Podcasts Sports GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast Wendy Bruce Martin on 1992 Barcelona Olympics Recap

Wendy Bruce Martin on 1992 Barcelona Olympics Recap

Published: Dec. 31, 2021, 7:05 a.m.

Dr. Uncle Tim PhD, Spencer, \xa0Jessica\xa0and very special guest, 1992 U.S. Olympic medalist, Wendy Bruce Martin\xa0chat about the 1992 Olympics Games in Barcelona:

  • The pre-Olympic Climate:
    • How the end of the Cold War shaped the Games
    • The media pressure on Kim Zmeskal and the heartbreaking life of Svetlana Boginkaya after the 1988 Olympics.
    • Kim Kelly\xa0and the shadiest U.S. Olympic Team selection of all time. (6:00)
    • Wedgie-gate, was it fair to punish three athletes for ill-fitting leotards? (16:00)
    • Uncle Tim's 1992 Code of Points and Competition Rules Quiz-Mageddon! (23:00)
    • The magic of the 1992 broadcast that included interviews with every controversial figure.
  • The Competition (42:00):
    • Compulsories that took our breath away and should we still have them? Exhibit A:\xa0Vanda H\u0103d\u0103rean (ROM) or Gruneneva (Unified Team). Eastern Bloc beauty.\xa0
    • The judging crack epidemic of 1992. Exhibit B: Christina Bontas's 9.9 beam routine.
    • Kim Zmeskal fell on beam and the world didn't actually end.\xa0
    • The glory of North Korea,\xa0Kim Gwang Suk\xa0on bars. All praise the dear leader.\xa0
  • Team Finals (1:02:00)
    • Kerri Strug's family fashion.\xa0
    • The Karolyi double back set on beam, AKA freeze in mid-air before flip.\xa0
    • U.S. and Australian leotards.\xa0
    • Why Wendy felt embarrassed of her bronze medal for too long.\xa0
  • The All-Around Final (1:16:00)
    • Galieva-Gate
    • The most common skills of the quad and the routines that were way ahead of their time, like Tatiana Lysenko (Unified).\xa0
    • Luisa Portocarrera (CAN/GTM), beam goddess. Watch it here.
    • Shannon Miller vs. Tatiana Gutsu showdown. Was the judging fair? We decide. (1:26:00)
  • Event Finals (1:29:19)
    • Tatiana Lysenko's double twisting yurchenko vs. the world; the 1992 vault final.\xa0
    • The Beam Final:\xa0Li Lu - press handstand to HEALY to arch pose! Pour out some\xa0Yang Bo. Lysenko's backspin, Shannon Miller. One of the greatest beam finals of all time.\xa0
    • The Bars Final: The bars medalists\xa0got air on the bars that were super close together. Lu Li got mega air and\xa0Kim Gwang Suk - TKATCHEV TO COUNTER KIM! WHAT?!
    • The Floor Final: Lavinia Milosovici's Romanian tumbling greatness, Henrietta Onodi's triple full, Gutsu's split leg double layout, so much genius!
  • Shenanigans and the Legacy of the 1992 Olympics\xa0(1:43:05)
    • Steve Nunno's motivational poster quotes.\xa0
    • Bela Karolyi or Donald Trump quotes quiz.\xa0
    • The training schedule for the U.S. Team. Yes, two-a-day practices.\xa0
    • The new breed of\xa0positive coaches. (1:51:53)
RELATED LINKS
  • For a deep dive into how Shannon Miller won Olympic Trials while Kim Zmeskal had the higher scores: The History of Olympic Trials Controversies podcast.
  • Wendy Bruce-Martin is the new head coach of Swiss women's artistic gymnastics national team
  • Claudia Miller (Shannon Miller's mom), wrote a book called, "My Child My Hero." A gym nerd must-read.
  • Here is that Australian team 1992 compulsories leotard [caption id="attachment_36688" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Australia aboriginal (?) inspired 1992 compulsory leotard[/caption]
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