Olga Korbut in 1972
Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut sold off her Olympic medals and multiple trophies for $183,300.
The entire sale consisted of seven lots, including two gold and one silver medal from the Munich Olympic games. The single most expensive piece was the team gold, which went for $66,000. A Russian paper reports that Korbut sold the trophies to help settle her financial woes.
Korbut charmed Western audiences in 1972 when she was just 17 years old. She was nicknamed “the Sparrow from Minsk” (she hails from Belarus) and wont three golds (in team, balance beam, and floor) and a silver at the Munich games. She won another gold and silver in Montreal in 1976.
In addition to medals, the sale also included a leotard, her ’72 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, multiple Soviet medals and trophies, and a signed magazine.
Heritage Auctions said, “there is hardly a gymnast alive who doesn’t credit this tiny force of nature for the explosion of the sport’s popularity on a global level.”
Korbut famously coined the Korbut Flip, a trick that is now banned from the Olympics for being too dangerous. See it below.
Korbut is now 61 and lives in Arizona.
Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner (D) has died at 70, just hours after he attended President…
Reflecting on what she hopes the audience will take away from the film, Martin-Green praised…
Zoe Saldaña is standing by Emilia Pérez amid criticism over the film’s portrayal of Mexico.…
Investigation Discovery announced the six-part docuseries Hollywood Demons, in which each two-hour episode will cover…
Hay is expected to be sentenced on April 17.
Bass’ campaign strategist Doug Herman declared, “Its nothing more than another extreme right win political…