Svetlana Boginskaya, Legendary Queen {Floor Routines 1987-1999}

[@markb7163]

Probably the last female gymnast who I really enjoyed watching! Beauty and artistry personified....which sadly is gone from gymnastics now.

[@virginiastirnweis5214]

She could teach today’s gymnasts a thing or two about presence and dance on the floor routine. So many are so into the tumbling that they forget the dance and grace elements.

[@kathleenirish]

If the code of points said dance and choreography or what-have-you mattered, it would. There is no reason there cannot be beautiful flow and position in their routines as well as tumbling. Beautiful Leaps . turns and originality should matter

[@sahpire75]

I couldn't agree more. I miss traditional gymnastics. Even the simple traditional leotards too. Nowadays they're more worried about makeups and sparkle

[@thaliadacosta7206]

@@kathleenirish I think that is what the comment meant. There is not a beautiful flow nor leaps. Great athletic skills but I wish they took the "artistic" out of it cause it makes it unwatchable to me. Its like watching bodybuilders do ballet VERY badly! I am one of the few that will admit I really do not enjoy watching Simone Biles at all except when she is doing a tumbling pass. Im a dancer and growing up watching the graceful gymnasts of the past I can not get past things like horrid flat feet, no turn out, or anything that could make them tech better and more aesthetically attractive.

[@fremontpathfinder8463]

She is way better than today's gymnasts

[@kiersontitus7322]

@@fremontpathfinder8463 mmm not really

[@sahpire75]

God I loved her so much! I miss this style of gymnastics so much! I'm American but growing up in this Era, internationally most of the gymnast were just fantastic and beautiful to watch because they were so creative with music, dance, much more artistic and graceful. Watching these older competitions, I miss the simple leotards. Today's gymnast are power tumblers wearing all bling ....such a shame.

[@thesovgc]

In my opinion, her Carmen will never be outdone. It was a complete game-changer. That avant garde style suited her incredibly well, became her signature style, and made her completely unforgettable.
Fiesta is a close second. Also absolutely stunning and a total revelation 🙌🏼.

[@worldartgym]

Her choreographers totally nailed it

[@MiklehMouse]

Svetlana will always be my most favorite gymnast of all time... Beauty, grace, artistry and athleticism. Definitely what is lacking in today's gymnastics. She was the Queen!

[@patriciacarrerasj8315]

Gymnastics at its best. Art and technical skills .

[@henryv.macadamia6423]

Undoubtedly, Boginskaya is the epitome of athletic artistry in women's gymnastics. No one comes close, no one!👋

[@michelekurlan2580]

From elegant technique to beautiful physique, Svetlana was all that. Have seen various more recent interviews. Seems like a poised, polite and genuine person.
Loved her hair in performance near end of video 💅
Gymnastics has gone from style and grace under pressure to lotsa power moves, oftimes uncontrolled. Nice as modern gymnastics can be, much has been lost in it's translation.

[@dannymorgan7252]

She just had ‘IT’. She didn’t have to be loud or flashy, she let her skills speak for her

[@thisourdailylife3979]

Svetlana had the aura of a
lyrical dancer or modern ballerina. Her fascination with shapes and guttural feeling would have translated so well into modern dance! As a dance instructor myself (with a background in gymnastics) I can only imagine having her in a class... In heaven, I hope to dance with many of these amazing ladies, maybe we could literally put on “the greatest show” 🌻😄

[@alanamileras2329]

I don't know where you are located, but she is a coach and lives in Houston, Texas, USA. Maybe you could reach out?

[@ac.7724]

I'd love to have her autograph. she's my favorite.

[@FC-ku4ez]

I really like everything you wrote. She's truly one of the most unique and creative dancers the sport has ever seen.

[@barahona68]

For me the most beautiful performance shown here is the 1990 Goodwill Games: full twisting double picked, 1 1/2 twisting to double back tucked with perfect landing, beautiful choreographed to the music and some very beautiful arm movements. She was one of a kind!

