Have you ever seen a gymnastics routine that left you speechless? Imagine if you could be at the World Gymnastics Championship to witness the best gymnasts in the world.
The World Gymnastics Championship took place in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2010.
As the team of three women from Ukraine marched onto the floor, they looked intimidating and in control. Dressed in white leotards slashed with red, there was no question they knew exactly what they were doing.
Their routine drew cheers and even gasps from the crowd.
Working in almost perfect synchronization, they threw one another in the air and even made a human tower.
โLook at the flexibility,โ said the commentator. โThereโs a great pace and great rhythm to this exercise. It has to be precise. These have to be done without hesitation.โ
But the most amazing part of the routine was when they built a second pyramid.
This time, the second gymnast bent her leg backward, balancing the final gymnast on her foot. Suspended in the air, she performed a plank, then a handstand.
Itโs the kind of thing you might not see in a lifetime but if you did, youโd never forget it.
โWell, Ukraine has certainly lifted their level of performance,โ said the commentator. โThis is the weakest of their three qualifying routines, but theyโve really picked up the gauntlet here โ the challenge for a medal.โ
The team was given a total score of 28.290 out of a possible 30 points. They scored 9.99 on the difficulty of their routine, 9.150 on the artistic performance, and 9.150 on the execution. They received no penalties.
Of course, thatโs looking at it from an expert point of view.
To the rest of us, the routine looks, well, pretty much perfect. Itโs hard to imagine how anyone could find fault in such amazing grace, flexibility, and teamwork.
The performance was nearly 10 years ago. But the video continues to rack up views on YouTube โ and itโs no wonder. People all over the world canโt believe what these women accomplished.
โThe leg bending backwards around 2:20 was just painful to see, but it didnโt even phase her,โ said one commenter [sic]. โIโm pretty flexible but i cant imagine the sheer strength associated with that kind of stretch and the weight on it (even if the girl balancing on the leg is around 90lbs that would be insane).โ
Others said they couldnโt believe the team only placed third in the competition, behind Great Britain and Russia.
โI understand this team only won 3rd place,โ said another commenter. โWho the hell won and what did they do that surpassed this magnificent performance.โ [sic]
In the 10 years since the performance took place, the video has racked up more than 30 million views. While thereโs no way to know where these talented gymnasts are today, in the video, they continue to stun people around the globe with their grace and skill.
Click on the video below to see the stunning performance for yourself.
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