Kurt Thomas wins gold on floor at the 1978 World Championships. Clip also includes snippets of Thomas performing on pommel horse and high bar at the 1978 American Cup.
Yelena Mukhina's gold-greedy coaches forced the TS on her even though she had a broken leg. She was rendered quadriplegic after she broke her neck trying to perform it (watch Kurt at 1:00). She didn't complete the turn and landed on her chin instead of her upper back. She was only 20. She was a beautiful gymnast. She died of complications from quadriplegia 26 years later. RIP Elena, you are loved and remembered.
yes. i really feel bad for her :'( she died young. we know she could live for more than 26 years if not for her greedy coaches. she's so talented and healthy but all was lost because of the paralysis. may she rest in peace.
I was waiting for someone to say it. Glad it's banned for women and glad the roll-out skills are now banned for man , too. Not to say Kurt Thomas is not phenomenal, but even he agrees with it
Thomas made it for himself, he did not made it for anybody else less for Mukhina in such an awful health way. The monsters that killed Mukhin outlived her without any punishment.
0:57 The infamous Thomas Salto. Took them long enough to ban it after Yelena Mukhina broke her neck and remained a quadriplegic for the remaining 26 years of her life, not to mention God only knows how many other gymnasts who were injured performing it.
ladycplum it's very risky for men and especially too risky for women.Beside that,Yelena Mukhina was forced to perform it with her broken leg not completely healed,This amazing rising star was a sad victim of a Cold war insanity which devasted her career and life and this adds anger,sorrow and bitterness to her absolutely tragic story.
partisan72 Oh I know poor Yelena's backstory, very typical of the times that the extent of her injury was hushed-up and played down by the Soviet media. Typical too that she was forced into doing a very advanced element while still healing from a previous injury. I saw a video compilation somewhere of the top 20 worst gymnastics "oopsies", and the number one clip was a Chinese female gymnast attempting a Thomas Salto, landing on her head, then continually attempting to stand up. But she kept falling over like she was drunk or couldn't catch her balance. (Sort of like how people look when they play that dumb party game where you spin around with your head down on a baseball bat then try to walk) And nobody even thought to go help her for a good 20 seconds or so.
Kurt Thomas is a phenomenal athlete. He and his wife Becky have a gymnastics center in Frisco, TX. They REALLY amp it up on their website that at their gymnastics center they emphasize safety. It didn’t occur to me until then that the element that made him, the Thomas Salto, also cost him his identity. The Thomas Salto killed and paralyzed more gymnasts than all other elements combined. So Kurt Thomas became the undeserving poster child for unsafe sports. That’s what people remember him for. But to be fair the 70s and early 80s were a transformative era in gymnastics. Toward the late 70s there was a massive spike in catastrophic injuries in gymnastics. So the Thomas Salto wasn’t the craziest thing being done before someone said dial it back. If anything he has a lot of strength of character for learning from the past and not having his gymnasts repeat the same mistakes. Hats off to you Kurt Thomas
Miss Moxie Please, everything about gymnastics is dangerous. Now everyone is doing back-handsprings onto the vault - if that doesn’t have the potential for a broken neck, what does? Oh yeah, just about everything on Highbar and Unevens.
RIP Kurt Thomas. I grew up watching him perform. This was a golden age of gymnastics that brought the sport to the forefront of popularity, promotion, and progress. It was thrilling (and nerve wracking) to watch. God bless his family.
Shocked to hear of his passing. I remember watching Kurt and Bart Conner back in the 70's. Kurt was definitely a world class gymnast, held his own with the soviets.
It's not that uncommon, especially for younger folks who don't remember that Kurt Thomas was the first American World Champion (floor routine) and their first star. He's in my age group and even I didn't remember who he was when news of his passing was announced. I had him confused with Bart Conner.
Kurt taught me how to do a front walkover way back in 1980 at summer gymnastics camp. Got to see him for 2 more summers in 81 & 82. I'm so sad, there are no words. R.I.P.
I idolized him. I am sorry to hear of his passing. All the best to his family, friends, and students to whom he meant so much. Today, like so many others, I mourn.
I'm no expert on gymnastics, but that era seems to have had astounding choreography and flow in their routines, presumably due to judges weighting things differently. Beautiful how cleanly they tie elements together.
