Miracle with pigtails. What Korbut looks like now. Biography of Olga Korbut: a legend of artistic gymnastics

The four-time Olympic champion and two-time silver medalist of the Games is known for her unique tricks and outstanding achievements in sports. Korbut was the first to perform a unique gymnastic element on a balance beam - a backward two-legged jump. This element was performed for the first time and was called the “Korbut loop” in her honor.

Dossier

Olga Korbut was born on May 6, 1955 in the city of Grodno, BSSR. His mother worked in one of the local canteens as a cook, and his father was an engineer all his life. A family of six lived in small apartment by 20 square meters. As a child, Olga was caught stealing more than once.

Education

Korbut had no desire to study well. At school she was not distinguished by her bright abilities; she studied without C grades until the 4th grade, but then her academic performance deteriorated. They even wanted to transfer the girl to educational institution for mentally retarded children.

Korbut started doing gymnastics in second grade. Her school physical teacher noticed her abilities Yaroslav Korol and enrolled her in the gymnastics section. Later she tried to enter the Youth Sports School, but was not accepted, considering her “fat.” At the age of 10, at a sports school, she met an Olympic champion Elena Volchetskaya, who began to train her, and a year later Olga joined the group of the Honored Trainer of the USSR Renald Knysh.

In 1977 she graduated from the Grodno Pedagogical Institute, Faculty of History.

Olga Korbut and coach Renald Knysh, 1975. Photo: RIA Novosti / Mezhevich

Sports career

In 1970, Korbut managed to win the title of USSR champion in vault.

In 1972, at the Munich Olympics, Olga won three golds and one silver. Korbut demonstrated new gymnastic elements and became the audience's favorite. The Olympic champion began to be called “chicken” Soviet team“,” “darling of the Olympics,” “child prodigy.”

In 1974 she became the world champion in the vault and in the team championship.

In 1975 she became the winner of the Soviet Spartakiad and the champion of the USSR.

In 1976, Olga joined the USSR national team at the Games in Montreal and won gold and silver on the balance beam as part of the team.

After the Olympics in Montreal, Korbut ended her sports career. She wanted to stay in gymnastics and work as a coach in the national team, but her plans were not destined to come true due to the fact that she lost her party card and was expelled from the party for a year, which deprived her of the chance to engage in serious coaching work.

Since 1991, Korbut has lived in the United States and has American citizenship.

In February 2017, Korbut put up for auction five medals she won at Olympic Games 1972 and 1976, with proceeds from their sale of 183 thousand dollars.

Olga Korbut at the Olympics in Munich, 1972. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Family status

In 1978, Korbut married the lead singer of the Pesnyary group. Leonid Bortkevich. She lived with him for 22 years and gave birth to a son, Richard. In 2000 they separated.

After Bortkevich, Korbut married a journalist Alexey Voynich.

Now Korbut lives with an American Jay Shenfilt. They have known each other for 9 years, but have not yet formalized their relationship.

Scandalous stories

After moving to the USA, Korbut became interested in equestrian sports. During one of the classes, the horse threw it off and hit it with its hoof. chest. Korbut experienced three internal bleedings. The athlete’s life almost ended tragically; doctors had to give her a blood transfusion.

In 1999, Korbut’s confession appeared in the American tabloid National Enquirer, in which she accused her coach Renald Knysh of rape before the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

In January 2002, Korbut was detained in a supermarket on charges of stealing $19 worth of groceries. According to the gymnast, she simply forgot her wallet in the car and went to get it to pay for cheese, chocolate syrup, figs and a box of spices. The judicial authorities of Gwinnett County (Georgia), taking into account that Korbut had no previous convictions, did not insist on imprisonment, but prescribed a special course of psychological rehabilitation.

A month after being accused of theft, Korbut came to evict her from a house on which the mortgage was overdue. The police arrived and found $30,000 worth of counterfeit money in one of the rooms. Olga’s son, 23-year-old Richard, turned out to be the culprit. He received three and a half years in prison, and after serving his sentence he was deported from the United States to Belarus.

