete in the days prior. Horror was written all over his face, and this shock was all too often seen when the girls’ bodies crashed into the splits from a somersault with a half twist. It was the horror of the Nibelungs when they discovered the Valkyries hurling stones and spears on the Isenstein.*

“Frauenturnen,” Olympiade 1952: Auszug aus dem offiziellen Standardwerk des Nationalen Olympischen Komitees

Doch gab es auch Übungsteile in Helsinki, bei denen einem das Herz still stand. Wie verzweifelt echt — und ach so bezeichnend — war die hilflose Gebärde des kleinen Schweizer Eugster, als er sah, wie einige Russinnen den „Schweizer Handstand” drückten, eine Kraftübung, an der in den Tagen zuvor selbst das Muskelpaket eines Tchoukarin gescheitert war. Entsetzen stand auf seinem Gesicht, und dieses Erschrecken war nur zu oft zu sehen, wenn die Mädchenkörper aus einem Überschlag mit halber Drehung in den Spagat krachten. Es war das Entsetzen der Nibelungen, als sie die Steine und Speere schleudernden Walküren auf dem Isenstein entdeckten.

*Note: My guess is that the author is referring to the scene where Brunhild hurls a heavy spear in a contest with Gunther and Siegfried, but I’m no expert in Norse mythology.

According to Germany’s Official Report, Margit Korondi was the ideal of women’s artistic gymnastics. “Light and joyful” with no signs of “unfeminine strength.“

Margit Korondi, that slender Hungarian woman, despite all her confidence remained free of vanity and arrogance. She did not mix her lofty, almost weightless artistry of movement with acrobatic or showy elements, and her gymnastics stood without bridges from ballet or modern dance. How light and cheerful was her hop on the beam (while others trembled at it), how youthfully carefree her handstands — three in a row, swung up not with unfeminine strength but with fine feeling for movement and balance. How her floor routine was carried by the rhythm of her own breathing — beginning gently, rising, measuring the space in ornament, fading away in an unbroken flow — without splits, without unnatural contortionist tricks, without forced power. In contrast to many other highly rated exercises, her performance revealed a rhythmic harmony that should be the primordial element of all female physical training.

[Reminder: There wasn’t floor music at the time. Hence the reference to “the rhythm of her own breathing.”]

“Frauenturnen,” Olympiade 1952: Auszug aus dem offiziellen Standardwerk des Nationalen Olympischen Komitees

Margit Korondi, diese gertenschlanke Ungarin, blieb bei all ihrer Sicherheit ohne Eitelkeit und Überheblichkeit, sie verband ihre hohe, fast schwerelos anmutende Bewegungskunst nicht mit akrobatischen oder artistischen Elementen, und ihr gymnastisches Können war ohne Brücken aus Ballet und künstlerischem Tanz. Wie leicht und fröhlich ihr Umsprung am hohen Schwebebalken, (und ach, wie zitterten andere davor), wie jugendlich unbekümmert waren ihre Handstände, gleich dreimal hintereinander, ohne unweibliche Kraft aus feinem Bewegungsgefühl und Gleichgewichtsempfinden aufgeschwungen, wie wurde ihre Kürübung am Boden vom Rhythmus ihres eigenen Atems getragen — mählich beginnend, steigernd, den Raum ornamental ausmessend, verklingend in niemals unterbrochenem Fluß — ohne Spagat ohne unnatürliche Kautschukteile, ohne gepreßte Kraft. In ihrem Vortrag wurde im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen hochbenoteten Übungen ein rhythmischer Zusammenklang sichtbar, der das Urelement aller weiblichen Körperbildung sein sollte.

Indeed, the fear of losing artistry in women’s gymnastics is a tale as old as time.

And with that, we will turn our attention to the final and most controversial day of competition in Helsinki.

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More on 1952

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Appendix: A Profile of Roberta Bonniwell

If you’re like me, you’re probably keen to know more about Roberta Bonniwell, the 1948 bronze medalist who went on to coach the 1952 U.S. team. It turns out that she has an interesting story. Here’s a short newspaper article about her:

Multiple Sclerosis Victim Keeps Interest in Sport

Ralph Bernstein

PHILADELPHIA — The best way to describe Mrs. Roberta R. Bonniwell, Olympic bronze medal winner, national AAU gymnastic champion, swimmer, archer, fencer, Indian club champion, is to say she’s years young.

Although she sits crippled in a wheel chair in her cheerful suburban Philadelphia home, the athlete once referred to as “the most perfect woman physically in America,” remains vigorous, intellectually keen, outspoken.

One can sense her competitive spirit as she expounds on subjects from multiple sclerosis, the disease that laid her low, to the current squabble between the AAU and the NCAA.

Although she has little to do with sports today, apparently forgotten by the AAU she served for some 40 years, the widow of Judge Eugene Bonniwell is grateful for her athletic days.

Grateful for Athletics

“If it weren’t for athletics, the fine physical body they helped me produce, I’d be where all M.S. patients are, on my back.”

Mrs. Bonniwell earned a bronze medal as a member of the 1948 third place U.S. women’s Olympic gym team. She navigates in her chair and wants it known she can be self-sufficient. She was stricken in 1948, just after the Olympic Games, but went on to coach the 1952 women’s gym team. 

Even after her doctor pinpointed her ailment, she twice won the AAU Indian club swinging titles.

As her condition deteriorated, she retired from competition and devoted her energies to coaching youngsters in gymnastics. She gave that up “because I lost touch with the modern methods of teaching.”

This brought a vigorous statement from the graying woman, known familiarly to her friends as “Bobbie,” concerning the poor lot of the U.S. women’s gymnastic team in the international picture, it finished ninth in a 10-team field and its first individual was 34th in the 1964 Olympics.

Do Not Understand

“I don’t think our physical education people understand the type of gymnastics known as the modern gymnastics in Europe,” she said. “We simply cannot teach properly in this country.”

“What we have to do, if we want to compete on an even level internationally, is to import instructors from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Russia, Germany or Japan. We have to learn new tricks. The material is here, the teaching isn’t.”

Accounting for her several hundred medals won on athletic fields is almost impossible, but she prizes her national AAU gymnastic crown of 1931, her world record of six seconds for the 50-yard dash in 1928, her Indian club swinging titles medals and a plaque awarded her in 1963, which reads:

“For her inspired interest in the cause of youth development and education through the medium of sport.”

Associated Press, printed in The South Bend Tribune, August 8, 1965