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1972 MAG Olympics

1972: The Men’s All-Around Final at the Munich Olympics

Before the Olympics started, Kato Sawao was the favorite for the all-around title.

The big favorite for the all-around victory is Kato Sawao, who can probably only beat himself by always daring to exaggerate to the utmost. That would be the hour for world champion Kenmotsu, the “eternal” runner-up, Nakayama, or the latest discovery, Kasamatsu, but maybe also for the 20-year-old Russian Nikolai Andrianov or the North Korean Li Song Sob, about whom wonderful things are said.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Number 393, 24 August 1972

Großer Favorit auf den Zwölfkampfsieg ist Sawao Kato, der wohl nur sich selber schlagen kann, indem er stets das Aeußerste wagend einmal übertreibt. Das wäre dann die Stunde für Weltmeister Kenmotsu, den «ewigen» Zweiten Nakayama oder die neueste Entdeckung, Kasamatsu, vielleicht aber auch für den 20jährigen Russen Nikolai Andrianow oder den Nordkoreaner Ri Son Sep, von denen man sich Wunderdinge erzählt.

After compulsories in Munich, Endo Yukio, the Japanese head coach, thought that four gymnasts had a chance to win:

“We’ll still win all the gold medals. However, my tip for the all-around victory has become a bit more comprehensive: Kenmotsu, Kato, Kasamatsu or Andrianov.” He no longer named arguably the best specialist of past world championships and the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City — Nakayama — although the latter did well on his feared equipment, the pommel horse, with a score of 9.30.

Deutsches Sportecho, August 29, 1972

„Wir gewinnen alle acht Goldmedaillen!” Nach der Absolvierung der Pflicht glaubten viele, daß Endo sich etwas bremsen würde. Nichts dessen. „Wir gewinnen trotzdem alle Goldmedaillen. Mein Tip für den Mehrkampfsieg ist allerdings etwas umfassender geworden: Kenmotsu, Kato, Kasamatsu oder Andrianow.“ Er nannte nicht mehr den. wohl besten Gerätespezialisten vergangener Welttitelkämpfe und der Olympischen Spiele von 1968 in Mexiko-Stadt, nicht Nakayama, obwohl dieser an seinem Angstgerät, dem Seitpferd, mit 9,30 gut über die Runden kam.

In the end, Kato was able to defend his all-around title from Mexico City, but it wasn’t an easy victory. The all-around final on August 30, 1972, was a nail-biter. Having qualified first, Kato wouldn’t regain the lead until the final routine. (Reminder: Kato missed the 1970 World Championships due to an Achilles tear.)

Let’s dive in…

Kato Sawao, Copyright: imago/Sven Simon Sawao Kato (Japan)
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1972 Olympics USSR WAG

1972: Sovetsky Sport’s Coverage of the Women’s All-Around Final

For the Soviet team, the 1972 all-around final was a whirlwind. There were six Soviet gymnasts in the final and only one Soviet coach on the floor. Polina Astakhova had to run from apparatus to apparatus to spot, adjust equipment, encourage, and comfort.

Sovetsky Sport captured the excitement of the competition by giving a rotation-by-rotation analysis. In the end, the newspaper of record praised the friendship between the Soviet and East German gymnasts: “They were sitting side by side — the gymnasts from the USSR and the GDR. It was their evening, their celebration.”

Copyright: imago/Colorsport Gymnastics – 1972 Munich Olympics – Women’s Individual All-Around The gold medal winner, USSR’s Ludmilla Tourischeva
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1972 Olympics WAG

1972: The Women’s All-Around Final at the Munich Olympics

The third rotation of the women’s all-around final (competition II) in Munich is one of the most famous moments in the history of gymnastics. It was widely covered in the media at the time, and it continues to be mentioned in almost every history about women’s gymnastics. 

You probably know the story. 

Heading into the third rotation, Korbut had a 0.075 lead over Tourischeva. When Korbut mounted the bars, she messed up a simple glide kip, and from there, things fell apart. After her routine, she burst into tears — a moment that appeared on television sets and in periodicals around the world. With a score of 7.50 on bars, she lost all chances of an all-around medal.

In the words of one Wall Street Journal writer, the American public forgot about the politics of the Cold War and saw Olga as human: “She was simply a 17-year-old girl from a small town, crying in anguish at her failures and glowing over her successes” (WSJ, Sep. 6, 1972).

But that’s not all that transpired during the competition. So, let’s take a look at what happened on August 30, 1972. 

Copyright: imago/Colorsport Gymnastics – 1972 Munich Olympics – Women s Individual All-Around The gold medal winner, USSR s Lyudmila Turishcheva. Sports Hall, Olympic Park, Munich, West Germany.
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1972 MAG Olympics USSR

1972: Sovetsky Sport’s Coverage of the Soviet Men’s Fourth-Straight Silver

What did the Soviet press think about the Soviet men’s team winning silver for the fourth-straight Olympics?

