Daily Archives: August 1, 2012
Summer Olympics: USA Wins Women’s Team Gymnastics Gold. Countries with the Most Team Gymnastics Medals (Women)
USA Women Win the 2012 Olympics Gymnastics Team All-Around Gold
The USA’s Women’s Gymnastics Team walked away with the gold medal in the team all-around event yesterday, the second in the country’s history and its first since 1996.
With so many competitive and well-known women gymnasts over the years – Mary Lou Retton, Shannon Miller, Kerri Strug, Carly Patterson and reigning individual gold medalist Nastia Liukin – one would think the Americans (in the team event) had won more gold. Nope. Just twice.
Mary Lou Retton, perhaps the most famous American gymnast, scored big individually in 1984, but the team actually came in second.
It doesn’t just happen to Americans. Nadia Comaneci, perhaps the most famous gymnast ever, went off with three golds and a perfect 10 in 1976, but Romania took the silver in the team all-around.
Today’s list runs down those countries with the most women’s gymnastics team all-around medals in Olympics history, led by Comaneci’s Romania with 12. The Soviet Union has nine team medals – all gold – in second, followed by the USA with eight.
Note, though, that if you combine the Soviet Union’s nine, with the Unified Team* gold in 1992 and Russia’s four team medals, then the Soviet Union and its political offspring have 14 medals all together.
I’ve added a second list which ranks countries by the most gold medals, and finally a third list that provides the chronological order of all medal winners. Men’s gymnastics were a part of the Olympics since the first Games in 1896. Women’s gymnastics became an official event in 1928.
Thanks to sports-reference.com, my source. Check it out!
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MOST WOMEN’S TEAM GYMNASTICS MEDALS
| COUNTRY | MEDALS | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | |
| 1. | Romania | 12 | 1984, 2000, 2004 | 1976, 1980, 1988, 1992 | 1956, 1960, 1996, 2008, 2012 |
| 2. | Soviet Union | 9 | 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1988 | – | – |
| 3. | United States | 8 | 1996, 2012 | 1984, 2004, 2008 | 1948, 1992, 2000 |
| 4. | Czechoslovakia | 6 | 1948 | 1936, 1960, 1964, 1968 | 1952 |
| 5. | East Germany | 5 | – | 1972 | 1968, 1976, 1980, 1988 |
| 5. | Hungary | 5 | – | 1948, 1952, 1956 | 1936, 1972 |
| 7. | Russia | 4 | – | 1996, 2000, 2012 | 2004 |
| 8. | China | 2 | 2008 | – | 1984 |
| 9. | Unified Team* | 1 | 1992 | – | – |
| 9. | Great Britain | 1 | – | – | 1928 |
| 9. | Germany | 1 | 1936 | – | – |
| 9. | Italy | 1 | – | 1928 | – |
| 9. | Japan | 1 | – | – | 1964 |
| 9. | Netherlands | 1 | 1928 | – | – |
MOST WOMEN’S TEAM GYMNASTICS GOLD MEDALS
| 1. | Soviet Union | 9 |
| 2. | Romania | 3 |
| 3. | United States | 2 |
| 4. | China | 1 |
| 4. | Unified Team* | 1 |
| 4. | Czechoslovakia | 1 |
| 4. | Germany | 1 |
| 4. | Netherlands | 1 |
OLYMPICS WOMEN’S TEAM GYMNASTICS MEDALS – CHRONOLOGICAL
| YEAR | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
| 2012 | United States | Russia | Romania |
| 2008 | China | United States | Romania |
| 2004 | Romania | United States | Russia |
| 2000 | Romania | Russia | United States |
| 1996 | United States | Russia | Romania |
| 1992 | Unified Team* | Romania | United States |
| 1988 | Soviet Union | Romania | East Germany |
| 1984 | Romania | United States | China |
| 1980 | Soviet Union | Romania | East Germany |
| 1976 | Soviet Union | Romania | East Germany |
| 1972 | Soviet Union | East Germany | Hungary |
| 1968 | Soviet Union | Czechoslovakia | East Germany |
| 1964 | Soviet Union | Czechoslovakia | Japan |
| 1960 | Soviet Union | Czechoslovakia | Romania |
| 1956 | Soviet Union | Hungary | Romania |
| 1952 | Soviet Union | Hungary | Czechoslovakia |
| 1948 | Czechoslovakia | Hungary | United States |
| 1936 | Germany | Czechoslovakia | Hungary |
| 1928 | Netherlands | Italy | Great Britain |
* Following the political collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia and 11 other former Communist block countries formed the Unified Team of 1992.
Photo: tmz.com