Today I will reflect and talk about my fellow countrywoman, the outstanding gymnast, Olympic champion and favorite of millions around the world Olga Korbut.

Oh! How much has already been written, said and rewritten about her. It's hard to tell something new. But, you know, dear readers, I found the highlight. And I think it will be interesting to you too. So, read the entire post. I just want to warn you yellow color won't be here!

And, if anyone is wondering, did Olga’s trainer rape her or not...? Why did she break up with Leonid Bortkevich..? Did she steal $19 worth of groceries from the supermarket...? Sorry, this article does not contain such information.

I agree that there are enough moments in the biography of Olga Korbut that lovers of hot food will be happy to cling to. But honestly, this is not interesting to me. I suggest talk about the mission of the “miracle with pigtails”. And in a nutshell, I’ll say this: “This girl did what the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not (or did not want) to do.”

Biography of Olga Korbut

Little bitch

Olga Korbut was born on May 15, 1955 in Grodno. And she became the fourth daughter of her parents - Valentin Alexandrovich and Valentina Ivanovna.

And guess what? I want to draw your attention to this fact. Fourth sister. Does everyone know what this means? 🙂

This means that I can already guess how Olga’s complex character began to take shape. May Olga Valentinovna and her fans forgive me, but I still see a little girl who is “bitchy” towards her sisters, who at the first opportunity will either do a mischief or simply stick out her tongue. And on the other hand, she’s all so militant in the fight with her sisters for the right to be the most beloved daughter.

Well, yes! This is my speculation. But they are not based out of nowhere. Experience, gentlemen. But this is so - a lyrical digression.

Test gymnast

I started doing gymnastics in the second grade. Here, like , the school’s physical education teacher drew attention to the future champion. It was he who took Olya to the gymnastics section. Two years later, in 1965, Olga was taken by the country's Honored Trainer Renald Ivanovich Knysh and began to make a champion.

The first thing Ren (that’s what Korbut called her coach) noticed was her character. Stormy, explosive, assertive. Olga was a very brave girl. And this is exactly what Knysh needed to realize all his plans.

And Ren also thought very boldly. He understood that moving along the classic beaten path of previous Olympic champions was a road to nowhere. So he searched. I invented, fantasized, made mistakes.

Olga helped the coach a lot in these endeavors. She was a tester, a pioneer, if you want to. Looking at its elements, sometimes it seems that all this is... impossible, it can’t be! Knysh’s fantasies were so complex. But Korbut also did the impossible.

But probably only those who have practiced it know what it means to be a “tester” in artistic gymnastics.

I’ll say about myself that sometimes I’m just scared for the guys and girls (especially the girls) who do such things... that the rest of my hair stands on end. Yes, they are risking their lives, not just their health.

And also, I’m very interested in how the coach feels when he sends little girls out of the “embrasure”. But this is already from the field of psychology.

As for Knysh, in my opinion, his role in Olga’s Olympic victories has been undeservedly forgotten.

I can say the same about Alexander Semenovich Mishakov - coach Larisa Latynina or about Nikolai Grigorievich Tolkachev - ... Continue?

Dear readers, tell me honestly, have you ever heard of these names? That's it... I'm already thinking about expanding the scope of my blog. And write not only about the Olympic champions of the USSR, but also about the coaches who lit up these stars.

Achievements of Olga Korbut

The tandem of Knysh and Korbut worked. They managed to come up with, create and polish more than one element that blew the minds of even specialists.

By the way, Olga Valentinovna herself admits that every time she performed her famous “Korbut loop” she was specifically afraid. There is no point in describing the element itself in words. Yes, and talking about a somersault on a balance beam won’t work either.

Better watch this video about Olga Korbut.

Truly impressive and mesmerizing. Sometimes it seems that Olga does not fall because she weighs nothing! Coordination, jumping ability, artistry... well, she has it all.

This is what our famous athlete Larisa Latynina said about Korbut:

“... audacity, courage, resourcefulness. It’s a fusion of reckless courage and grandiose swagger, youthful exuberance and charm.”