Here’s what Sovetsky Sport, the primary sports newspaper of the Soviet Union, wrote.

Olympische Spiele München 1972. Turnen: Siegerehrung Mannschaftsmehrkampf: Japan Gold, UdSSR Silber und DDR Bronze
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1972 MAG Olympics

1972: The Men’s Optionals at the Munich Olympics (Competition 1b)

On Tuesday, August 29, the men’s artistic gymnasts competed in the optionals portion of the competition. (You can read about the compulsories here.) Coming into the finals, Japan had a 2.85 lead over the Soviet Union, and reigning Olympic all-around champion Sawao Kato had a 0.05 lead over Nikolai Andrianov.

Tsukahara once again thrilled the audience with his originality. At the 1970 World Championships, it was his vault that captivated the audience. At the 1972 Olympics, it was his “moon salto” off high bar — an element for the Space Age.

Let’s take a look at what happened during the final day of the team competition.

Tsukahara’s full-twisting double back. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images.
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1972 Olympics USSR WAG

1972: Sovetsky Sport on the Soviet Women’s Team Gold

In 1972, the Soviet Union won its sixth-straight team title, and Sovetsky Sport, the main sports newspaper of the Soviet Union, printed over 1,000 words about the competition. The article highlighted the star power of Korbut and Tourischeva, the gentle guidance of coach (and former Soviet star) Polina Grigoryevna Astakhova, and the team’s ability to rally after Antonina Koshel’s mistakes on floor and bars.

Here’s how the 1972 women’s optional competition was covered in the Soviet press.

Datum: 31.08.1972 Copyright: imago/Pressefoto Baumann Olympische Spiele München 1972 , Turnen Frauen Olga KORBUT (UdSSR)

Note: In this photo, you can see how the beam was just wood without padding.
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1972 Olympics USA WAG

1972: Reactions to the U.S. Women’s Fourth-Place Finish

At the 1948 Olympic Games, the U.S. women took home the bronze medal. 24 years later, the U.S. women almost found themselves on the podium again. They took fourth place — 2.35 points behind the Hungarian team. Yet, many U.S. members of the gymnastics community felt that they should have been third.

Here are a few of the reactions.

Munich, Germany – 1972: Cathy Rigby competing in the Women’s gymnastics event at the 1972 Summer Olympics / Games of the XX Olympiad, Olympic Sports Hall. (Photo by Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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1972 Olympics WAG

1972: The Women’s Optionals at the Munich Olympics (Competition 1b)

On Monday, August 28, the women’s artistic gymnasts competed in the optionals portion of the competition. (You can read about the compulsories here.) Coming into the finals, the Soviet Union had a 1.85 lead over East Germany, and reigning co-European champion Tamara Lazakovich had a 0.10 lead over Karin Janz of East Germany.

Let’s take a look at what happened during the final day of the team competition — the day that Olga Korbut enchanted the world.

Datum: 31.08.1972 Copyright: imago/Pressefoto Baumann Olympische Spiele 1972 München Turnen Frauen Olga KORBUT (UdSSR)
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1972 MAG Olympics USSR WAG

1972: Sovetsky Sport’s Coverage of the Compulsories in Munich

After the compulsory program, Sovetsky Sport, the main sports newspaper of the USSR, printed its recap of the competition. Not surprisingly, the writer was complimentary toward the entire Soviet women’s artistic gymnastics team, adding delightful lines like, “For O. Korbut, with her unique tricks on uneven bars, performing the compulsories is as easy as shelling peas.” Of course, there were some rough spots on beam, but as the writer points out, all the teams struggled with beam. 

As for the Soviet men, that was a different story. The newspaper only had good things to say about Andrianov and pointed out that Alexander Maleeev and Vladimir Shchukin did not have enough experience to be strong contributors to the team score.

Below, you can find a translation of Sovetsky Sport’s coverage.

Copyright: imago/Werner Schulze Nikolai Andrianov (UdSSR) – Barren
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1972 MAG Olympics

1972: The Men’s Compulsories at the Munich Olympics (Competition 1a)

On Sunday, August 27, the men’s artistic gymnasts gathered in the Olympic Sports Hall for what could be a long haul.

This was the first Olympic Games with a separate all-around final. As a result, the top gymnasts faced four days of competition (compulsories, optionals, all-around finals, and event finals). Previously, they had had only three days of competition (compulsories, optionals, and event finals).

From the start, it looked like the status quo would be upheld: Japan with team gold, the Soviet Union with team silver, and East Germany with team bronze. (Meanwhile, the U.S. gymnasts had a disastrous compulsory round.)

Let’s take a look at what happened…

Akonori Nakayama, Photo by POOL / AFP via Getty Images
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