Search

By analyzing the performances of all participants in the continental competitions of women's artistic gymnastics, we aim to create a 'profile' of the potential winning gymnast in team events, individual all-around, as well as apparatus competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The study was conducted by analyzing the scores achieved by gymnasts from four continents at the continental competitions mentioned above. At the African Championships, 25 athletes from 7 countries participated, at the European Championships, 154 gymnasts from 38 countries participated, at the Asian Championships, 46 athletes from 14 countries participated, at the Pan American Championships, 60 athletes from 20 countries participated. Following the execution of this study and monitoring the results of each previously mentioned continental competition, we have gathered a set of valuable data, including: Team competition results; Individual all-around competition results; Apparatus competition results. All of these data/grades/results can provide us with valuable information regarding the skill level of the continental representative athletes, either on a national level, in the individual all-around, or on specific apparatuses, at this training stage. By analyzing the obtained data, we have been focusing on preparation for the most crucial competition concluding this Olympic cycle. We consider that the winners at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, based on the profile obtained from the data collected, will be those who accumulate a minimum total of 166,000 points in the team competition, over 56,000 points in the Individual All-Around competition, an average of over 14,000 points between the two vaults in the Vault competition, a minimum of 14,600 points on Uneven Bars, a minimum of 14,400 points on Beam, and over 14,000 points in Floor Exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aims of this study were (1) to determine the one-year prevalence of injuries and their characteristics and (2) to analyze potential injury risk factors in high-level/national-level women artistic gymnasts. Methods: Competitive women artistic gymnasts training more than 10 h per week in a national training center and a TOP 12 club in France were invited to participate in a retrospective study through an online questionnaire about their self-reported injuries and potential injury risk factors (e.g., previous injuries, diseases, weight modification) during the 2020/2021 season. Results: A total of 88 gymnasts between 9 and 23 years old, who trained on average 22.0 ± 6.2 h per week, answered the questionnaire. Ninety-five injuries were reported by 62 (70.5%) of the 88 gymnasts. The one-year injury prevalence was 70.5% (95% CI 60.9 to 80.0%). Gymnasts had, on average, 1.1 ± 1.0 injuries per year. The most common reported injury location was the knee (25.3%), and the most common reported injury type was the ligament (26.3%). Having an injury during the previous season (OR = 9.06; CI 95% 2.66 to 36.73; p = 0.0007) and using a prevention program (OR = 3.97; CI 95% 1.46 to 11.15; p = 0.007) were associated with a higher risk of injury in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: More than 70% of French high-level/national-level gymnasts had at least one injury during the 2020/2021 season. This high injury rate supports the need to promote injury prevention. However, in the present study, using a prevention program was associated with a higher risk of injury. There is thus a need to improve injury prevention strategies to counter the high injury risk and its potential consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women had difficulties entering sport arenas during the first half of the twentieth century, and in the media, sportswomen were often ridiculed or seen as beauty queens rather than athletes. Although women participated in competitive sport, little is known about how they handled and experienced their participation. This article analyses a life story interview with the Swedish gymnast Karin Lindberg Lindén to highlight how a sportswoman perceived and handled her participation in competitive sport in a time when structures and norms marginalized women's participation. Women's sport history is complex and provides contradictory examples of women's involvement. Women were accepted in gymnastics – especially non-competitive gymnastics adapted for the female body – but they also competed. In the Swedish context, there were controversies between representatives of the traditional non-competitive Swedish (Ling) gymnastics and competitive gymnastics. This article shows how Karin experienced and negotiated her participation in competitions and how her participation in different forms of gymnastic practices led to travel opportunities and professional choices. The article is thus an attempt to nuance the history of women's participation in sport. Gender studies and the concept of 'new biography' grounds the analytical framework of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of choreographic training includes an integral system of practice based on dance elements, ensuring an increased level of muscle work in various practice forms. The foundations of this school are classical and dance exercises are used according to a specific methodology. Most of the choreographic exercises are performed at the support bar, in the centre of the room, making extensive use of the reflective surfaces of the mirrors. The exercises performed at the support bar in most cases have a preparatory character, being performed in the preliminary stage according to some principles and rules that indicate the initial, intermediate and final positions of the movements, educating