9 Most Influential Moments in American Women Gymnastics History

Every U.S. gymnastics fan has their favorite moments in American gymnastics history that they like to re-watch or talk about with others. But there are certain moments that stand out because of what they'd contribute to future generations, and some of them are really surprising on the surface. Here are 9 such moments and why they're so important to the history of U.S. gymnastics, in no particular order:

- Olga Korbut's innovation at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. You could call her the gymnast that launched a thousand pixies. Due to her creativity and the coverage it generated in the media, the general American public finally took notice of the sport. All of this led to a greater talent pool for our country to draw from in the future due to future champions with big dreams joining the sport, which also led to greater financial support for the sport in this country all around.

- Cathy Rigby winning the silver medal on beam at the 1970 World Gymnastics Championships. This was not only the first medal that any American, man or woman, had won at a World's or Olympic Games in the sport of gymnastics, but it was also the first time anyone from the U.S. had even qualified to a final. After decades of toiling and finishing near and at the bottom, U.S. gymnastics had finally broken through the stronghold that Eastern Europe had on the medals.

- Marcia Frederick winning the gold medal in the uneven bars finals at the 1978 World Gymnastics Championships. A few hours after her male compatriot, Kurt Thomas, won the gold medal on the floor exercise final, Marcia took home the gold on the uneven bars. This was also the first time that an American went into a final as the lead and as the favorite to win. Both Marcia's and Kurt's medal gave notice to a maturing U.S. program.

- Bela and Marta Karolyi defecting to the United States. Despite the complaints and allegations about the way the Karolyi's trained their gymnasts, you can't deny their successes, both in Romania and the U.S. This couple pretty much changed the way the sport of gymnastics was thought of in this country among the inner circle; some coaches trained with the Karolyis for awhile before they went off to start their own gyms, and they adapted training regimen that didn't just focus on fun participation but actual competitiveness and doing what it takes to stand on the podium. Without their influence, who knows where U.S. gymnastics would be today.

- Mary Lou Retton winning the all-around gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. Even though many fans within the gymnastics community look down on this result, it's real power isn't in the fact that Mary Lou was the first to win the all-around in an Olympic Games. The most important thing about her win came in the future, with gymnasts who were inspired by her victory enough to join a gym, train for years, and become World and Olympic medalists for the U.S. down the road.

- The U.S. women's team finishing 4th in the team finals at the 1988 Olympic Games. The year before at the 1987 World Gymnastics Championships, they finished in sixth place due to major mistakes and falls in almost every apparatus, so they had a ways to come back from to get to fourth place, barely missing the medals. This improvement at the Olympics set the stage for them to finally break through to the team medals in the next quad, starting at the 1991 World Championships.

- Phoebe Mills winning the bronze medal in the balance beam finals at the 1988 Olympic Games. This achievement did for the individual gymnasts back home what the fourth place finish during the team competition at these same Olympics did for the teams that would come down the line. This was the first Olympic medal won by an American woman gymnast outside the U.S. and during a non-boycotted Olympics. Others, (such as Betty Okino, Shannon Miller, and Kim Zmeskal) would come along a few years later and make their mark in the individual events at major international World and Olympic competitions.

- The U.S. women's team winning the silver medal at the 1991 World Gymnastics Championships. This medal would prove to be the breakthrough point for the U.S. women's team and their first team medal in a non-boycotted event. This medal would set the stage for what was to come for the women's team in the mid-1990s (silver in 1994 and bronze in 1995 World Championships, gold in 1996 Olympics), and it was also the culmination of a long struggle from a sixth place finish at the 1987 Worlds and near misses from the medal podium in 1988 and 1989 where the team placed fourth. The 1991 Worlds team also happened to have some future stars, like Kim Zmeskal (who would go on to win the all-around competition), Kerri Strug, and Shannon Miller.

- Kim Zmeskal winning the beam and floor exercise gold medals at the 1992 Individual Event World Gymnastics Championships. These wins helped to legitimize her all-around from the year before at the 1991 Worlds, which was considered controversial by many within the inner gymnastics circle. She had upgraded her difficulty and showed people that she could be a true all-around contender. This was also the first time since 1978 that an American female gymnast won a gold medal outside the United States.