The Skill ID: The Thomas Salto

I feel like a lot of poodle know this skill but not about kurt thomas or when it was submitted. Fun fact: Elena Shushunova was one of the first if not the first woman to do 7/4 flips on floor. She did THREE different role out skills in her career. Remember, this series ends on Sunday so put in your requests know!

[claudetteh]

Not so fun fact: Elena Mukhina, a very promising young Soviet gymnast, broke her neck after being pressured to add the Thomas Salto to her routine in 1980. She was paralyzed at just 20-years-old, a quadriplegic for life, and died from complications of her injury in 2006, age 46.

[ria-zul-zannah]

It looks so nice that some people won't even realize that one tiny mistake can be fatal for the gymnast who is performing it.

[cellytron]

Thank you for this. I just read about poor Elena Mukhina today and couldn’t visualize the move that paralyzed her. That is an absolutely wild move and I’m surprised more people weren’t severely injured. It’s beautiful to watch but so so so dangerous!

[zinc]

I am so so so glad this is banned it is terrifying.

[YenAmiracle]

Now I seen it, that’s why it’s dangerous, you land with only arms to buff the whole weight of body plus speed and gravity after spinning in the mid air, a wrong adjustment of the neck, the spine will be the one that takes all the impacts and neck and head is the contact point😨😨😨

[treatb]

Thats really cool. He also has enough height and time to put his hands down for safety. So he wont injure his neck.

[_mmanovva_]

Who is here after reading about Elena Mukhina?

[carlosperez-dwdp]

La suavidad y la simpleza aparente con la que el Sr. Thomas lo realiza. Es aterradora.

[DavidBarton]

The amount of height this guy Kurt Thomas was able to get was insane. I can see why he was able to pull it off. He was so high in the air, he came down with a lot of space. I watched another video of a Chinese competitor doing this in 1992 and she was nowhere near as high in the air as this guy. Hers looked close. This guy was swan diving

[moonspunevr]

How do even live long enough to perfect a move like this?

[TubeYouFromMe]

Elena Muhkina became paralyzed doing the Thomas Salto move. So sad that she was pushed by her country to perform knowing she was not healed from a previous injury.

[corazoncubano]

How did Kurt Thomas even come up with this!

[lordbyron]

It’s a beautiful skill …. If you can execute it without injuring yourself!

[daisiaaa]

kurt thomas, the creator of the thomas salto, died last year ☹️

[kamilokamal]

Imagine if Kurt Thomas had not invented this salto, Elena Mukhina would have participated in the 1980 games and survived !!

[grobaniteever]

This move was not banned in men's gymnastics until 2017

[ukiss-laboum-superjunior-trax]

me choca mas ter descoberto que o ginasta que inventou esse salto começou a treinar aos 20 anos

[pommeverte]

I really like the music, can you tell me what it is please ?

[balintremetei]

The most dangerous move. One mistake and you're dead

[absinthe-minded]

If your olympic gymnast and you feel like your gonna break your neck, you gonna break your neck.