This discipline is extremely spectacular and requires dynamic reactions, spatial awareness, co-ordination, power, strength and courage. The action takes no more than a few seconds but requires years of hard work.

The gymnast gains speed and power by running along a 25- metre track and performing a series of somersaults and twists. Top class tumblers perform no less than two double somersaults in one run, the best of them three, with twisting elements in addition.

Disciplines
Straight Run (somersaults/saltos); Twisting Run (twists), Final Runs (both somersaults and twists)

Tumbling was a competitive sport at the 1932 Olympic games in Los Angeles. The name of the first (and last! so far) Olympic Champion is Roland Wolf (USA). The first National Championships were held in 1922 in Russia. In the 1960’s and 70’s tumbling was most popular in Eastern Europe and then gradually went on to spread strongly in Western Europe, the USA, Asia and Australia.