My favorite part of every Summer Olympics is watching the gymnasts perform their spell-binding routines. It always seems baffling and miraculous that a human body is capable of bending and twisting like that; it feels like watching a magic show.
Personally, I’ve never been able to lock down a simple somersault, so I’m totally blown away by the ease and fluidity that gymnasts seem to have naturally. But even impressive athletes like these phenoms don’t have to coordinate quite like rhythmic gymnasts.
Rhythmic gymnasts like Daria Kondakova are required to create complex floor routines that combine dance with acrobatic ability. That means that they're doing back flips and tumbles, while coordinating various props like hula hoops, ribbons, and medicine balls.
It’s a very delicate art form that requires precision and artistry in equal measures. To see a true master at work, you have to watch this spectacular video of Margarita Mamun, one of the world’s top rhythmic gymnasts.
At just 19 years old, she’s a consistent champion and silver medalist of all-around rhythmic gymnastics competitions, and has been competing in her sport since the age of ten. This video shows her performing with a hoop in a qualifying round for the Rhythmic World Championships in 2014.
Absolutely everything about her routine is impressive, and must have taken so much dexterity and training to learn. That said, the first moment that really makes me catch my breath doesn’t arrive until she’s 25 seconds into her routine. Truly incredible!
Are you feeling like it might be time to pick up the hula-hoop again? Please SHARE with all your friends if you were a childhood gymnast!