[@xecnorovaojra6178]

Свет и грация стремление к высоте ,лучезарная наша богинская Светлана

[@lisamarieashby2523]

I agree with so many of others comments here. She told a story through every movement and mood. Now days it is just movement between tumbling runs. I do not think Biles is the best in the world. I love how this lady could do all the elements of a beautiful floor routine and show creativity, elegance, humor, sadness, triumph, etc. in every movement. She seems to me the queen of the floor routine! Yes the modern gymnists could learn a lot from her!!!

[@jacobmiller2663]

Simone has won gold on every floor event in worlds for 10 yrs. Her domination speaks volume. You are just a hater.

[@buddyboy1309]

She really looked to be living her best life in 97. The hair the swagger the confidence. Yes girl

[@ArmantoAlex13]

She was so underrated, yet heads and shoulders above Khorkina AND a lovely personality!

[@alashiadiggs6006]

True!

[@gonzalezaramburu5741]

Haha no, never.

[@user-tv7td9ih5k]

Талант! Труд! Свой почерк, индивидуальность!

[@afriqueofnature]

I’ve been a fan of the ‘Russian Swan’ for decades. It’s athletes like her and Simone Biles that have set the tone for their sport. We all need to realize that we live in one world and we need to give credit where credit is due!

[@sahpire75]

Excellent point

[@nikkispark6477]

Biles eats dope. She is an acrobat, but not a gymnast. She has a muscular, ugly torso. Zero elegance and femininity.

[@thesovgc]

"Belarusian Swan" 😊

[@virginiamagnolia]

The Belarusian Swan was one of my faves growing up. She had so much talent

[@ch0colatemilk]

I like that these older floor routines incorporated more dance in it and didn't just focus on tumbling. She has such a unique aura and move set compared to what I've seen. She looks like she's having so much fun and is so graceful - love to see it.

[@FC-ku4ez]

Excellent video! There are so many routines I'd never seen. All exquisitely executed. Bravo!

[@alashiadiggs6006]

One of my all time favorite gymnasts. Beautiful form and everything the 1992 floor was especially gorgeous!

[@BigSleepyOx]

Boginskaya is one of my favorite Soviet/Belarus gymnasts.
And I like that "I meant to do that" move at 1:20. :)

[@kyssedbyfyre915]

ONLY a TRUE CHAMPION can be _THAT SMOOTH_ 😆👏

[@braulioprieto3725]

The Queen of the Floor
Beautiful graceful skillful...
Marvellous
Love her
She has her place in the sporting history... a special place in Gymnastics and Olympiads

[@lukas01986]

In a class of her own. 👑

[@halimabenalla8249]

Ah ces belles filles Russes qui nous ont beaucoup éblouis et qui nous étonneront pour toujours. Bravo et félicitations.

[@Dankolara29]

Спасибо автору за этот прекрасное воспоминание о мировой легенде Светлане Богинской!
Thanks to the author for this wonderful memory of the world legend Svetlana Boginskaya!

[@user-gz8fc8zp1y]

ボギンスカヤさんの演技は四種目共に女性らしい動き女性らしさ華麗さ美しさダイナミックさが全て醸し出されていて大変素晴らしい演技ですね!

[@ashleymeggan]

“She has a lil something they don’t have.”
Yeah, hips, self awareness, and confidence out the amazing ass - she was a woman amongst little girls.

[@brett8680]

Thank you for this marvellous compilation!

[@UFCtrumpsboxing]

TO THIS DATE 2023, SHE IS STILL THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND GRACEFUL GYMNAST EVER WITH GREAT SKILLS

[@jaepeac]

First time I ever saw her do a whip to direct full-in - LOVE IT!

[@matthewdunaway7739]

where?

[@jaepeac]

@@matthewdunaway7739 12:44

[@matthewdunaway7739]

@@jaepeac that's a back hand spring

[@unknown-lf6zx]

She was mesmerizing! I loved her artistry when I was little and now!!! Does anyone know how she’s doing today?