It’s clear that Knysh and Olga worked not only for pleasure and the opportunity to prove something to themselves and others. Both wanted victories. And victories came.

Bravo! And thank you, Olga Valentinovna.

But, these are all “just” titles and titles. Moreover, if you look closely, the harvest of “gold” is not the richest in comparison with the same Lyudmila Turishcheva. No, Olga’s main achievement lies elsewhere. In addition to medals, she conquered the world.

…. The feeling that I fell in love with Russians for their exclusivity and individuality filled me for a long time and gave me the opportunity to understand Russians and other peoples.

The 1972 Olympics in Munich brought our heroine not only 3 gold medals. She brought her fame and love from the whole world. And I'm not embellishing at all. To be honest, I don’t remember that any of the athletes could “hypnotize” the audience so much. The audience was completely at her mercy. They applauded when Olga succeeded, cried when she cried and were ready to “tear the judges” for “biased” judging.

It truly was a triumph. But what is most interesting is not the triumph of Soviet gymnastics as a whole (although at that Olympics our gymnasts won a total of 16 medals, of which 6 were gold), but the triumph of one young girl.

Then there was a tour of America. It was something! America in love applauded Ole. So many epithets, so many rave reviews and publications. How many gymnastics schools were opened and named after her! America has never met anyone with such joy or seen off with such sadness as Olga Korbut.

Well, let’s try to understand the power of this “latch” (as my father called Olga). I'll take a chance

Small stature. Despite the fact that Olga was already 17, with her height she looked like just a little girl. And children always touch
Immediacy. Olga was not shy about being happy and sad. She did not save her emotions between shells.
Undoubtedly, complexity of the program and apparent ease, with whom Olya performed her elements
And all together - charm. Which the judges could resist, but not the audience

I wonder if this description reminds you of anyone else? How about our beautiful couple Ekaterina Gordeeva - Sergey Grinkov? No? OK.

Now we come to the most important thing.

Olga Korbut's mission

Let's move on to the very highlight that I talked about at the beginning of the post. Dear readers, when I was collecting information about Korbut, I found a lot of things, both good and bad. But, I repeat, I decided not to pour honey and tar into a common barrel. Moreover, the proportions are equal. I didn’t dig and conduct a journalistic investigation (and I’m not a journalist), but decided to focus on the fact that Without wanting it or understanding it, Olga Korbut became an Ambassador of Peace.

1972 Our “friendship” with the United States and with the entire camp in general was strong and indestructible. For them we were an evil empire, for us they are bourgeois exploiters without spiritual values. Propaganda on both sides and the Iron Curtain left no chance for people to doubt these stereotypes. What can I say! We just hated each other.

And here, Olga! I don’t know how she managed to “jump” into the hearts of the Americans, Germans, and British... But she did it famously. So dashingly that love for her went over the edge and began to spill over into our country. And how could it be otherwise? Well, such a bright, cheerful, kind girl couldn’t have been born in a “cold den.” There's something wrong here.

Reading other people's letters

firstly, fragments of these letters have already been published
secondly, these letters are not the polished truth

And further. Everything written above could not have been read. These letters are quite enough to understand what Olga Korbut and her coach did...

“I always supported the Americans and believed that I could never take the side of the Russians. This was before you. Your performance at the Olympics was sensational! I suddenly realized that I was cheering you on, crying for you and, finally, very happy about your victory.
...The feeling that I fell in love with the Russian for its exclusivity and individuality filled me for a long time, gave me the opportunity to understand Russians and other peoples..."
Jack W. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“Olya, so many Americans and millions of other people around the world adore you, not just because of your sporting achievements... We also have record holders who can do something better than others. You are all filled with some kind of magic, a magnet that attracts people...”
Drive L, Marport, New York

“Darling, Olya. Now so many people globe- full of wars and hatred needs your smile and charm..."
Dave B., Texas

“…. You know, before, when I played “war” with my friends, we always fought against the Russians. After your speech with us, we are already talking about Russians as friends...”
Mike A., Clinton, Iowa

“….A year ago I could not even think that I would write to a Russian, because the “Reds” have always been enemies for me. And suddenly a little Russian girl Olga Korbut appears, laughing, crying, waving her hand to the crowd... And she has everything you want, but there is no heartlessness, stiffness and coldness... Olya, I love you"
Check G., 58th Avenue, New York

And here's another letter...