I couldn’t imagine creating a move for my own routine and then find that others were losing their lives bc of it that man just wanted to be great I hope he gave himself mercy
I read somewhere that they had to delay the medal ceremony to look for any copy of the Star Spangled Banner music because the US is weak in gymnastics so they didn't even have a copy of our national anthem ready. RIP Kurt Thomas😥
"Hey look guys, isn't this Salto routine I made up where you run full speed, flip, twist then dive straight into the mat , roll out hoping you don't snap your neck look metal worthy? "
There are so many opportunities to break, fracture, or sever your bones in gymnastics. He created it, and it is a beautiful skill when done right, but he didn’t make it for others to copy. He did it for himself
Hello. I am producer of the team [SHOWDOWN] from the Korean broadcasting station JTBC. I requset for the permission to use this video on our breaking dance survival show . We will be waiting for the reply. Thank you.
dotypixie I think because is much more easy for man to gain that height required to do a perfect landing, for a woman she has to be short and extremely strong maybe biles could do it but it was banned since it lead to death for a gymnast.
Rachele Genovese actually no. Elena mukhina was forced to do the skill after several injuries including a broken leg. She wAs training the skill when she came Down on her chin making her an instant quadrapalegic. She passed due to complications in 2006
The most dangerous part is where they finish the twist but don't land. Instead they have to forward roll. And that one part is what ended the career of Elena Mukhina - who could've been the world's best gymnast.
Yelena Mukhina's gold-greedy coaches forced the TS on her even though she had a broken leg. She was rendered quadriplegic after she broke her neck trying to perform it (watch Kurt at 1:00). She didn't complete the turn and landed on her chin instead of her upper back. She was only 20. She was a beautiful gymnast. She died of complications from quadriplegia 26 years later. RIP Elena, you are loved and remembered.
Yep😢😢❤
ouch
yes. i really feel bad for her :'( she died young. we know she could live for more than 26 years if not for her greedy coaches. she's so talented and healthy but all was lost because of the paralysis. may she rest in peace.
sorry. i mean more than 46 years old
I was waiting for someone to say it. Glad it's banned for women and glad the roll-out skills are now banned for man , too. Not to say Kurt Thomas is not phenomenal, but even he agrees with it
Thomas made it for himself, he did not made it for anybody else less for Mukhina in such an awful health way. The monsters that killed Mukhin outlived her without any punishment.
I totally agree, they did not get punish
0:57 The infamous Thomas Salto. Took them long enough to ban it after Yelena Mukhina broke her neck and remained a quadriplegic for the remaining 26 years of her life, not to mention God only knows how many other gymnasts who were injured performing it.
ladycplum it's very risky for men and especially too risky for women.Beside that,Yelena Mukhina was forced to perform it with her broken leg not completely healed,This amazing rising star was a sad victim of a Cold war insanity which devasted her career and life and this adds anger,sorrow and bitterness to her absolutely tragic story.
partisan72 Oh I know poor Yelena's backstory, very typical of the times that the extent of her injury was hushed-up and played down by the Soviet media. Typical too that she was forced into doing a very advanced element while still healing from a previous injury. I saw a video compilation somewhere of the top 20 worst gymnastics "oopsies", and the number one clip was a Chinese female gymnast attempting a Thomas Salto, landing on her head, then continually attempting to stand up. But she kept falling over like she was drunk or couldn't catch her balance. (Sort of like how people look when they play that dumb party game where you spin around with your head down on a baseball bat then try to walk) And nobody even thought to go help her for a good 20 seconds or so.
HEY YOU NEED TO SHUT UP PLUM HES MY COACH
RayyanMoon I certainly hope you understand that I *didn't* say anything bad about Kurt Thomas.....
+ladycplum the female gymnast was not a chinese woman, she was a North Korean woman named Hwang Bo Shil.
RIP legend Kurt Thomas
1:13 come on baby keep cooking. LOL.
That commentator was digging it.
LOL I know the expressions from those "good old days". :D
I love these commentators
Kurt Thomas is a phenomenal athlete. He and his wife Becky have a gymnastics center in Frisco, TX. They REALLY amp it up on their website that at their gymnastics center they emphasize safety.
