When did they change the vault?

[UncleKyle]

Anyone notice that they changed the girls vault? It's a lot bigger and wider now? Anyone else notice? Just seems unfair, if Kerry Strug had to use the old vault so should everyone else.

 

[tkyes]

I think the men's has changed too Kyle. I don't know when or why.

 

[snoopy]

Wasn't that Russian girl having a fit over the vault in the last Olympics? I seem to remember that, but I could be wrong.

Some help I am, huh?

Anyway, I'll bump this for the gymastics experts around here.

 

[piglet too]

Noticed it as well, and think it is a good change. I think it was in the Sydney games where a female gymast was severly injured on the vault. This new style might be better designed to help prevent the type of injuries (from slipping off or missing the vault) there used to be.

 

[Tinks]

The gymnast who had a vault problem in Sydney was Svetlana Khorkina from Russia. ( the diva, remember?) She should have won the gold, but because the vault was set several inches too low ( not at regulation height! ) she fell on her vaults. They didn't let the gymnasts who had already competed on vault do it over even though the vault was improperly set. I always felt sad for her because it was her big chance to win and she didn't, but it wasn't her fault.

 

[snoopy]

Yes, exactly as I remembered!

(or sort of!)

She looked pretty darned upset at the end, like she wanted to rip the silver medal off her neck and throw a huge tantrum. That stands out in my mind.

 

[piglet too]

Originally posted by Tinks
The gymnast who had a vault problem in Sydney was Svetlana Khorkina from Russia. ( the diva, remember?) She should have won the gold, but because the vault was set several inches too low ( not at regulation height! ) she fell on her vaults. They didn't let the gymnasts who had already competed on vault do it over even though the vault was improperly set. I always felt sad for her because it was her big chance to win and she didn't, but it wasn't her fault.

I recall that but I am thinking about a girl from China maybe who was paralyzed....maybe it was the PamAm games?

 

[missypie]

I couldn't believe they didn't let the girls who competed on an improperly set vault have a "do over." Don't know when they changed the shape, but I was surprised by it when DD started competing last year.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Now that you post that -- I do remember the vault controversy from Atlanta. I thought the new one was just some fancy stylish Greek thing. It does look much sturdier than the sawhorse thingy they used to put out there.

 

[snoopy]

Originally posted by piglet too
I recall that but I am thinking about a girl from China maybe who was paralyzed....maybe it was the PamAm games?

Oh I remember that too!! Seems to me that happened here in D.C., I remember it very clearly! I wonder whatever happened to that poor girl?

 

[snoopy]

Apparently it was the Goodwill games:

http://news.1chinastar.com/ll/english/85075.shtml

So sad. These kids really do take their lives in their hands, such a dangerous sport.

 

[Deb in IA]

Sang Lan -- DH and I were talking about her last night.

Wonder how she's doing now?

 

[snoopy]

Deb, that article I linked above talks about how she is doing now. Not so good, seeing how she has no feeling from her chest down, but at least her spirits sound good.

 

[Deb in IA]

Originally posted by snoopy
Deb, that article I linked above talks about how she is doing now. Not so good, seeing how she has no feeling from her chest down, but at least her spirits sound good.

I saw the dateline for that article as being 4 years ago, and I thought she was talking about the Sydney Games.

But with the degree of her spinal cord injury, I'd guess that she probably has not made much progress in the last 4 years . . .

 

[HollyJoy]

Originally posted by snoopy
Wasn't that Russian girl having a fit over the vault in the last Olympics? I seem to remember that, but I could be wrong.

Some help I am, huh?

Anyway, I'll bump this for the gymastics experts around here.

Yeah, she said the vault wasn't high enough or something.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Didn't Leonardo DeCaprio visit her in the hospital?

For some reason this sticks out in my memory. I think I remember seeing it on the news.

 

[snoopy]

Deb, sorry, it was 4 years ago. I mistakenly thought she was referring to the game in Athens.

But as you said, she probably has not made much progress. So sad.

 

[tkyes]

She looked pretty darned upset at the end, like she wanted to rip the silver medal off her neck and throw a huge tantrum. That stands out in my mind.

She did rip it off her neck Snoopy! She took it off as they were exiting the stadium. They showed it last night - I wish I could find a picture.

 

[Cindy B]

We noticed the vaults were different as well. I first thought it was a symbolic Greek urn type thing.

But the other explanations make sense.

Back in the day, I used to be a preschool gymnastic instructors. The kids loved the vault, but I was always so nervous!

 

[snoopy]

Ohh, I didn't see it last night -- I was kind of in and out of last night's performance havng other stuff to do. But I remember it from Sydney, and I was thinking she was some kind of a diva! Then when I saw her in these games I immediately recognized her! LOL! She looks like someone NOT to be reckoned with.