“To Mr. Alexey N. Kosygin. Moscow Kremlin.
I think it is possible to ask you, Mr. Prime Minister, to assist in allowing the USSR gymnast team led by Olga Korbut... to visit Chicago, which would be fair to the citizens of the second largest city in the United States and would help strengthen friendly relations.
With sincere respect and hope, Richard Dick Daley, Mayor of Chicago"

And here is Daly's next telegram to Moscow

“... The largest audience ever assembled in our city, and perhaps in the entire United States, to watch a gymnastics program, enthusiastically greeted and admired the magnificent performance shown by a team of Soviet gymnasts... These wonderful girls made a great contribution to the deepening of friendship and mutual understanding between your country and the people of America."

I think that's enough. Just letters like this from ordinary people There were a huge number of Olga herself and the official ones. You won’t read everything, and you don’t need to. And so everything is clear.

New York Times: Olga Korbut and the Russian women's gymnast team ended their US tour tonight, melting the remnants of hostile ice floes from the Cold War.

And one last thing. At the end of Korbut's triumph UNESCO awarded it honorary title Ambassador of Peace for 1974.

Before finishing, I suggest once again enjoying the talent of our beautiful athlete.

That's all. See you soon.

Olga Valentinovna Korbut (May 16, 1955, Grodno, BSSR) - Soviet gymnast, 4-time Olympic champion. Olga Korbut became the first gymnast to perform a somersault on the balance beam.

Life and career

The future sports legend was born into an ordinary Soviet family. Her father was an engineer and her mother was a cook. A family of 6 people huddled in a room of 20 m². Olga started doing gymnastics in 2nd grade. However, at first they did not accept her into the local youth sports school, considering her to be plump. However, at the age of 10, the young gymnast joined the group of Renald Knysh. He noticed that the girl easily grasped new elements, and soon realized that she could do the impossible.

1970 - won the title of USSR champion in vault, thus becoming a member of the Soviet national team. In the same year, Olga became the world champion in the team championship.

Olga Korbut is a 4-time Olympic champion:

1972 - floor exercise, beam and team championship;
1976 - team championship.

After Olga demonstrated an extraordinary combination on the uneven bars at the Munich Olympics, the newspapers opened a parade of admiration for the Soviet athlete. She was called “the chicken of the Soviet team”, “the darling of the Olympics”, “a prodigy”... Her every appearance on the platform was greeted with applause.

1973 – silver medalist of the European Championship in the absolute championship. In the same year, Korbut was invited to tour the USA. They passed triumphantly. As a result, a boom in artistic gymnastics began in America.

1974 – world champion in vault and team championship.

1975 – winner of the Soviet Spartakiad and champion of the USSR.

1977 – graduated from the Grodno Pedagogical Institute with a degree in trainer-teacher.

After perestroika, Korbut emigrated to the United States with her family. She was given a house in Atlanta. The athlete was surrounded by fans. She began training gymnasts and also traveled with demonstration performances. On this moment she lives in Phoenix (Arizona).

The history of Soviet gymnastics included the confrontation between Olga Korbut and Lyudmila Turishcheva. The latter was a representative of the old academic gymnastics school, and Korbut was a representative of new trends in sports: athleticism, risky elements and youth. At the 1972 Olympics, Olga demonstrated innovative elements and became a crowd favorite. But in the overall championship she lost to Turishcheva.

In professional sports, Korbut suffered 4 concussions and 23 fractures.

In 1974, “based on” the biography of Korbut, the film “Miracle with Pigtails” was shot. In this picture, she performed all the sports exercises herself.