the specific particularities of organization and concretization of movement actions. Choreographic training in rhythmic gymnastics also implies a series of positions and exercises, performed with all parts of the body, including the head, arms, trunk, legs, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women’s artistic gymnastics is commonly understood to require early entrance and intense training during childhood. Most gymnasts retire before reaching adulthood. In recent years, the gymnast population at the highest level has “aged.” In this article, we adopt a socio-pedagogical perspective to explore the training contexts, pubertal development, and associated learning 10 older elite gymnasts reported. We develop a cultural perspective of gymnast development and show that transitioning through puberty allowed the gymnasts to extend their careers. Support from their coaches and parents, self-reflective time, and genetic predispositions facilitated the transitioning. Through this, gymnasts gained control over self, body, relationships, and performance. In conclusion, we provide implications for gymnast development practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine how the participation of German-Brazilian women in Turnen in Rio Grande do Sul figured at the beginning of the twentieth century. Considering the period of this research and the phenomenon studied, the documentary corpus favours printed documents such as the annual reports of gymnastics societies and commemorative books and images, namely photographs, found in printed documents. Turnen is a distinctly Germanic cultural practice developed in Brazilin places inhabited by German immigrants and their descendants. The insertion by German-Brazilian women into Turnen and their practice of it resulted from compensatory stabilization methods developed through practices and representations. It established a close relationship between masculinity and nationality marked in the practitioner's physique. As German-Brazilian women entered the practice of Turnen, they gained new spaces outside their homes and, with the expanded limits, there was also the self-coercion of behaviour and feelings. Behavioural norms became more tolerant as long as they did not affect the previously conditioned system and social roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. balance is a highly demanded motor ability in artistic gymnasts; however, it is unknown what type of training can improve this variable. The purpose was to determine if Star Excursion balance Test (SEbT) and neuromuscular (NM) trainings are more effective than conventional artistic gymnastics training (CONV) for improving balance control in female artistic gymnasts. Methods. Overall, 33 female artistic gymnasts were selected and randomly assigned to 3 training groups: CONV, SEbT, or NM. The Y-balance Test evaluated balance control. ANOVA (group x time) with repeated measures was used to compare the effects of training. Results. In the dominant lower limb, significant pre- and post-intervention differences were observed for SEbT training in the posteromedial direction (p = 0.0003; % change = 13.4), as well as in NM in the anterior (p = 0.0001; % change = 23.9), posteromedial (p = 0.0001; % change = 23.1), and total index (p = 0.0001; % change = 17.8) of the Y-balance Test. Moreover, NM training presented significant differences compared with CONV (p = 0.0001; % change = 14.0) and SEbT (p = 0.0001; % change = 12.8) in the posteromedial direction; it also exhibited differences compared with CONV (p = 0.0392; % change = 8.8) and SEbT (p = 0.0065; % change = 11.3) in the total index. Conclusions. NM training results in a significant improvement in balance control compared with CONV and SEbT training in female artistic gymnasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent female gymnasts are a vulnerable population in terms of their diet, as their nutritional needs are higher due to their growth and high daily training demands. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a well-known dietary pattern that is associated with a greater nutritional adequacy and a lower prevalence of overweight. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the degree of adherence to the MD among adolescent female athletes who participated in all disciplines of gymnastics in Greece, as well as to explore the potential correlations between MD adherence, body weight, and body mass index (BMI). A total of 269 female gymnasts (between 11–18 years old) completed the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) and reported their weight and height. Approximately 10% of the participants were underweight and a mere 5.6% were classified as overweight. A high adherence to the MD was reported by 34.9% of the sample and this was correlated with a healthier BMI. Moreover, specific eating habits, such as eating nuts 2–3 times per week and eating fast-food less than once-weekly, were also associated with BMI. Athletes, parents, and coaches of gymnastics should be informed and educated regarding balanced nutrition habits. Future studies could evaluate adherence to MD, as well as the factors that influence the eating behaviors of adolescent female and male athletes in various sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to compare the media-ideal and athletic internalization of gymnasts to track and field sprinters. Eighty-three female track and field sprinters and 50 female gymnasts participated. The subscales of the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire-3 were used to evaluate the influence of the media on body image. The Body Shape Questionnaire was used to assess body dissatisfaction. The results showed no difference between