Gymnastics - Artistic - Olympics: Day 4 — Countries with most Female Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medals ft Russia, Romania [Image Source: Getty]

5 Countries with the most Female Olympic Gymnastics Gold medals ft Russia, Romania

Modified Jul 13, 2024 09:03 GMT

Gymnastics was introduced in the very first edition of the modern Olympics at Athens in 1896, while the female edition was added 32 years later. Yet, it is the female version of Olympic gymnastics that tends to capture more attention than its male counterpart.

From the risky Vault event to the skillful Floor Exercise, each event in Artistic gymnastics has its significance, making it one of the most competitive segments in Olympic Gymnastics, with countries like Russia, the USA, and China jostling for the top spot.

Here are some of the nations with the most number of gold medals in female Olympic gymnastics:

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5 Countries with the most Female Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medals ft Russia, Romania

#5) China:

China, the Asian powerhouse of female Olympic Gymnastics [Image Source: Getty]

When China made their official debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, they surprised everyone with their performance. And the one sport where they outshone everybody else was Gymnastics, where China won 5 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals. Among them, the women gymnasts won just 1 gold and 1 bronze in the women's uneven bars and women's team all around.

Fast forward to 2024, and the women's gymnastics team from China is one of the most powerful Asian teams overall, having won 7 gold, 7 silver, and 9 bronze medals in Olympic gymnastics to date. The most successful edition for the Chinese team was at the Beijing Olympics, where the female gymnasts won 2 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze medals respectively.

#4) Czechoslovakia:

Vera Caslavska, the female gymnast who made Czechoslovakia a force to reckon with [Image Source: Getty]

Another nation that has scored big in the arena of Olympic Gymnastics is the former nation of Czechoslovakia.

Czechoslovakia has won a total of 9 Olympic gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal. However, do you know that one female gymnast almost 80 percent of those medals in just three Olympics?

This 'Wonder Woman' was Vera Caslavska. She made her Olympic debut at Rome Olympics in 1960, where she won a silver medal in the team all around. However, at Tokyo, she gave tough competition to the Soviet legend Larisa Latynina, winning gold medals in individual all-around, vault, and balance beam events, as well as a silver medal in team all-around.

The Czechoslovakian gymnast topped it up with a historic six medals at the Mexico City Olympics, where she won gold medals in individual around, vault, uneven bars, and floor exercise, apart from two silver medals in balance beam and team all-around, respectively. With that, Vera Caslavska won a total of 11 Olympic medals, including 7 gold medals, only behind Larisa Latynina, who won a total of 9 Olympic gold medals.

#3) United States:

USA : The Dark Horses of Female Olympic Gymnastics [Image Source: Getty]

Before the Los Angeles Olympics of 1984, USA was not the most dominant force in Olympic Gymnastics, especially the female category.

However, ever since Mary Lou Retton won the individual all-around event, the Americans have never looked back. Since Barcelona 1992, female Olympic Gymnastics is one of those events where the U.S. Olympic Team has never, ever returned empty-handed.

From Nastia Liukin to Simone Biles, the USA has nailed it in terms of female Olympic Gymnastics. The team is ranked overall 3rd with an impressive tally of 16 gold, 22 silver, and 16 bronze medals respectively, making it a total of 54 medals.

Shannon Miller and Simone Biles currently hold the joint record of being the most decorated female gymnast from the USA, with a total of 7 medals each.

#2) Romania:

Team Romania : Once invincible in female Olympic Gymnastics, but now? [Image Source: Getty]

Till the Montreal Olympics of 1976, all Romania could be proud of was 3 bronze medals in Olympic gymnastics, including an individual bronze medal by Elena Lusteanu, which she won for the floor exercise event at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956.

However, with the entry of Nadia Comaneci, things never remained the same. In less than a decade, Romania became a powerhouse in female Olympic gymnastics. At Los Angeles 1984, the female gymnasts won a historic eight gold medals, including five gold medals, of which three were won by Ecaterina Szabo alone.

Romania has won a total of 62 medals overall in female Olympic Gymnastics, of which 24 are gold, 16 are silver, and the rest are bronze medals. However, since the London Olympics 2012, female gymnasts have not won a single medal to date.

#1) Russia / Soviet Union:

Russia, the 'Numero Uno' of Artistic Gymnastics [Image Source: Getty]

Whether it was the Soviet Union or the current Russian Federation, this nation has dominated Olympic gymnastics like no other, irrespective of gender. It all began with Larisa Latynina winning a historic five medals, including four gold at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956.

Larisa Latynina further followed it up with 3 gold and 2 silver medals from Rome Olympics, before ending her Olympic career on a significant high with 18 medals overall, including 4 medals from Tokyo Olympics 1964.

It would be almost impossible to count how many medals has Russia won overall in female Olympic Gymnastics. However, as the Soviet Union, they won a staggering 88 medals, including 33 gold medals, 29 silver, and 26 bronze medals. Even as the current Russian Federation, the craze for medals hasn't stopped. Russia has won a total of 27 medals since Atlanta 1996 in Olympic Gymnastics, with 7 gold medals, 10 silver, and 10 bronze medals. That makes an astounding total of 115 Olympic medals overall.