In 1978, Olga married Leonid Bortkevich, lead singer of the Pesnyary group. They met on the plane. The couple lived together for 22 years. Olga has a son, Richard.

After Olga left the sport, she was given a lifelong allowance (300 rubles), and she traveled with the Pesnyary ensemble throughout the Union for 3 years.

When the Soviet gymnast first came to the United States, President Nixon himself met her. Olga recalls that he looked at her with a smile and said: “How little you are!” She answered: “You’re not a very big boy either!”

Olga Valentinovna was the first to perform an element called the “Korbut Loop”. The gymnast stands on the high part of the bars and does a back somersault, clinging to the top bar bars Korbut performed the described element for the first time in 1972 at the Olympics in Munich. However, Korbut admits that she was always afraid of the Loop. Before performing this element, her legs became weak, dizziness and nauseating weakness began. But the coach taught her to keep her will in check. Please note that at the moment the Korbut Loop is prohibited from being performed at official competitions.

Korbut has developed and teaches a special shaping program. According to the gymnast, this program makes it possible to eat anything and still look great. Although Korbut adheres to a vegetable and fruit diet from time to time. The athlete’s favorite dish is pizza, which she often cooks herself.

In 2002, Olga was arrested on charges of stealing food. The value of the goods allegedly stolen by the gymnast was $19. In fact, what happened was the result of a simple misunderstanding. According to her, she simply forgot her wallet in the car.

Olga Valentinovna Korbut(May 16, 1955, Grodno, Belarusian SSR, USSR) - Soviet gymnast, four-time Olympic champion, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1972). advocated Armed forces. Trained with Renald Knysh. Olga Korbut Graduated from the Grodno State Pedagogical Institute (1977) with a degree in trainer-teacher.
Olga Korbut came to gymnastics in the second grade at school in the gymnastics club of Yaroslav Ivanovich Korol in 1963.
At age 10 in 1965 Olga Korbut I ended up in Knysh’s group. The first great success came in 1970 - she became the USSR champion in the vault and entered the USSR national team.

Full name: Olga Valentinovna Korbut
Citizenship: USSR→ USA
Date of birth: May 16, 1955
Place of birth: Grodno, Belarusian SSR, USSR
Coach(es): Renald Knysh
Height: 1.52 m
Weight: 39 kg

Achievements of Olga Korbut

4-time Olympic champion:
1972 - team championship, balance beam and floor exercise,
1976 - team championship
Two-time vice-champion of the Olympic Games (1972 - uneven bars, 1976 - beam),
Olga Korbut- 1974 World Champion in vault,
World champion 1970 and 1974 in the team championship,
Olga Korbut- Winner of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR and absolute champion of the USSR in 1975, multiple champion of the USSR,
Winner of the silver medal at the 1973 European Championship in the absolute championship.

The first gymnast to perform a somersault on the balance beam.

The history of artistic gymnastics includes the confrontation between Lyudmila Turishcheva and Olga Korbut. Turishcheva personified the old academic gymnastics school, while Korbut embodied new trends in sports: risky elements, athleticism and youth. At the 1972 Munich Olympics Olga Korbut demonstrated innovative gymnastic elements and became a crowd favorite. However, in a tough fight for absolute championship, she lost to Turishcheva.
Since 1991 Olga Korbut lives in the USA and has American citizenship.

"Korbut Loop"

Olga Korbut was the first to perform the unique element “Korbut Loop”. The gymnast stands on the high part of the uneven bars and does a back somersault, clinging to the top crossbar of the bars with her hands. The element was performed during her uneven bars routine at the Munich Olympics.
Subsequently, the element was improved by Elena Mukhina - she added a screw to it. Currently, the “Korbut Loop” is not performed at official competitions, as it is prohibited by the rules (gymnasts are not allowed to stand with their feet on top part bars).

