Getting into the twenty first Century ladies’s creative gymnastics (WAG) discovered itself experiencing a major enhance within the common age of its Olympic gymnasts. I’ve talked about this explicit subject at size up to now. On some events I highlighted that regardless that the ages are rising, the game nonetheless has a visibly giant presence of gymnasts underneath the age of 18 reminiscent of Vladislava Urazova, Viktoria Listunova, and the Gadirova twins.
However I’ve additionally made word of the inflow of veterans who’ve maintained excessive type within the sport lengthy after what was as soon as regarded as the age wherein a gymnast sometimes retired. On this article I’ll concentrate on 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 moderately important in WAG historical past. There have been 49 gymnasts who’ve performed 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 steadiness of being straightforward sufficient to attain that WAGs attain it with frequency, however so troublesome that WAGs have infrequently surpassed it.
The listing of the 49 gymnasts who’ve competed within the Olympics on three separate events will be discovered right here. However probably the most noteworthy takeaway is how the listing is damaged down by period. Beneath is a bar graph displaying the variety of gymnasts who have been making not less than their third Olympic look in any given Olympic Video games.
The above graphic shows the “full” historical past of Olympic WAG. But it surely paints a deceptive image because it was almost unimaginable for a WAG to turn 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 turn 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 wherein 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” pattern will 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 turned the primary gymnast to attain it in twenty years.
I additionally recreated the above graphics with barely completely different information. Whereas earlier than I used the full variety of gymnasts, I reworked the information to replicate what share of Olympic opponents have been 3x Olympians. This was performed to account for the completely different area sizes the Olympics have skilled in varied quads because the variety of WAGs competing has each grown and shrank at varied instances.
As soon as once more, I produced an extra graphic highlighting solely the Olympics from 1956-present.
And at last, I created a desk so you’ll be able to see each units of knowledge side-by-side.
Beneath I’d like to offer some extra ideas:
(A) Whereas these graphics are a telling signal as to how important the “fall” of this pattern was in the course of the little lady period, in addition they give a outstanding perception as to the “return” of this pattern in latest instances.
(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 ought to be famous that each Vasiliki Millousi and Catalina Ponor have been amongst the eight gymnasts who achieved this threshold in Rio. In each instances they did so after lacking a earlier Olympics. Some might 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 huge 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 probably the most proficient gymnasts the game had ever seen.
Bosakova and Latynina have been the medal leaders in World Championship competitors in the course of the pre-Korbut period. Astakhova and Latynina are probably the most embellished Olympians in Soviet WAG historical past. However on all three events Bosakova, Astakhova, and Latynina gave full effort in an try to turn 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 turn 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 turn into one yr older by the point they competed of their subsequent (or first) Olympic Video games. In lots of instances, gymnasts had delayed their anticipated retirement by a full yr. This had the general impact of constructing the typical age of the 2021 Olympics a skewed outcome.
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 seeking 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 part of the information offered on this article was the 4 consecutive Olympics from 1980-1992 the place no WAG turned 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 because of a boycott would have had a disastrous influence on the information.
However that pattern didn’t occur and it wasn’t the results of luck. It’s moderately 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 quick again then for the boycotts to be an element. This was an period the place nearly everybody was on a trajectory to attain 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 route 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 information and probably skewed it. From 1968-1992 solely the 2 Olympics following a boycott had a web constructive enhance in common age, whereas each different Olympics on this interval had a web decline. I speculated this was probably the results of gymnasts who had missed an Olympics because of a boycott opting to delay their retirement and making an attempt for the following Olympic staff having a attainable affect on the information.
(F) I first made this text with the intent on discovering a enjoyable manner to take a look at the query of longevity developments. Whereas I’ll gladly admit that it’s removed from good, and know full nicely 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 information. One core purpose 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.