It didn’t occur to me until then that the element that made him, the Thomas Salto, also cost him his identity. The Thomas Salto killed and paralyzed more gymnasts than all other elements combined. So Kurt Thomas became the undeserving poster child for unsafe sports. That’s what people remember him for. But to be fair the 70s and early 80s were a transformative era in gymnastics. Toward the late 70s there was a massive spike in catastrophic injuries in gymnastics. So the Thomas Salto wasn’t the craziest thing being done before someone said dial it back.
If anything he has a lot of strength of character for learning from the past and not having his gymnasts repeat the same mistakes. Hats off to you Kurt Thomas
Miss Moxie Please, everything about gymnastics is dangerous. Now everyone is doing back-handsprings onto the vault - if that doesn’t have the potential for a broken neck, what does? Oh yeah, just about everything on Highbar and Unevens.
@@aliensoup2420 oh I don’t doubt that
RIP Kurt Thomas. I grew up watching him perform. This was a golden age of gymnastics that brought the sport to the forefront of popularity, promotion, and progress. It was thrilling (and nerve wracking) to watch. God bless his family.
If no one noticed, during the Thomas Salto, he partly landed first on his hands then the shoulders. Watch it in slow motion.
Yes much safer.
@@ny4000 Not much safer, safer from what, and that is how Thomas Salto is done.
Yes, that IS the Thomas Salto, and still dangerous.
There is Grace and Poise in men's gymnastics,. Kurt Thomas embodied it.
Shocked to hear of his passing. I remember watching Kurt and Bart Conner back in the 70's. Kurt was definitely a world class gymnast, held his own with the soviets.
I thought Thomas Salto was a person. I didn’t realize the move was named after Kurt. The word “salto” means “to lead/jump.”
Lol you're probably thinking the Family Salto is a legend. So many moves after them.
@primaacca in portuguese and spanish salto means jump too.
primaacca yeah your right but salto is also I spinsh word as jump off or land your self but at least your right
It's not that uncommon, especially for younger folks who don't remember that Kurt Thomas was the first American World Champion (floor routine) and their first star.
He's in my age group and even I didn't remember who he was when news of his passing was announced. I had him confused with Bart Conner.
Rest in Peace Kurt Thomas.
I was so sorry to hear the news today
Kurt taught me how to do a front walkover way back in 1980 at summer gymnastics camp. Got to see him for 2 more summers in 81 & 82. I'm so sad, there are no words. R.I.P.
He seemed like a class act.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 yes, he really was
Unfair result, historical injustices. He deserved to be rated "10" on his score.
I idolized him. I am sorry to hear of his passing. All the best to his family, friends, and students to whom he meant so much. Today, like so many others, I mourn.
RIP Kurt Thomas, March 29, 1956-June 5, 🏆 2020, was an American Olympic gymnast 🌹.
I had no idea he passed away. I always picture him as the young man at the Olympics. Yes, RIP, Kurt.
Rest In Peace Mr Kurt Thomas.
I remember watching him when I was a kid. He made it look so easy.
Utterly beautiful! So fluid ! One skill blending seamlessly into the other with any breaks. Those two moves named after him !
His floor routine was beautiful.
I'm no expert on gymnastics, but that era seems to have had astounding choreography and flow in their routines, presumably due to judges weighting things differently. Beautiful how cleanly they tie elements together.
👑Gymkatta legend! Rest well Kurt T.B.T.E.D.I The Best That Ever Did It👑
We were lucky to have him
hes my coach i love him so much
Megan Treut who?
He was a great gymnast. RIP
RIP Kurt Thomas. You were great.
RIP Kurt Thomas. God Speed.
Kurt Thomas is my absolute favorite American male gymnast.
1:39 dude even went breakdancing
I couldn’t imagine creating a move for my own routine and then find that others were losing their lives bc of it that man just wanted to be great I hope he gave himself mercy
Quien se atreva hoy en día a ejecutar el salto de THOMAS ...!
"ES UN BARBARO " y se llebará el reconocimiento de la DISCIPLINA ARTÍSTICA 🇨🇴👍
Fue prohibido en 2017. Lo que se llevará será una descalificación
You can see how this sport has changed from 40 years ago! RIP Kurt.
It doesn't seem as refined. Maybe some bigger, harder moves, but the poise is not there.
@Stop the Philosophical Zombies : I agree.
Wow what a beautiful gymnast❤️
Dude was amazing -- underrated in American sports history, imho.
Passing the Soviet Andrianov to gold was HUGE at that time.
