LEON ŠTUKELJ, OLYMPIC CHAMPION 1924 IN GYMNASTICS. PERFORMANCES AND LEGACY

Abstract

Olympic champion in the general event in gymnastics at the 8th Olympiad in 1924, Leon Štukelj performed remarkably in international competitions. This article proposes to analyze the innovative character of the performance carried out by the gymnast of the Yugoslavian team, to appreciate the context of its realization and to evaluate his legacies. Through his performance, Štukelj paved the way to major evolutions in gymnastics, especially in the rings event where he excelled. Certain technical regulations of international gymnastics seem to have been especially inspired by the elements he performed in 1924. Štukelj was also considered an emblematic figure of the educational method developed by the Yugoslav Sokols. As a consequence, his imprint as a symbol of a moral and physical system of training was also very strong. The paper is positioned in the field of cultural history. It aims to study the evolution of Štukelj’s performance and legacy. In addition to the historiography of the 1924 Olympic Games, it uses various primary sources: the French daily press published on the occasion of the 1924 Olympic Games, the archives of the Lausanne Olympic Study Center, the archives of the city of Colombes, the official reports of the 1924, 1928 and 1936 Olympic Games, the archives of the International Gymnastics Federation and Štukelj’s autobiography (1989).