born May 16, 1955, Grodno, Belorussia, U.S.S.R.
Soviet gymnast.
Korbut first competed in the U.S.S.R. championships in 1969. Appealingly diminutive, with a captivating smile, she was the first person ever to do a backward aerial somersault on the balance beam and the first to perform a backward release move on the uneven parallel bars. In the 1972 Olympic Games she won three gold medals (balance beam, floor exercises, and as a member of the winning U.S.S.R. team) and a silver medal (uneven parallel bars). In the 1976 Olympics she won a team gold medal and a silver for the balance beam.