Question: are value of team gold medals equal to individual gold medals?

[Iminhanoi]

Question: are value of team gold medals equal to individual gold medals?

In fact, many great gymnasts don’t win any Olympic individual gold medals in their career, such as Cheng Fei, McKayla Maroney, Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, Kerri Strug, …

Are they still recognized as successful Olympic gymnasts?




In September 2021; all members of winning Russian WAG team at Olympic 2020 awarded BMW (despite all of them failed to win individual gold at the Olympic); they are treated equal to other Russian Olympians who won individual gold in swimming, fencing, taekwondo, wrestling…

 

[JaJa]

McKayla Maroney not winning the Gold medal on Vault in 2012 was just one of those weird gymnastic flukes. She was injured, but I do not think that was the cause of what happened. She had had a basically perfect Amanar in Team Finals and when she did not stick the landing in Vault finals she tried too hard on her second vault. She was without question the best WAG vaulter at that time, total state of the art, and the fact that she failed to take Gold meant nothing.

 

[JoseM]

I personally believe that an individual gold is a greater accomplishment than a team gold. However, as you said, many great and successful gymnasts have won team golds, but no individual golds. A team gold may be a slightly lesser accomplishment, but it is still a gold, and the gymnast is still successful.

José M.

 

[makam]

I'm sure it depends on an individual. If you have no hope of an individual medal, a team medal in any color is probably going to feel like a gold. If you are expected to win an individual gold and come up short, any medal is probably going to feel disappointing. If you aren't expected to win an individual medal and you do, I also bet even a bronze feels damn good.

 

[Iminhanoi]

McKayla Maroney not winning the Gold medal on Vault in 2012 was just one of those weird gymnastic flukes. She was injured, but I do not think that was the cause of what happened. She had had a basically perfect Amanar in Team Finals and when she did not stick the landing in Vault finals she tried too hard on her second vault. She was without question the best WAG vaulter at that time, total state of the art, and the fact that she failed to take Gold meant nothing.

Are Cheng Fei and McKayla Maroney still recognized as one of greatest WAG vaulter of all time?

In fact, they don’t win any individual gold medal for vault at Olympic , while Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade, Simona Amanar have won

 

[Passion]

Are Cheng Fei and McKayla Maroney still recognized as one of greatest WAG vaulter of all time?

In fact, they don’t win any individual gold medal for vault at Olympic , while Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade, Simona Amanar have won

Yes. It's not all about the Olympics only. Cheng Fei has three world titles on VT and Maroney has two. There's also intangibles; the quality of Maroney's vault is what made her great regardless of medals won and Cheng Fei's namesake vault is still one of the hardest being done.

 

[Iminhanoi]

I'm sure it depends on an individual. If you have no hope of an individual medal, a team medal in any color is probably going to feel like a gold. If you are expected to win an individual gold and come up short, any medal is probably going to feel disappointing. If you aren't expected to win an individual medal and you do, I also bet even a bronze feels damn good.

Are Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova disappointed when they failed to win any individual gold medals at Olympic 2020?

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I think some of this depends on who's doing the recognising. The more regular fans of the sport will have a better understanding of someone like Cheng Fei's status on vault.

 

[Matilda23]

Are Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova disappointed when they failed to win any individual gold medals at Olympic 2020?

I would think so. Listunova looked upset after floor event final. I wished she qualify for AA or beam finals too.

 

[Iminhanoi]

I personally believe that an individual gold is a greater accomplishment than a team gold. However, as you said, many great and successful gymnasts have won team golds, but no individual golds. A team gold may be a slightly lesser accomplishment, but it is still a gold, and the gymnast is still successful.

José M.

At least, Cheng Fei, McKayla Maroney, Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova, Kerri Strug still Olympic champions?

People can’t say they are not Olympic championships just because they did not win individual Olympic gold medal?

 

[Big_rock_show]

Sometimes gymnasts win gold but still remain pretty obscure, especially at Worlds as opposed to the Olympics. I think longevity of a gymnast’s success in a sport plays a major factor too (Chuso)

 

[Hatsumomo]

Somebody pointed out earlier this year how Emilie LePennec and Monica Rosu aren't talked about much.

As for great gymnasts who never won gold, one name: Yang Bo.

 

[Iminhanoi]

I personally believe that an individual gold is a greater accomplishment than a team gold. However, as you said, many great and successful gymnasts have won team golds, but no individual golds. A team gold may be a slightly lesser accomplishment, but it is still a gold, and the gymnast is still successful.

José M.

In fact, no governments of any countries say team medals are less valuable than individual medals.

South Korean men who win medals at the Olympics are granted an exemption from military service, regardless of whether they win with the team (archery, fencing) or individually.

 

[MaryClare]

In Russia as a society we value a team gold more. Maybe it’s a preference for collectiveness that’s left over from communist times. If you’d asked the ministry of sport before Toyko, do you want the men’s and women’s team champions or men’s and women’s individual aa champions, they would have absolutely picked the former, without a thought. there is no difference in the financial rewards given for team or individual medals.

 

[JaJa]

In Russia as a society we value a team gold more. Maybe it’s a preference for collectiveness that’s left over from communist times. If you’d asked the ministry of sport before Toyko, do you want the men’s and women’s team champions or men’s and women’s individual aa champions, they would have absolutely picked the former, without a thought. there is no difference in the financial rewards given for team or individual medals.

I think that to the athlete and their families and personal coaches, an individual medal absolutely means more. But to almost everyone else — national team staff, the country etc the team medal means more. Except very serious gymnastics fans to whom an individual medal for favorite athletes might mean more.

 

[MaryClare]

I think that to the athlete and their families and personal coaches, an individual medal absolutely means more. But to almost everyone else — national team staff, the country etc the team medal means more. Except very serious gymnastics fans to whom an individual medal for favorite athletes might mean more.

Not here I don’t think. Even through the lower levels of the sport, team competitions are what the athletes want most to win. Last week, Moscow had the city championships for 10/11 year olds. The different sports organisations/schools competed against each other. Yes there were individual medals too, but the emphasis is very much on the team competition.

 

[JaJa]

Not here I don’t think. Even through the lower levels of the sport, team competitions are what the athletes want most to win. Last week, Moscow had the city championships for 10/11 year olds. The different sports organisations/schools competed against each other. Yes there were individual medals too, but the emphasis is very much on the team competition.

That is so interesting and in light of certain cultural differences I guess makes sense. In the U.S. I am sure an individual medal means far more to an athlete than a Team medal

 

[JoseM]

In fact, no governments of any countries say team medals are less valuable than individual medals.

South Korean men who win medals at the Olympics are granted an exemption from military service, regardless of whether they win with the team (archery, fencing) or individually.

OK. You do bring some good points. I learned from you. Thanks.

José M.