Olympics blog

After gymnastic mother Larissa Latynina and her medal-winning achievements, we move on to the "Mother of Gymnastics", as Olga Korbut became known.

Korbut was just 17 when she won three golds and a silver at the 1972 Munich Olympics, but it was not the number of medals she won, rather the manner in which she won them, that caught the imagination of the watching world.

Prior to the Munich Games, gymnastics had very much been a sport for women, but here was a girl taking on and beating the oldies.

Soviet Korbut was the first gymnast to do a backward flip and a back somersault to swingdown, known as the Korbut Flip, on the beam in competition.

She also pioneered the standing backward somersault on the high bar of the uneven bars.

Her expressive and acrobatic routines were a breath of fresh air to a sport that otherwise received little publicity.

And by the time of the 1976 Games in Montreal, everyone was anticipating a big showdown between Korbut and Romania's leading gymnast Nadia Comaneci.

But Korbut picked up an injury and was unable to perform at her best, although she did still win a gold and silver medal.

The Sparrow from Minsk's return of six Olympic medals is not huge in gymnastic circles, but her impact on the sport cannot be doubted and that is why she deserves inclusion in this countdown.

Where does she rank on your list of greatest gymnasts?