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HENRIETTA ÓNODI
Henrietta Ónodi (born May 22, 1974, Békéscsaba, Hungary) is a Hungarian gymnast
who competed at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
Ónodi began gymnastics in 1978 and made her international debut in 1986. Too young to qualify for the 1988
Olympics, she made her senior debut in 1989 and represented Hungary at the World Championships that year, where she placed
19th in the all-around and 5th in the balance beam event finals.
Over the next few years, Ónodi established herself as a medal contender at major events. In 1989 she became the first
female Hungarian gymnast to medal at the European Championships with a gold on the uneven bars; at the 1990 Europeans she
placed third in the all-around and the floor exercise. In 1990, she also finished third in the all-around at the Goodwill
Games and the World Cup where she won the vault event. At the 1991 World Championships, Ónodi suffered a sudden back
injury but was able to win a silver medal on vault and helped the Hungarian squad qualify for the 1992 Olympics with an
eighth place finish in the team final.
The next year at the Olympics in Barcelona, Ónodi became the first female Hungarian gymnast in over thirty years to win
an Olympic gold medal. She tied with Romanian Lavinia Milosovici for the gold in
the vault event final; on floor exercise, performing to Hungarian Rhapsody she finished second behind Milosovici.
Ónodi's difficulty level on vault was actually higher than Milosovici's (they both used full twisting Yurchenkos but
Henrietta did a piked barani and Milosovici a tucked). Ónodi also performed the difficult triple twist on floor,
then an unusual move. Nobody else in the Barcelona floor finals did it.
Ónodi retired after Barcelona and attempted to compete in NCAA gymnastics, pursue her education at the University
level and coach. She returned to international competition in 1995 at the World University Games and subsequently led the
Hungarian team at the 1996 Olympics. She retired again in 1997 after attending her second University Games.
Ónodi has a skill named after her in the Code of Points, a back handspring with a half turn on the balance beam.
She also performed this skill on the floor, in combination with split leaps.
For more information, visit her
profile page on the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique website.
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