Gymnastics at the 1972 Summer Olympics facts for kids

Gymnastics at the 1972 Summer Olympics was a big event with 14 different competitions. There were 6 events for women and 8 for men. The gymnastics part of the Olympics happened from August 27 to September 1 in Munich, Germany. Athletes from all over the world showed off their amazing skills.

How the Competition Worked

The scoring system for gymnastics at the 1972 Olympics was a bit like the one used before. For the team event and individual event finals, scores were added up. For the "all-around" competition, gymnasts performed routines on each apparatus again. Their scores from the team competition were combined with their new scores to get a final total. Judges watched carefully and gave scores based on how well each gymnast performed.

Medals

Here's a look at which countries won the most medals in gymnastics at the 1972 Olympics:

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	USSR	6	6	4	16
2	Japan	5	5	6	16
3	GDR	3	4	2	9
4	Hungary	0	0	1	1

Men's Events

In men's gymnastics, athletes competed in several different events. "C" means "Compulsory exercises," which are set routines everyone must do. "O" means "Optional exercises," where gymnasts create their own routines.

Men's All-Around Competition

The all-around competition tests a gymnast's skills on all apparatuses. The "Total" score combines their performances from the team event and their individual all-around routines.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	Sawao Kato (JPN)	114.650
2	Eizo Kenmotsu (JPN)	114.575
3	Akinori Nakayama (JPN)	114.325

Men's Team Event

Teams competed together, and their combined scores determined the medal winners. Here are the top three teams:

Rank	Team	Total Score
1	Japan	571.25
2	USSR	564.05
3	GDR	559.70

Men's Floor Exercise Medals

The floor exercise involves routines performed on a padded mat.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	Nikolai Andrianov (URS)	19.175
2	Akinori Nakayama (JPN)	19.125
3	Shigeru Kasamatsu (JPN)	19.025

Men's Pommel Horse Medals

The pommel horse requires strength and balance.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	Viktor Klimenko (URS)	19.125
2	Sawao Kato (JPN)	19.000
3	Eizo Kenmotsu (JPN)	18.950

Men's Rings Medals

Gymnasts perform on the rings, showing incredible upper body strength.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	Akinori Nakayama (JPN)	19.350
2	Mikhail Voronin (URS)	19.275
3	Mitsuo Tsukahara (JPN)	19.225

Men's Vault Medals

Vault involves running, jumping onto a springboard, and performing a move over a vaulting horse.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	Klaus Köste (GDR)	18.850
2	Viktor Klimenko (URS)	18.825
3	Nikolai Andrianov (URS)	18.800

Men's Parallel Bars Medals

Parallel bars require swings, balances, and releases.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	Sawao Kato (JPN)	19.475
2	Shigeru Kasamatsu (JPN)	19.375
3	Eizo Kenmotsu (JPN)	19.250

Men's Horizontal Bar Medals

The horizontal bar is a single bar where gymnasts perform swings and acrobatic moves.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	Mitsuo Tsukahara (JPN)	19.725
2	Sawao Kato (JPN)	19.525
3	Shigeru Kasamatsu (JPN)	19.450

Women's Events

Women's gymnastics also featured several exciting events. "C" stands for "Compulsory exercises," and "O" stands for "Optional exercises."

Women's All-Around Competition

This event combines scores from all four women's apparatuses.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	257 Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS)	77.025
2	93 Karin Janz (GDR)	76.875
3	255 Tamara Lazakovich (URS)	76.850

Women's Team Event

Here are the top three teams in the women's competition:

Rank	Team	Total Score
1	USSR	380.50
	2	GDR	376.55
		3	Hungary	368.25

Women's Vault Medals

The vault is a fast and powerful event.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	93 Karin Janz (GDR)	19.525
2	Erika Zuchold (GDR)	19.275
3	257 Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS)	19.250

Women's Uneven Bars Medals

The uneven bars require strength, rhythm, and daring releases.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	93 Karin Janz (GDR)	19.675
2	253 Olga Korbut (URS)	19.450
2	Erika Zuchold (GDR)	19.450

Women's Balance Beam Medals

The balance beam is a narrow beam where gymnasts perform graceful and acrobatic routines.

Rank	Athlete	Total Score
1	253 Olga Korbut (URS)	19.400
2	255 Tamara Lazakovich (URS)	19.375
3	93 Karin Janz (GDR)	18.975

Women's Floor Exercise Medals

The floor exercise for women combines dance, acrobatics, and tumbling to music.

Note: The country names used here are the same as those in the official documents from the IOC in 1972.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Gimnasia en los Juegos Olímpicos de Múnich 1972 para niños