Lots of people look at the small and stocky build of elite gymnasts and wonder if there is a height limit for gymnastics. The answer is that there is no height limit or maximum height rule but it is true that gymnastics becomes harder the taller you get.
Newton’s three laws of motion, especially the first law of inertia, are key to understanding how gymnasts perform flips and somersaults. Whether you like it or not shorter gymnasts find it easier to learn these advanced skills. There are lots of other factors at play as well such as flexibility, body tension, and strength but height does have an effect as well.
Table of Contents
- How Tall is Too Tall for Gymnastics?
- Are there any tall gymnasts?
- Can you be a competitive gymnast if you are tall?
- Who are the tallest gymnasts (male and female) to win a medal at the Olympics?
- Heights of female Olympic gymnasts
- Final Thoughts
How Tall is Too Tall for Gymnastics?
If you are looking to learn gymnastics for fun then there is no height that is too tall. Gymnastics is a sport for everyone and people of all shapes, sizes and heights regularly take part in recreational gymnastics classes.
However, if you are looking to become an elite gymnast, height can become more of a barrier to success.
There are no specific height limits in the rule books but male artistic gymnasts are rarely over six feet tall. Women are usually around five feet tall or less. Away from Artistic gymnastics, there are some slightly taller gymnasts for example in Acrobatics where there is less emphasis on multiple somersaults and apparatus.
The base in acrobatic groups and pairs has the job of supporting smaller gymnasts as they balance on top. It is an advantage for the base to be taller and stronger so they can support the weight properly.
Are there any tall gymnasts?
There are plenty of tall gymnasts that take part at local and even national level. The harder the level of competition, the rarer it is to see tall gymnasts, especially in Artistic Gymnastics.
I should clarify that by tall, I mean average or above average in height for that age group.
In recent times Khorkina and Mustafina were 5 ft 5 in and 5 ft 4 in respectively when they medalled at the Olympics. German gymnast Marie-Sophie Hindermann was 5 ft 7 in and remains the tallest gymnast to compete at the Olympics. She is closely followed by Kylie Dickson and German gymnast Sophie Scheder who were both 5 ft 6 in.
Because gymnastics is so popular among children and teenagers, some gymnasts will be hitting puberty at different times or going through growth spurts. So gymnasts can go from being below average to tall in the space of a few weeks.
Can you be a competitive gymnast if you are tall?
Yes, you can be a competitive gymnast if you are tall but as you reach more advanced skills such as multiple twisting somersaults, you will find it harder. That doesn’t make it impossible, it just means the gymnast and coach have to adapt training methods and strength and conditioning exercises in order to get the best out of the gymnast.
Sometimes height can be an advantage. For example taller, heavier gymnasts can create more power when jumping on the springboard or reaching up to the bars at the start of a routine!
If you’re wondering why gymnasts are so usually short I’ve covered this topic in depth in an article here.
Who are the tallest gymnasts (male and female) to win a medal at the Olympics?
The tallest male gymnast to win a medal at the Olympics was Igor Cassie (5 ft 11 in). He won Gold on High Bar at the 2004 Olympics.
The tallest female to medal was Sophie Scheder (5 ft 6 in) who won Bronze on Uneven Bars at Rio 2016.
It is interesting to see that both of these ‘tall’ gymnasts won their medals on Bars.
In Rhythmic gymnastics, the tallest gymnast to medal at the Olympics was Darya Dmitriyeva (5 ft 8 in) all-around silver medalist at London 2012.
Heights of female Olympic gymnasts
The table below outlines the heights of female Olympic gymnasts that have won a medal in the All-Around Artistic Gymnastics event. Over the last sixty years or so, the average heights have decreased. During the 1950s and 1960s all of the medal winners were 5 ft 2 in or over but during the 1970s and into the 80s smaller and younger gymnasts became the norm.
This coincided with advances in the apparatus design which are now able to withstand more force and harder skills.
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1956 Helsinki | Larisa Latynina 5 ft 3 in | Sofia Muratova Unknown | Polina Astakhova 5 ft 5 in |
| 1964 Tokyo | Věra Čáslavská 5 ft 3 in | Larisa Latynina 5 ft 3 in | Polina Astakhova 5 ft 5 in |
| 1968 Mexico City | Věra Čáslavská 5 ft 3 in | Zinaida Voronina 5 ft 5 in | Natalia Kuchinskaya 5 ft 2 in |
| 1972 Munich | Ludmilla Tourischeva 5 ft 2 in | Karin Janz 5 ft 1 in | Tamara Lazakovich 5 ft 4 in |
| 1976 Montreal | Nadia Comăneci 5 ft 4 in | Nellie Kim 5 ft 0 in | Ludmilla Tourischeva 5 ft 2 in |
| 1980 Moscow | Yelena Davydova 4 ft 10 in | Nadia Comăneci 5 ft 4 in ———– Maxi Gnauck 4 ft 10 in | None Awarded |
| 1984 Los Angeles | Mary Lou Retton 4 ft 9 in | Ecaterina Szabo 4 ft 9 in | Simona Păucă 4 ft 11 in |
| 1988 Seoul | Yelena Shushunova 4 ft 10 in | Daniela Silivaș 4 ft 9 in | Svetlana Boginskaya 5 ft 2 in |
| 1992 Barcelona | Tatiana Gutsu 5 ft 3in | Shannon Miller 5 ft 0 in | Lavinia Miloșovici 5 ft 1 in |
| 1996 Atlanta | Lilia Podkopayeva 4 ft 11 in | Gina Gogean 4 ft 11 in | Simona Amânar 5 ft 2 in ——— Lavinia Miloșovici 5 ft 1 in |
| 2000 Sydney | Simona Amânar 5 ft 2 in | Maria Olaru 5 ft 3 in | Liu Xuan 4 ft 11 in |
| 2004 Athens | Carly Patterson 5 ft 0 in | Svetlana Khorkina 5 ft 5 in | Zhang Nan 4 ft 10 in |
| 2008 Beijing | Nastia Liukin 5 ft 3 in | Shawn Johnson 4 ft 11 in | Yang Yilin 5 ft 4 in |
| 2012 London | Gabby Douglas 5 ft 3 in | Viktoria Komova 5 ft 4 in | Aliya Mustafina 5 ft 4 in |
| 2016 Rio | Simone Biles 4 ft 8 in | Aly Raisman 5 ft 2 in | Aliya Mustafina 5 ft 4 in |
| 2020 Tokyo | Sunisa Lee 5 ft 0 in | Rebeca Andrade 4 ft 11 in | Angelina Melnikova 5 ft 0 in |
Compare these heights with the average size of the general population and you can see those successful Olympic gymnasts are all shorter than average for their respective countries.
The average height of females:
- USA 5 ft 3 1/2 in
- China 5 ft 3 in
- Russia 5 ft 5 1/2 in
- UK 5 ft 3 1/2 in
Final Thoughts
Although there is no height limit for gymnasts, it is a proven fact that elite gymnasts are shorter than average. If you are wondering whether gymnastics stunts growth, I have an article that answers just that question here!
Gymnastics can be enjoyed by anyone, no matter how tall they are so don’t let your height put you off!