Olga Korbut Olympic Collection Will Dazzle Heritage Sports Platinum Auction

'Mother of Modern Gymnastics' offers medals, event-worn leotard and ephemera at February event

DALLAS, Texas (February 8, 2017) — Olga Korbut captured the hearts of an international audience through her dominance in the 1972 Munich Olympic gymnastics competition and her subsequent appearance in the Montreal Games four years later. Now at Heritage Auctions' Feb. 25-26 Sports Platinum Auction, Korbut's personally consigned collection, including of five of her Olympic medals, will be available to collectors for the first time. Each lot will be joined by a signed letter of provenance from Korbut herself.

At just 4 feet, 11 inches in height, and tipping the scales at just over 80 pounds, it would have been easy to assume Korbut could get swept away in the maelstrom of politics and expectations that swirled around the 1972 Munich Games. But it was at these Games, under those most challenging conditions, that Korbut supplied a gymnastics performance of pure mastery and joy, beginning a global love affair with "The Sparrow from Minsk," who single-handedly upended the stereotype of the Soviet athlete as a stone-faced automaton.

A nearly perfect final performance in the Individual floor exercise earned Korbut the only 9.90 awarded in the event and helped her claim the 1972 Munich Olympics Individual Floor Exercise Gold Medal (est. $100,000). This is the only available individual gold medal from Korbut, as her balance beam gold medal was stolen and the other golds in her collection were awarded for team achievement.

In addition to the individual gold medal, Heritage Auctions is offering Korbut's 1972 Munich Olympics USSR Women's Gymnastics Team Gold Medal (est. $100,000), her 1972 Munich Olympics Individual Uneven Bars Silver Medal (est. $60,000), her 1976 Montreal Olympics USSR Women's Gymnastics Team Gold Medal (est. $100,000) and her 1976 Montreal Olympics Individual Balance Beam Silver Medal (est. $60,000).

The final signature medal offered is a bronze medal that, according to Korbut, was won during one of her first real competitions, an event sponsored by the Army of the USSR in 1969.

This auction will present the tangible evidence of Korbut's elite achievement, as well as dozens of other relics of her age of dominance. Today, at age 61, Korbut parts with the mementos of her youthful glory because the thing she values most is always with her. There is hardly a gymnast alive who doesn't credit this tiny force of nature for the explosion of the sport's popularity on a global level and for establishing gymnastics as one of the most anticipated competitions of the Summer Games.

Top other items include but are not limited to:

1973 Leotard Worn in USSR Gymnastics Display in London (est. $10,000)

1988 International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Trophy (est. $5,000)

1968-76 Medals and Pins (est. $8,000)

1972 Olympic Worn ID Badge and Ponytail Band (est. $2,000)

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.



Hi-Res images available:
Elon Werner, Director of Communications
214-409-1599; ElonW@HA.com