Family, personal life of Olga Korbut

After the 1972 Olympics Olga Korbut became a broadcast star and was invited to tour the USA in 1973. The tour was a triumph and is associated with the beginning of the artistic gymnastics boom in America.
In 1974, “based on” her biography, the feature film “Miracle with Pigtails” was shot, in which she herself performed sports exercises (in leading role Irina Mazurkevich).
Olga Korbut ended her sports career after the Montreal Olympics. In 1977 she received a diploma from the Faculty of History of the University of Grodno. In 1978, she married the famous singer, lead singer of the Pesnyary group Leonid Bortkevich and lived with him for 22 years, has a son. In 2000 they separated.

Olga Korbut’s biography and personal life turned out to be very eventful. She has been married three times and has enormous political connections in the United States. We can say that her life turned out well. Of course, one cannot fail to note the dark sides of her biography. The career was fleeting and difficult; in order to gain universal recognition she had to perform the most difficult exercises, which sometimes caused her fear.

Olga Korbut is a talented athlete who most She dedicated her life to gymnastics. Some of the most important achievements of this person are 4 gold medals at the Olympic Games, gold at the USSR championships and three gold medals at the world championships. Olga Korbut deserved all this, she was so talented. The main achievement is her signature somersault on a beam, which was called the “Korbut Loop”. Her performances were always bright and interesting. Many foreign athletes were surprised at how talented she was and no one managed to surpass her.

Olga Korbut: photo

After reading in more detail the biography and information about the life of the gymnast, you are surprised at how talented a person can end up in the dirtiest situations.

Her interviews were more than once directed at her first coach, Knysh, whom she accused of harassment and rape. It is wrong to report such events decades later, especially when a person is of advanced age.

Maybe it was true, or maybe it was a good publicity stunt to remind people of themselves. Many users sometimes wonder if Olga Korbut is alive, what changes are taking place in her personal life and biography. Of course, she is in good health and regularly replenishes her social media new photos.

Olga Korbut: biography

In 1955, Olga was born in the city of Grodno, now the Republic of Belarus. The family was quite simple: the mother worked in one of the local canteens as a cook, and the father was an engineer all his life. Of course, the conditions in which they lived were not very optimal. Four girls, a father and a mother, lived in a small apartment of 20 square meters. Olga had three more sisters, and she was the youngest. As a child, the young gymnast was caught stealing more than once; this was a very serious crime in the Soviet Union. As a result, she could end up in a children's colony, but the coach of the young talent was still able to stand up for her.

Olga Korbut - famous gymnast

In 1963, her physical teacher noticed certain talents and aptitudes for gymnastics in her. In general, her sports career began right then, but difficulties could not be avoided. During her time at school, they even wanted to transfer her to an institution for mentally retarded children, since she did not want to study at all. She wanted to play more sports, but had no aspirations to study. They also didn’t want to take her into the gymnastics section at the Youth Sports School because of problems with overweight. In general, her childhood was not like that of a real athlete.

Now Olga Korbut plans to write a biography, which will indicate some facts from her personal life, sports career, and so on. Working abroad brings her considerable income, since Olympic champions who have finished their careers immediately become coaches or consultants. In general, prospects for Korbut opened up after completing her sports career at the age of 23, but for political reasons she was not allowed to leave the country.

https://youtu.be/uBOsUxigqZc

Career

Still, at the age of ten she entered a sports school and began working with Elena Volchetskaya, who at that time was already an Olympic champion. Next was one of the best coaches in the USSR, Knysh. He realized that this girl was talented and would make a good athlete. The training took place according to an individual program. The coach tried to develop training that could fully unleash the girl’s potential. Of course, there were a considerable number of falls and difficulties that she was able to overcome with ease.

The athlete was trained according to an individual program

At the age of fourteen, the young gymnast showed everyone what she was capable of. The coach himself developed a unique program for her and a somersault on a balance beam. Many famous coaches started talking about the girl’s talent. In general, success was not far off. At that time, few people performed a large arsenal of complex gymnastic exercises, but not Olga Korbut, she was a revolutionary in this regard. One of the main rivals was Lyudmila Turishcheva, with whom they had completely different views and vision of the new gymnastics. It was a real battle between innovation and old school.

