Thomas salto

The Thomas salto is an extremely difficult and dangerous move performed during the floor exercise in Artistic gymnastics. It is named after American gymnast Kurt Thomas.

Technical details

The Thomas salto consists of a 1 ½ salto backward in a tucked or piked position with 1 ½ twists or a 1 ½ salto backward in a layout (straight) position with 1 ½ twists.

The move is effectively banned for women as it was removed from the Code of Points following several serious accidents, most notably the paralysis of Elena Mukhina in 1980. It remains a permitted skill for men as of 2013. The current Code of Points for all forms of gymnastics can be found at FIG Code of Points downloads.