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European event it is today. Most top gymnasts were Italian or Swiss. Then, in 1968, the women were just more innovative in the Olympics than the men.”
From this competition, Kathy Rigby emerged as a popular American gymnast, sparking the beginnings of American enthusiasm for the sport. At the next Olympics in 1972, Russian Olga Korbutt won the hearts of the crowd.
Private gyms popped up like mushrooms all over the country. “Now there are more than a thousand gyms that exist just for the purpose of training young gymnasts,” he said.
Kassel said that the life of a young gymnast aspiring to national prominence is difficult and requires a great degree of discipline. “Most often, unless they’re lucky enough to live in the neighborhood of one of the gymnastic training centers, they live with their trainers and have special schooling, setting aside at least six hours a day for practice.”
He added that there’s a lot of gym-hopping on the part of ambitious parents, who study the success of the individual coaches and send their children to whatever trainer is in favor at the mo
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