[@worldartgym]

She’s doing very well, or so it seems from her social media presence. She runs a highly schedule gym camp every summer, a yearly invitational and appears at various world championships

[@unknown-lf6zx]

@@worldartgymthank you for sharing! Glad to hear she’s well

[@GemGoddess1]

"Still competitive at seventeen years old." lol. And now we talk about a sixteen year old being the baby of the team.
She was so amazing.

[@lindaschwartz5073]

Excellent video! Thank you so much for putting this together! She is my favorite! :)

[@worldartgym]

Thank you very much!

[@thesovgc]

The only other gymnast who comes anywhere near Boguinskaia on the quality, magnitude, and variety of floor work is Ksenia Afanasyeva 💗.

[@jobond3317]

Been trying to find this gymnast I first remember at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. She had a different look great to see how she grew in her field.

[@Mark-gf6jn]

Love, remember and miss!

[@wenam87]

That floor routine at 1:30 I love. So lyrical and entertaining.

[@craftycocktailer]

I just love that split leap to double full dismount. Not worth any difficulty points but oh so classy ❤

[@timothyhh]

I never knew she did a FX to Bolero. I guess it was a little too avant-garde for it's era. I'm not sure about the pelvic movements after the 1st pass, but all the dance before the last pass was devine.
My fave FX routine of hers is the one she started using in 1990 through 1991 Worlds.

[@worldartgym]

That Bolero piece never saw much action, so I wanted to make sure it made into the final version so more people can enjoy it!

[@worldartgym]

Also, I completely agree about her belly dance pelvic thrust! I feel like this was an experimental choreography experiment. {Bolero}

[@lucianjpf1637]

She was so great

[@nekohuntress99]

"17 years old she's still competitive with the younger girls coming in" well, that's a phrase that thankfully didn't aged that well.

[@worldartgym]

I know, luckily we now know a career can span a decade rather than a few seasons!

[@mihaelabruma8006]

O gimnastă superbă!🙂

[@worldartgym]

Superb!

[@Cara-39]

What ppl don't understand when comparing 80s/90s gymnasts to today is routines now have more mandatory skill requirements, which leaves less room for a lot of dance elements. Floor still requires dance and choreography is no less important now as musicality, elegance, clean lines, body posture...etc are all judged and scores will take a hit if a gymnasts is seen to be a clodhopper stomping around the floor

[@DM-py7pj]

do we have any female gymnasts today with this level of elegance and line?

[@thesovgc]

I guess that first routine answers my question of why she never upgraded to dismounting with a double back in 88 😂

[@thesovgc]

On Instagram, she recently talked about how she had a mental block on that skill during this time period and how she overcame it 🙌

[@keararanck176]

She would have fit it great at UCLA with her dance style.

[@worldartgym]

Could you imagine going to college with Boginskaya!!! ❤️

[@thesovgc]

@@worldartgym lol I wouldn't have gotten much studying done 😂😂

[@MsHunt-hv8di]

I disagree because she has a class about her that is not present in this current generation. She is able to hold on to her class oh, and I don't think the others ever had it.

[@HF1600ie]

One of my favorites ever. Along with Helena Shushunova.

[@kev7978]

boginskaya walked so khorkina could run.

[@hannahmachellekelly7146]

yes

[@carlosgranados4231]

Antes de la Diva Svetlana Korkina existió. Una Diosa llamada Svetlana Bigynskaya

[@laetitiarault4352]

La plus talentuese ! In French this is better! Merci! ❤

[@tracychandronnet7218]

Her routines were always different and interesting but I wouldn't say graceful.

[@sardarnikaur6258]

She's amazing!

[@NahualliUoxtitla]

She's like a cat and a swan at the same time!

[@loredanademarco2398]

Unica....

[@admetric]

She tried to come back in 99 for Sydney but it did not happen.