the groups in media-ideal internalization (p > .05); however, the results indicated differences in athletic internalization (p < .05) and body dissatisfaction (p < .05). We concluded that although media-ideal internalization was similar, gymnasts showed greater athletic internalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The path leading to the Olympic Games is lengthy and laborious, requiring significant amount of physical training and participation in competitive events. Up to four of the best female gymnasts from a given country can participate in the postponed Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. The preparation and daily routines of three such gymnasts: Morgan Hurd (USA), Angelina Melnikova (Russian Federation) and Yile Chen (People’s Republic of China) are featured in the All Around documentary series with new episodes released monthly on the IOC’s Olympic Channel which is available worldwide at the Olympic Channel’s website and the Olympics YouTube channel. The road to the Olympics for these and other female gymnasts is also presented via their personal social media profiles and video-sharing platform channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.). Based on research of textual and visual online publications by or about women gymnasts preparing for the Olympic Games, the current text is aimed at presenting the everyday life and lifestyle of the gymnasts as featured in the media, including their training routine, participation in competitions, their education and social life (family, friends and other social circles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When fourteen-year-old Nadia Comaneci won gold at the 1976 Olympic Games, her youthful appearance inspired concerns about the hard training of young gymnasts. These concerns frequently centered around the coach as a figure of authority with the power to potentially exploit young girls. This paper both confirms and questions this assumption through using an Actor Network Theory (ANT) perspective. It is argued that what has been missing from previous accounts of sports training and competition is the role that nonhumans play. It is shown how existing Foucauldian work examining gymnastics can be extended through demonstrating the Latourian notion that power is enacted through nonhumans. It is further suggested that the inclusion of nonhumans such as video cameras into the gymnastics network can potentially generate different power arrangements from the traditional authoritarian coach/athlete relationship. Latour's concepts of mediators and intermediaries are used to show how nonhumans can have agency and affect gymnastics performance, demonstrating that power is shared among both human and nonhuman actants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's artistic gymnastics team had its worst showing at Rio since returning to the Games in 1984. This article explains the reasons for China's underperformance at Rio by drawing on multiple sources of data. We analyze the scores that international gymnasts received at the World Championships and the Olympics. We also draw on interview data of Chinese gymnasts, coaches, and officials. Our study shows that the collapse in Rio primarily resulted from misinterpreting changes in both the new competition system for the team final and the open-ended Code of Points (CoP) introduced by the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) after Beijing 2008. The misinterpretation led to poor strategies when preparing for the Rio Olympics. Further, we believe there is something hidden in their defeat that reveals larger developmental trends in international gymnastics. Thus, by addressing China's downfall at Rio, we identify important developments in international gymnastics such as the increasing importance of all-arounders, the necessity of execution, and extending the careers of both men and women gymnasts. The conclusions we draw from Team China's failure at Rio 2016 have broader implications for how other gymnastics nations can prepare for international competitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This paper makes an analysis of the basic technical and physical training on uneven bars in women's artistic gymnastics. Methods. A study was carried out in the Romanian national team of women's artistic gymnastics, with a group of 14 gymnasts aged 13-16. The study was conducted from 2017 (initial testing) to 2018 (final testing). The physical training (PT) was assessed by means of 10 physical tests and the basic technical training (TT) by 8 tests. Performance capacity (PC) on uneven bars was monitored in competitions too. Statistical analysis was made with KyPlot program, using descriptive indicators and the parametric method Paired Comparison for Means, at p<0.05. Results. The comparative analysis of PT indicators highlights an improvement of muscle strength development and significant differences at p<0.05 in holding a handstand (physical test - PT3), power handstand (PT4), alternating one-legged squats (PT5), long jump (PT8) and push-ups (PT10). The comparative analysis results of basic TT indicators reveal an improved execution in final testing at p<0.001, p<0.01 and <0.05, except for elements with flight phase on the same bar (technical test - TT4) - p>0.05. The PC results highlight the elements difficulty increase (p<0.05), the execution decrease, the final score increase and p>0.05. Conclusions. The use of a physical training program (per muscle groups, both in the first and the second training) and preparatory exercises for each technical requirement on uneven bars showed the dynamics of muscle groups strength development according to the results obtained in competitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors would like to extend their gratitude to the ten gymnasts participating in this study. Their willingness to share their time and experiences made this research project possible. