When was the vault changed

Josef Stoffel 73 in Antwerpen. The height of the table, which will be used at the Ghent World Championships in October, can be adjusted, so it can be used for both men 1,35m and women 1,20m. The reasons for this radical change after almost years can be found in the history of the apparatus. Alexander the Great and his Macedonians are said to have practiced mounting and dismounting on a wooden horse. Horse, For many decades there was no separate vaulting horse, the pommel horse was simply turned around and gymnasts vaulted over it lengthwise.

The pommels were unscrewed and wooden poles inserted into the holes to avoid any injuries to the fingers when gymnasts pushed off the horse. Berlin's Olympic Champion Carl Schuhmann in Athens right, up: Stamp of German Bundespost, Berlin native Carl Schuhmann , the most successful German Olympian in Athens , vaulted over that kind of apparatus… From then on this horse, which was never meant or constructed for vaulting over, stood at the end of the 20m runway like a dangerous and pointed bolt.

Gymnastics saw many dangerous falls and collisions. When Trent Dimas , who later went on to take the gold medal on high bar in Barcelona, seriously injured himself at the Indianapolis World Championships, FIG Vice President Siegfried Fischer Brazil called for the creation of a new vault, which could be used for both men and women.

Several gymnasts experienced injuries after running into the beam because they'd often miscalculate when they'd have to jump. The most severe damage athletes have suffered as a result is paralysis and sometimes even death.

The images — taken 56 years apart — show just how much the vault has evolved. It should be noted that both Latynina and Maroney took home the gold for executing this move so flawlessly. According to the USA Women's Gymnastics site, "if the hands make contact toward the front and the vaulter is not very powerful" they run the risk of coming into contact with the end of the vault. A pretty scary thought when you're twisting and turning several feet in the air, right?

Overall, it seems gymnasts have been happy with the change. But, thanks to Kerri Strug's memorable one-legged landing in the Olympics, the horse will love on forever in the gymnastics world. Now if only they could find a way to make the beam less scary. November See All Trying Birth After. Raising Kids.