[@Equidna.s-Arf]

Svetlana Bonginskaya, la preciosa Pantera Rosa.

[@jevanvarela5869]

Nice video wonderful bobinkaia

[@sandralu4406]

incredible！

[@claudiaali7846]

❤

[@aramis9915]

The real and beautiful gimnastic !

[@viktoriaironpride4977]

Simone Biles is NOT a gymnast--she is a TUMBLER!

[@worldartgym]

And for that, I blame the Code. The judges turned gymnastics into a trick show... However, she is meeting the requirements the judges have set on all four events for artistic gymnastics.

[@MrChrismlamorte]

No. Shes A gymnast. Your comment is stupid

[@viktoriaironpride4977]

@@MrChrismlamorte Yeah--she's a MALE gymnast!

[@MrChrismlamorte]

@@viktoriaironpride4977 So you're far along the spectrum I see

[@raenkaai108]

Maybe she is a gymnast, but far from an "artistic" one. I hope the wind shall change and we will see more beauty in this sport again.

[@bdfan4ever]

“At “17 years old”‘she’s still competitive with the youngsters.” Meanwhile, in 2024, a TWENTY SEVEN years old Simone Biles is the favorite to win the gold in Paris.

[@user-tv7td9ih5k]

Помню все выступления Светланы!

[@dylanthepickle6428]

This is when gymnastics used to be classy. Now it’s all girls that look like they are on steroids that just compete to do the best tumbling skills. No elegance.

[@gadeaiglesiassordo716]

Well, I find old gimnast as a troupe of underweighted teens. Right now you can tell they are not underweighted, which is better for their health outside of sport

[@dylanthepickle6428]

Who said? They were kids, most with a different body shape. Some people are naturally leaner than others. The women today look so thick they must do a ton of weights, which is not good on your joints. Sorry if I hit a nerve, but you can’t be a fatty and be a good gymnast. That’s just the way it is..

[@cesarquintanavinau2251]

@@gadeaiglesiassordo716 Yes it is healthier to take drugs in order to keep in shape (and to cut women's body develpoment including their period and to look like a man) rather than to be skinny. Sure LOL. Ask Pantani, Eddie Guerrero and all the athletes that passd away for taking stetoids

[@jacobmiller2663]

@@dylanthepickle6428 you are just body shaming. And none of them are fat, you just like the look of starved little girls. Weirdo

[@focussparring.]

#1 💯👏

[@ClaudioMalagrino]

05:13 "That is a look".

[@bufnyfan1]

after all the years of practice and competition at the highest level Ms. Boginskaya is now 48 years old--I wonder if she is having any issues with arthritis in her knees/hips etc after all the pounding they took

[@billhodges3097]

She sure is pretty to watch

[@hannahmachellekelly7146]

anyone know the name of the music from the 1988 USSR display?

[@Marketoromagnolo]

some of them are beautiful, ( 1991-1988 ) others not! ( 1989 1996 )

[@lottamarie9197]

Oh I love this 1996 routine in the video! But her 96 olympic routine isn't my fave

[@barahona68]

@@lottamarie9197 Her 1996 Olympic floor routine was in fact an improvement in terms of difficulty to her previous routines: 2 front and 2 back series, 2 1/2 twisting to front tucked, 1 front serie with connection to front sommersault and the usual twisting double back tucked.

[@bobbyh76]

Classic Russian gymnast.

[@thesovgc]

Do you or anyone know the name of her music from 1990-91 (it's on here as 90 Chunichi Cup)?

[@worldartgym]

I don’t know... unfortunately

[@thesovgc]

@@worldartgym one day we'll find out! 💗

[@worldartgym]

@@thesovgc I feel like it’s from an opera or something, so if anyone out there knows, let us know.