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with ten female collegiate gymnasts (M age = 22.2; SD = 1.68 yr) to determine their lived experience of sport imagery. Qualitative analysis of the interview data revealed a total of 693 meaning units and produced a final thematic structure consisting of five major dimensions: preparing for movement; mentally preparing; feeling the skill; controlling perspective/speed/ effort; and time and place. Among the results not reported in previous studies were athletes' manipulations of imagery speed for various purposes, the incorporation of abbreviated body movements during imagery to accentuate the feel of the action, correcting inadvertent mistakes in an imaged performance, and the imaging of upcoming segments of a serial skill during execution. The findings extend previous sport imagery research and provide suggestions for sport psychology consultants working with elite gymnasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we tested Petrie and Greenleaf's (2007) model of bulimic symptoms in two independent samples of female collegiate swimmers/divers and gymnasts. Structural equation modeling revealed support for the model, although it also suggested additional pathways. Specifically, general societal pressures regarding weight and body were related to the internalization of those ideals and, subsequently, to increases in body dissatisfaction. Pressures from the sport environment regarding weight and appearance were associated with more body dissatisfaction and more restrictive eating. Body dissatisfaction was related to more feelings of sadness, anger, and fear among the athletes. Negative affect, body dissatisfaction, and dietary restraint were related directly to bulimic symptoms, accounting for 55-58% of its variance. These results suggest that general sociocultural pressures are influential, but weight and appearance pressures in the sport environment may be even more pervasive and negative for female athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's artistic gymnastics is an Olympic sport that involves intricate acrobatic and rhythmic activities. This kinesthetic proficiency demands muscular strength and courage, which have been argued to serve its athletes as a source of empowerment. Various scholars question the positive effects of sport participation. This article builds on these doubts through a feminist Foucauldian study of WAG. An essayistic research story, compiled from data gained in an ethnographic study, serves as the basis for our analyses. The results demonstrate the complexity of WAG experiences and illustrate that gymnasts' athletic proficiency is only possible through an extensive and elaborate process of corporeal discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity is associated with the generation of reactive oxygen species and may lead to decreased levels of plasma antioxidants and increased oxidant stress. Some studies have reported that antioxidant supplements can reduce the consequences of oxidative stress during exercise. In this study the authors aimed to assess the chronic effects of exercise on endogenous serum antioxidant enzyme concentrations. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured in adolescent girls who were either competitive gymnasts or sedentary controls. The relationship between age, body-mass index, dietary intake, trace-element status, and serum GPx and SOD was determined. The participants in the study were part of a 3-yr longitudinal investigation of exercise and peak bone-mass development in 38 competitive gymnasts and 40 healthy sedentary adolescent females 8-17 yr of age. Serum GPx and SOD were measured using colorimetric assays, and trace elements were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The mean serum GPx concentrations were significantly higher in the gymnasts than in the sedentary females (157 ± 11.1 vs. 126 ± 8.8 U/ml, p < .05). In contrast, serum SOD concentrations were significantly lower in the gymnasts than in the sedentary group (7.24 ± 2.6 vs. 8.57 ± 2.3 U/ml, p < .05). Serum selenium, zinc, and copper were higher in the physically active group than in the inactive group (0.89 ± 0.03, 10.86 ± 0.39, 14.50 ± 0.50 vs. 0.81 ± 0.03, 10.32 ± 0.28, and 14.38 ± 0.42 μmol/L, respectively), although only serum selenium reached statistical significance (p < .05). The findings show that young female gymnasts have an altered antioxidant enzyme profile compared with their less physically active peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the current study, the process of adolescent burnout is considered in relation to perceived contributors, symptoms, consequences, and subsequently, effective and ineffective coping strategies. Through case studies, the researchers sought the burnout experiences of three competitive female gymnasts. Participants were selected based on scores obtained from Raedeke and Smith's (2001) Athlete Burnout Questionnaire. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the process, athlete data were considered in tandem with interviews from at least one parent and one coach. Transcribed data were segmented into meaning units, coded into a hierarchy of themes and verified by each respondent. Despite common trends among the participants, differences were also found in relation to symptoms, contributors, and the progression of the condition. Implications are provided for the athlete/parent/coach triad and also for sport psychologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]