Gym Body Part 2: Height

So tallness is obviously considered a very bad thing for a gymnast most of the time. I am 5'3 now, and during gymnastics both during my older and younger years I was always criticized for being too tall, legs being too long, etcetera. I actually started believing that I was tall even just for an average person!

However, a few gymnasts have busted through this stereotype, especially Nastia Liukin and Svetlana Khorkina.

Nastia

At the time of the Beijing Olympics, Nastia was 5'3, and I think the tallest on the team. While small people like Shawn Johnson and the Chinese were very successful, Nastia beat them all! Being small and compact is obviously an aid, and Nastia did have to take out her double layout flyaway and make other adjustments because of her height, but it is amazing that someone her height was able to win gold in the AA and beat even the tiniest girls. 

Khorkina

Khorkina is even more amazing. She was 5'5 when she placed second in the AA at Athens in the 2004. So obviously you don't have to be extra short to compete successfully.

While Liukin and Khorkina obviously learned their difficult skills while their bodies were smaller, the fact that they were still able to perform so well and be competitive with midgets like Carly and Shawn is amazing and proves that when it comes to gymnastics, height is not everything. What do you think?