[@patrizioorru772]

I am pretty sure it is from the ballet Swan Lake. You can see her impersonating a swan. In the ballet the white swan dies and Bogi clearly 'stabs' herself during this routine. After all she was known, among other nicknames, as the Belarusian Swan. This is me speculating... I might be wrong

[@thesovgc]

@@patrizioorru772 haha I guess your guess is as good as any 😂.
I tried to see if Shazam would recognize it, but it doesn't recognize 99% of floor music, sadly. Apparently classical music isn't a popular thing for such a service unfortunately.

[@EnriqueLopez-md8nm]

Boguinia (divina) (o algo así, ni sé en que idioma)

[@loosegoose5841]

Her choreography is weird if I'm honest. She sure sells the hell out of it though.

[@anthonyryan9706]

A very beautiful girl...only Kate bush transcends her

[@aagold76]

never saw the Bolero routine...glad I hadn't....

[@lanpingpug]

She is a taller gymnast, but was she as tall as Queen Khorkina?

[@worldartgym]

I believe princess Khorkina is slightly taller than Queen Boginskaya

[@lanpingpug]

@@worldartgym So Khorkina is about 5'4?

[@worldartgym]

That sounds about right

[@Cmc995]

@@lanpingpug yes Svetlana Khorkina is 5’4, Boginskaya is 5’2, so not by much

[@MrChrismlamorte]

Boginskaya is the queen

[@anovemberstar]

i cant handle the commentary - the things the commentators said back then were just ... ewwwwwwwww

[@mimalikalia]

Unique Boginskaya!!

[@PlanetSedge]

Compared to Katelyn Ohashi, Svetlana seems to go thru the motions someone else has given her, almost rushing thru the 'dancier' bits.. Her floor routines varied little over the years & stayed within a 'safe' zone that lacked spark & excitement as well as rhythm.. (Watching Katelyn's bouncy brilliance has spoiled me a little i think!)

[@Shin-nosuke.H]

＃仲里依紗 似😊

[@MagicalMukhina]

I never liked her gymnastics at all. I think she stood out from other soviet gymnasts for all the wrong reasons! Her routines just did not flow and were instead jerky and robotic. She lacked elegance and she also waved her arms about way too much. In fact if I didn't know I wouldn't have thought for one minute that she was a soviet gymnast!

[@worldartgym]

Taste is certainly subjective isn’t it

[@lindaselander9602]

Shes is no simone!

[@worldartgym]

Actually, before her growth spurt she was competing double-doubles before it was known as a “Silivas.” She was quite a trickster when she was younger! Plus equipment has really changed throughout the years, she was certainly a worthy star of her era!

[@leykimayri]

Simone would have never survived as a gymnast in the '80s.
Not that many springs back then, she is definitely not artistic at all, and does many mistakes in her routines, she is not consistent. It's the high difficulty of her routines that gets her ahead of others today, back then the slightest obvious mistake was getting you immediately out of the medal race, and into the 4th place and even below it.

[@WAGgymSuperFan]

@@leykimayri Simone isn’t consistent?! Lmao she hasn’t lost a single all around competition she’s competed in since 2013 nationals but ok...

[@leykimayri]

@@WAGgymSuperFan Yes, she is inconsistent. Back in the ‘80s and 90s, with the perfect 10 system, the tiny mistake and she would be out of the medals in the 8th place immediately. Look at Prudunova, she never even got close to a medal in vault, while in 2016 Olympics if she had participated and landed it, she would have had serious chances to challenge Simone for the gold medal, if not, she would have taken the silver one for sure.
Simone nowadays depends on the difficulty of her acrobatics which put a large gap between her and the other athletes. But she makes mistakes all the times, or most of them, and still gets the gold. Back in the ‘80s and 90s she would never have gotten any medal, no matter how hard her exercises would had been. Plus she’s no artistic at all, another reason which would have kept her away from any medal.

[@Cmc995]

@@leykimayri Exactly, therefore it’s not fair for people to even compare today’s gymnasts who are very skilled and all, but still can’t be compared to the trailblazing legends of the sport because it was a different time. People forget that, so well said