What is an Onodi in Gymnastics?

An Onodi is a gymnastics move whereby the gymnast jumps backward and then does a half twist into a front handspring. This move is done very quickly.

An Onodi can be performed on the beam and the floor. It is named after Hungarian Olympian Henrietta Onodi. 

Also known as Arabian front handspring

Soviet great Olga Mostepanova actually first performed this skill in the early 1980s, at the International 1984 Friendship Games in Prague. (At these games, she will also be remembered as the first gymnast to ever score perfect 10.0s in all four events in a big, international competition.)

Onodi didn't perform the move until five years later, in 1989. 

So why isn't it called a Mostepanova?

It's thought that Mostepanova never properly submitted the skill to judges to make it an official, new move. A gymnast must submit new skills to the judges, who then decide if the skill will be added to the Code of Points and named after the gymnast). Onodi did this, so she got the name.

An Onodi is considered a very challenging gymnastics move. On the gymnastics difficulty rating scale from A to I (following the letters of the alphabet with increasing difficulty), an Onodi is rated an F. That's toward the end of the harder moves in the sport. 

Watch Nastia Liukin perform an Onodi on the beam (at 0:56).

After first performing the move in the late '80s, "Henni" Onodi went on to win a gold on vault in the 1992 Olympics. She also won a silver in those games. 

Onodi also competed in the 1996 Olympics. She retired the following year. 

She is a member of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. She is remembered for her artistic style of gymnastics and unique, powerful moves. The Onodi move is a perfect example. 

Want to learn more about gymnastics? Visit our glossary of gym terms.