At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Korbut failed to reach his full potential, but this was only the first discipline. Then Korbut won the other three disciplines and received three golds. In general, this was her finest hour. One of the most exciting statements at this moment can be called Olga’s interview, which she gave in 1999. According to her, after the victory, the drunk coach Knysh burst into her room, beat and abused the girl. No one knows whether this is true or not, but the coach himself, after hearing it, denied it all.

At the age of 18, she was 152 centimeters tall, and she had one of the most difficult gymnastics programs. In 1973, Korbut, together with the gymnastics team Soviet Union set off to conquer America. It was a creative tour, many spectators appreciated Korbut’s talent. A few years later, Olga switches to another coach. It was new stage in a sports career. Alekseeva herself was a kind and sympathetic person, she always found good word to support the athlete. With Alekseeva she won one gold medal, but not in the individual competition and decided to end her career. Then she started training athletes herself. She was hired as a coach in the United States of America and was extremely popular. After finishing her career, Olga received a history education and is a certified specialist.

Olga Korbut took the gold medal

The personal life and biography of Olga Korbut is regularly updated with new parts and events. She continues to be actively involved in training qualified gymnasts in the United States. She has no plans to return to Russia, since life abroad suits her completely. The most important thing is that she is completely healthy and often attends various gymnastics competitions. Her life consisted entirely of sports, and she has no plans to give it up.

The “Korbut loop” is a prohibited element in modern gymnastics, as it contradicts all safety rules. But before this moment it was improved more than once until it was completely banned. The problem is that when executing this technique in 1980, Mukhina, one of the USSR gymnasts, fell and broke her spine. Her life at this point became simply empty; she was paralyzed for almost 27 years. It was this event that became fundamental in gymnastics when all the rules were revised.

Despite all this, the gymnast remains one of the most beloved and famous athletes of the Soviet Union. She achieved unprecedented heights due to her desire and talent. Working with the first coach Knysh is also part of the success. Today, Olga Korbut’s achievements have forever left a mark on her personal life and biography. Today her interview can only be found on English language, since she practically does not communicate with Russian press services.

There are a lot of videos on the Internet with Olga Korbut’s performances, interviews about her personal life and biography. Every fan of Olga’s talent will be able to enjoy her speech.

Today, many users review her signature somersault over and over again, which no one performs today. Only a truly professional athlete can make such a contribution to history.

Currently, he is a frequent guest at various gymnastics competitions.

Personal life

Olga Korbut’s husband appeared in her life very spontaneously. In 1976, she flew on a plane in which the well-known Leonid Bortkevich was at that time. This meeting was truly unique and opened up completely new perspectives for the gymnast herself. After this meeting they forgot about each other, but Leonid himself initiated the next meeting. They have joint child Richard, Korbut was supposed to give birth a second time, but the baby was dead.

The athlete received an unusual a large number of offers from the West, but the authorities did not release it. Her pension as an athlete was so small that it was not enough even for half a month. Only in 1989 does she manage to leave the USSR, she comes to the USA and immediately gets a job as a teacher. After which Leonid Bortkevich broke up with Olga, as she began dating a young guy who is 25 years younger than her.

Today Korbut is in his third marriage and lives in Arizona. A very rich young guy completely provides the woman with everything she needs. Dating Arnold Schwarzenegger and the real President of the United States opens up great prospects for her. Olga Korbut very often sees children who also have great importance for her personal life and biography.

Son Richard got married and has children, so the gymnast is already a full-fledged grandmother.

Her actions on the personal front always caused confusion among fans, but everyone continued to love her.

On the Internet today there are a lot of photos of Olga Korbut, information about her biography and personal life in America. Her achievements did not remain without a trace, as did her personality. Recently, she held an auction and sold all her awards won at the Olympics and World Championships. According to official data, they managed to earn more than 220 thousand US dollars. What prompted her to take such actions is unclear, since she lives in a very wealthy family.