gymnasts
Athletes on beams
Gymnasts are athletes who perform gymnastics—a sport involving strength, flexibility, balance, and acrobatic skill.
They compete on apparatus like bars, beams, and rings, or perform floor routines.
The word applies across competitive levels, from Olympic gymnasts to children in recreational classes: The gymnasts warmed up on the mats before practice.
Acrobatic rolling and flipping
- somersaultFull-body forward rotation
- backflipRearward aerial tumble
- cartwheelLateral body rotation
- handstandInverted balance on palms
aerial · twist · layout · pike · tuck · roundoff · dismount · pirouette
Secure storage chamber
- balance beamElevated narrow plank for routines
- uneven barsStaggered horizontal rails apparatus
- floor exerciseApparatus-free gymnastics event
- pommel horseHandled gymnastics apparatus
rings · parallel bars · high bar · springboard · chalk · mat · leotard · grips
Able to bend freely
- suppleFlexing without damage
- limberBending without resistance
- agileLimber and quick-moving
- litheSupple and graceful
strength · muscle · core · balance · coordination · power · endurance · body control
Global athletic contest
- championshipsTitle-deciding competitions
- medalsAwards for achievement
- routinesEstablished sequences of actions
- scoreNumerical standing in competition
judges · all-around · team final · qualifiers · podium · world championships · deductions · gold medalist
Elegant in movement
- eleganceRefined, graceful quality
- poiseGraceful, unshakable calm
- fluidityState of flowing freely
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
finesse · rhythm · expression · choreography · musicality · performance · presentation · amplitude
One who instructs
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
- drillsRepetitive training routines
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
- spottingPerceiving or identifying visually
repetition · progression · skill development · mental preparation · visualization · warm-up · stretching · strength training
tumbling
Acrobatic rolling and flipping
- somersaultFull-body forward rotation
- backflipRearward aerial tumble
- cartwheelLateral body rotation
handstand · aerial · twist · layout · pike · tuck · roundoff · dismount · pirouette · straddle
vault
Secure storage chamber
- balance beamElevated narrow plank for routines
- uneven barsStaggered horizontal rails apparatus
- floor exerciseApparatus-free gymnastics event
pommel horse · rings · parallel bars · high bar · springboard · chalk · mat · leotard · grips · landing pit
flexible
Able to bend freely
lithe · strength · muscle · core · balance · coordination · power · endurance · body control · spatial awareness
Olympics
Global athletic contest
- championshipsTitle-deciding competitions
- medalsAwards for achievement
- routinesEstablished sequences of actions
score · judges · all-around · team final · qualifiers · podium · world championships · deductions · gold medalist · national team
graceful
Elegant in movement
precision · finesse · rhythm · expression · choreography · musicality · performance · presentation · amplitude · extension
coach
One who instructs
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
- drillsRepetitive training routines
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
spotting · repetition · progression · skill development · mental preparation · visualization · warm-up · stretching · strength training · cross-training
- competitive performersathletes, dancers, figure skaters, singers, musicians
- athletesathlete, Olympian, champion, swimmers, runner
- OlympicsOlympics, Olympic Games, Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, Olympic medal
- circus acrobaticsacrobats, trapeze, trapeze artists, flying trapeze, tightrope
- Soviet peoplecosmonauts, cosmonaut, commissar, commissars, Soviet leaders
- Multi-Sport AthletesBo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson, decathlete
gymnastsweightlifters
Athletes lifting heavy loads
powerlifters · bodybuilders · strongmen · shot putters · hammer throwers
- Olympic gymnasticsCompetitive acrobatics at international games
- mental gymnasticsConvoluted reasoning to justify beliefs
- gymnastic skillsPhysical feats requiring flexibility
- gymnastics routineChoreographed athletic floor performance
- gymnastics ringsSuspended circular athletic apparatus
- rhythmic gymnasticsFloor exercise with apparatus
gymnastics, gymnast, gymnasium, gymnastic, gymnasiums, gymnastically