Gymnastics fans of all eras have come to know and love Henrietta Onodi for her amazing talent and beautiful style. One of Hungary's best gymnasts ever, "Henni" developed a huge fan base by competing for nearly a decade and solidifying her place in the record books with some truly amazing performances. If you want to see a routine that will stand the test of time, watch her floor routine from the 1992 Olympics. With flawless choreography and form with difficult tumbling to boot, many argue that she deserved a share of the gold with Romania's Lavinia Milosovici. Despite not winning the gold on floor in Barcelona, Henrietta has a list tremendous of accomplishments to be proud of... including an Olympic gold medal on vault! Since then, no Hungarian woman has won a World or Olympic medal or any color.

     Henrietta began gymnastics at the young age of four in her hometown and quickly progressed through the ranks. Her talent was just overwhelming, as she began competing on the international stage at the age of twelve! She held her own against many of the world's best gymnasts throughout her early teens, including competing at the 1989 Worlds at age fifteen and qualifying to the balance beam final. Onodi qualified to several event finals throughout her career and earned a reputation for being one of the best on virtually every event but rarely put everything together in one meet. She finished 31st at the 1991 Worlds after a disastrous performance that was hampered by injury. Her silver medal on vault foreshadowed what would be an illustrious end to the first chapter of her career. She won vault and placed second on floor behind America's Kim Zmeskal at the 1992 Paris Worlds and then went on to a very successful Olympic Games.

     Following the Olympics, Onodi retired and came to the United States to attend college in Texas, where she also began coaching at the South Texas Gymnastics Academy in San Antonio. But in 1995, the urge to compete for her country in the Olympics again prompted a return to the sport. She led her Hungarian team to a 9th place finish in Atlanta! Following her second Olympics, Onodi retired for good and returned to coaching in the U.S. Now residing in Florida, she has also coached in Minnesota.

     Despite all of her results, most people remember Henrietta for her amazing skills and floor choreography; her triple twist is undoubtedly one of the best ever competed. And who could forget her routines to Hungarian Rhapsody or West Side Story? She was shot at the end of the latter and a more creative ending has never been performed to this day.

Birthday: May 22, 1974
Birthplace: Bekescsaba, Hungary
Began Gymnastics: age four
Family: parents Janos and Kati, older sister Barbara
Nickname: Henni
The Onodi: arabian handspring on beam, now a "D"
Best Results:
1986 Jr. Europeans - 12th AA, 4th BB, 7th FX
1987 American Cup - 7th AA
1988 Jr. Europeans - 8th AA, 6th VT, 2nd UB, 4th BB
1989 American Cup - 3rd AA
1989 Europeans - 5th AA, 1st UB, 3rd FX
1989 Worlds - 19th AA, 5th BB
1990 Europeans - 3rd AA, 8th UB, 8th BB, 3rd FX
1990 Goodwill Games - 3rd AA, 4th VT, 5th UB, 7th BB, 4th FX
1990 Chunichi Cup - 3rd AA
1991 Worlds - 31st AA, 2nd VT, 4th UB, 7th BB, 8th FX
1991 Chunichi Cup - 1st AA
1992 American Cup - 2nd AA
1992 Worlds - 1st VT, 2nd FX
1992 Olympics - 6th Team, 8th AA, 1st VT, 2nd FX
1995 World University Games - 7th Team
1996 Olympics - 9th Team
1997 World University Games - 7th Team

Photos © Matt Barber, Akiko Fujiki, OEFC, and Associated Press

VT: Yurchenko full; front pike 1/2; UB: clear hip 1/1, Gienger, Jaeger + drop, front giant 1/2 + giant 1/1 + double tuck; BB: front walkover mount, FF + layout, Onodi, switch leap + gainer layout + layout, triple twist; FX: whip thru to piked full-in, triple twist, double twist + punch front, piked full-in