The Thomas salto is an extremely difficult and dangerous move performed during the
floor
A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the expected load ...
exercise in
artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...
. It is named after American gymnast
Kurt Thomas.
Technical details
The Thomas
salto consists of a 1 ½ salto backward in a tucked or piked position with 1 ½ twists or a 1 ½ salto backward in a layout (straight) position with 1 ½ twists.
The move is effectively banned as it was removed from the
Code of Points following several serious accidents, most notably the paralysis of
Elena Mukhina
Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina (russian: Елена Вячеславовна Мухина; first name sometimes rendered "Yelena", last name sometimes rendered "Muchina"; 1 June 196022 December 2006) was a Soviet gymnast who won the all-around t ...
in 1980. As of the 2017–2020 "3/2 salto elements with reception by and then spring from the hands are not permitted",
effectively banning the Thomas salto for all gymnasts.
References
Gymnastics elements
External links
Code of Points for MenCode of Points for Women
{{Gymnastics-stub