An athlete sprints down a runway, hurdles onto a springboard, and launches into a series of twists and somersaults before sticking the landing. That display belongs to gymnastics. The sport demands strength, flexibility, spatial awareness, and courage.

Artistic gymnastics includes apparatus such as floor, vault, bars, and beam, with different programs for men and women. Rhythmic gymnastics combines body movement with apparatus like ribbon and hoop. Trampoline is a separate Olympic discipline. Scoring evaluates difficulty and execution, rewarding both ambition and control.

Training begins early because many skills require years to master safely. Conditioning, technical drills, and progressive skill development fill long hours in the gym. The risk of injury is managed through careful coaching and landing-mat progression. At the highest level, gymnastics produces some of the most precise athletic movements in sport.

• Sport of controlled acrobatic and strength skills
• Includes artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline disciplines
• Scored on difficulty and execution
• Requires early specialization and rigorous training