Rest in peace, Kurt Thomas.
R.I.P. Kurt...you were one of the greatest!
thanks for the memories....
He was my Coach when I was six
Come on baby, keep cooking. Sounds like they have a bit of a crush. RIP, Kurt.
Increíble para su época. Felicidades!!!
0:56 omgggg
His entire floor routine : omg!!!
first power move ... then use in breakdance a lot... he should be credit also in hiphop..
RIP kurt thomas, gone to soon
He was my idol growing up RIP
RIP Kurt
RIP Kurt Thomas
Kurt was great.
Grande kurt gracias por tus aportaciones a la gimnasia RIP
A good man gone.
R.I.P Kurt
Maravilloso verle !!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤
RIP Kurt.
My heart is broken.
That is what hurt Elena.
RIP Kurt Thomas😢🙏
Gymkata 4 lyfe.
es un dios! 👌👌👌
I read somewhere that they had to delay the medal ceremony to look for any copy of the Star Spangled Banner music because the US is weak in gymnastics so they didn't even have a copy of our national anthem ready.
RIP Kurt Thomas😥
Thomas flare is breakdancing.
RIP Champion
Is It only Thomas Salto banned or rollouts in general?
Rollouts
kateFGMP it’s banned now but now in the 19th century
Cmon Gymkata.
RIP American legend
come on baby, keep cooking -- did I hear that correctly?
開脚旋回の開発者。
床運動では指立てで脚上脚、そこから倒立まで持っていくという地味に見えるけれど、ものすごい大技。種目別 床の「金」に文句なし。
"Hey look guys, isn't this Salto routine I made up where you run full speed, flip, twist then dive straight into the mat , roll out hoping you don't snap your neck look metal worthy? "
There are so many opportunities to break, fracture, or sever your bones in gymnastics. He created it, and it is a beautiful skill when done right, but he didn’t make it for others to copy. He did it for himself
Rest in peace
Great routine!
Increible. Pero gracias al salto Thomas muchos atletas se lesionaron. Que dicha que ya lo prohibieron
Gymkata
Haha! Dance Gavin Dance baby!
I CANT BLEIEVE THIS IS KURTS DAD
I was a huge fan of Marcia Frederick also
This is actually break dance
R.I.P
Thomas should've just been automatically seeded into the 1992 US Olympic team .
Instead he was humiliatingly forced to try out and be eliminated.
Hello. I am producer of the team [SHOWDOWN] from the Korean broadcasting station JTBC.
I requset for the permission to use this video on our breaking dance survival show .
We will be waiting for the reply. Thank you.
1:02 those announcers sounds like it was a walk in the park pfft
RIP
breakdancing og
🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊😢😢😢
Well, shit. Didn't know he had passed. :-(
does anybody know, why is the Thomas salto banned for women only?
dotypixie I think because is much more easy for man to gain that height required to do a perfect landing, for a woman she has to be short and extremely strong maybe biles could do it but it was banned since it lead to death for a gymnast.
Thank you Rachele, that makes sense
Rachele Genovese actually no. Elena mukhina was forced to do the skill after several injuries including a broken leg. She wAs training the skill when she came Down on her chin making her an instant quadrapalegic. She passed due to complications in 2006
it's banned for men now too.
Rachele Genovese
It's a 1 1/2 twisting 1 1/2 back salto. Not front salto.
It's actually a back 1.5 twisting to one and three quarters. A 1.5 roll would put you on your head.
i don't understand the salto thomas, it's look like to a double twisted no?
It's something along the lines of a 1 and 3/4 somersault plus a 1 and a 1/2 twist I thinkkkk
+Laurel Sumner and the role after
The most dangerous part is where they finish the twist but don't land. Instead they have to forward roll. And that one part is what ended the career of Elena Mukhina - who could've been the world's best gymnast.
These announcers calling the floor routine were so cringe-worthy ew
I agree.
Умеет, могет
It's the guy from Gymkata! He could've whupped Van Damme's, Steven Segal's, Stallone's and Schwarzenegger's asses! 😀
oie zy....
Este fue el.Mejor Gimnasta de su Epoca encima creo Daltos mas Dificiles elevando la Vara de la Gimnasia un FENOMENO MIS RESPETOS GRAN CAMPEON.
Where is the floor music???
RIP Kurt Thomas
RIP Kurt
RIP