Coming into the twenty first Century ladies’s inventive gymnastics (WAG) discovered itself experiencing a major improve within the common age of its Olympic gymnasts. I’ve talked about this specific subject at size prior to now. On some events I highlighted that although the ages are rising, the game nonetheless has a visibly giant presence of gymnasts below the age of 18 resembling Vladislava Urazova, Viktoria Listunova, and the Gadirova twins.
However I’ve additionally made notice of the inflow of veterans who’ve maintained excessive type within the sport lengthy after what was as soon as considered the age through which a gymnast sometimes retired. On this article I’ll give attention to the latter, extra particularly, the rise in gymnasts who’ve gone to the Olympics on three or extra events.
The milestone of being a 3x Olympian is somewhat important in WAG historical past. There have been 49 gymnasts who’ve achieved it. However on solely 4 events has a gymnast surpassed it. These gymnasts being Olga Tass (1960), Oksana Chusovitina (2004), Daniele Hypolito (2012) and Vanessa Ferrari (2021). The importance of being a 3x Olympian is that as a threshold it’s the good stability of being straightforward sufficient to realize that WAGs attain it with frequency, however so tough that WAGs have rarely surpassed it.
The checklist of the 49 gymnasts who’ve competed within the Olympics on three separate events may be discovered right here. However essentially the most noteworthy takeaway is how the checklist is damaged down by period. Beneath is a bar graph displaying the variety of gymnasts who have been making at the least their third Olympic look in any given Olympic Video games.
The above graphic shows the “full” historical past of Olympic WAG. Nevertheless it paints a deceptive image because it was practically not possible for a WAG to change into a 3x Olympian previous to 1956. In 1932, 1940, and 1944 there have been no Olympic WAG occasions contested. Making it unobtainable for a gymnast to have a viable alternative to change into a 3x Olympian. Beginning in 1948 Olympic WAG can be held constantly for the primary time, however three profitable Olympic quads wanted to be accomplished earlier than the gymnasts making their debut in 1948 might lastly attain the brink of being a 3x Olympian.
For the above causes, I created a condensed timeline measuring solely 1956-present as I really feel it’s a extra correct reflection of the true frequency through which gymnasts achieved the 3-Olympics milestone. However the second graphic additionally emphasizes the principle level of this text, that an observable “rise, fall, and return” development may be seen.
The graphic highlights the devastating influence of the “little lady” period whereas after years of gymnasts hitting the 3-Olympic threshold with frequency within the pre-Nadia period, the game went 4 consecutive Olympics with out anybody reaching it. In 1996 Svetlana Boginskaya grew to become the primary gymnast to realize it in twenty years.
I additionally recreated the above graphics with barely totally different information. Whereas earlier than I used the entire variety of gymnasts, I reworked the info to mirror what share of Olympic rivals have been 3x Olympians. This was achieved to account for the totally different area sizes the Olympics have skilled in varied quads because the variety of WAGs competing has each grown and shrank at varied occasions.
As soon as once more, I produced a further graphic highlighting solely the Olympics from 1956-present.
And eventually, I created a desk so you possibly can see each units of information side-by-side.
Beneath I’d like to offer some further ideas:
(A) Whereas these graphics are a telling signal as to how important the “fall” of this development was through the little lady period, additionally they give a outstanding perception as to the “return” of this development in latest occasions.
(B) On the Tokyo-2021 Olympics 5 WAGs hit the brink for the primary time (Ellie Black, Kim Bui, Simona Castro, Elisabeth Seitz, Giulia Steingruber). Whereas 2016 carried out barely higher than 2021, it needs to be famous that each Vasiliki Millousi and Catalina Ponor have been amongst the eight gymnasts who achieved this threshold in Rio. In each circumstances they did so after lacking a earlier Olympics. Some could select to interpret this element as an element that skewed the 2016 outcomes forward of the 2021 outcomes, on the expense of the 2012 outcomes.
(C) There’s a large and basic distinction between being a 3x Olympian vs being a 4x Olympian. I’d go so far as to name it the “4x Olympian barrier.” Previous to 2004 just one gymnast ever broke the 4x Olympian barrier. Eva Bosakova, Larissa Latynina, and Polina Astakhova have been three of essentially the most proficient gymnasts the game had ever seen.
Bosakova and Latynina have been the medal leaders in World Championship competitors through the pre-Korbut period. Astakhova and Latynina are essentially the most adorned Olympians in Soviet WAG historical past. However on all three events Bosakova, Astakhova, and Latynina gave full effort in an try and change into a 4x Olympian and have been unable to do it. Their collective failures add to the legend of simply how formidable the problem was to change into a 4x Olympian.
(D) One level I’d wish to strongly emphasize, Covid-19 had an influence on the typical age of gymnasts taking part within the Tokyo-2021 Olympics. The 1-year delay pressured most gymnasts to attend and change into one 12 months older by the point they competed of their subsequent (or first) Olympic Video games. In lots of circumstances, gymnasts had delayed their anticipated retirement by a full 12 months. This had the general impact of constructing the typical age of the 2021 Olympics a skewed end result.
When utilizing “common age” as a benchmark, Covid-19 has the impact of constructing it simpler to current information demonstrating longevity has improved and is a bonus for anybody trying to show the ages are rising. When utilizing “Olympic appearances” as a knowledge level of reference, no such benefit happens when measuring the 2021 Olympics.
(E) One basic element of the info introduced on this article was the 4 consecutive Olympics from 1980-1992 the place no WAG grew to become a 3x Olympian. However two of those Olympics have been impacted by the 1980 and 1984 Olympic boycotts. The existence of a 2x Olympian who missed her “center” Olympics as a consequence of a boycott would have had a disastrous influence on the info.
However that development didn’t occur and it wasn’t the results of luck. It’s somewhat an correct reflection that within the quick aftermath of Nadia Comaneci’s 1976 efficiency, and in an period the place “little lady” doctrine was at its hottest, the careers have been just too brief again then for the boycotts to be an element. This was an period the place just about everybody was on a trajectory to realize not more than two Olympic appearances.
It’s genuinely the prevalence of the methodology which makes it much less susceptible to exterior components and gives a greater perception of which path the game is progressing on the subject of longevity.
That is in stark distinction to utilizing “common age” as a strategy. In my evaluation of the typical ages in Olympic WAG historical past the boycotts of the Nineteen Eighties had a major affect on the info and presumably skewed it. From 1968-1992 solely the 2 Olympics following a boycott had a internet optimistic improve in common age, whereas each different Olympics on this interval had a internet decline. I speculated this was presumably the results of gymnasts who had missed an Olympics as a consequence of a boycott opting to delay their retirement and attempting for the subsequent Olympic staff having a doable affect on the info.
(F) I first made this text with the intent on discovering a enjoyable method to take a look at the query of longevity traits. Whereas I’ll gladly admit that it’s removed from good, and know full effectively it isn’t as informative as measuring the typical ages, I’m fairly happy with the way in which it managed to bypass occasions such because the Nineteen Eighties boycotts and Covid-19 with out creating apparent irregularities the place an exterior issue clearly influenced the info. One core cause for that is that an Olympic look is an Olympic look. It doesn’t permit a 1-year delay to create a skew within the total numbers.
