# Balance beam at the Olympics

The balance beam is an artistic gymnastics event held at the Summer Olympics on which only women compete. Women started competing in and earning medals at apparatus finals in 1952.

## Medalists
### Women

| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1952 Helsinki details | Nina Bocharova Soviet Union | Maria Gorokhovskaya Soviet Union | Margit Korondi Hungary |
| 1956 Melbourne details | Ágnes Keleti Hungary | Eva Bosáková CzechoslovakiaTamara Manina Soviet Union | none awarded |
| 1960 Rome details | Eva Bosáková Czechoslovakia | Larisa Latynina Soviet Union | Sofia Muratova Soviet Union |
| 1964 Tokyo details | Věra Čáslavská Czechoslovakia | Tamara Manina Soviet Union | Larisa Latynina Soviet Union |
| 1968 Mexico City details | Natalia Kuchinskaya Soviet Union | Věra Čáslavská Czechoslovakia | Larisa Petrik Soviet Union |
| 1972 Munich details | Olga Korbut Soviet Union | Tamara Lazakovich Soviet Union | Karin Janz East Germany |
| 1976 Montreal details | Nadia Comăneci Romania | Olga Korbut Soviet Union | Teodora Ungureanu Romania |
| 1980 Moscow details | Nadia Comăneci Romania | Yelena Davydova Soviet Union | Natalia Shaposhnikova Soviet Union |
| 1984 Los Angeles details | Simona Păucă RomaniaEcaterina Szabo Romania | none awarded | Kathy Johnson United States |
| 1988 Seoul details | Daniela Silivaș Romania | Yelena Shushunova Soviet Union | Phoebe Mills United StatesGabriela Potorac Romania |
| 1992 Barcelona details | Tatiana Lysenko Unified Team | Lu Li ChinaShannon Miller United States | none awarded |
| 1996 Atlanta details | Shannon Miller United States | Lilia Podkopayeva Ukraine | Gina Gogean Romania |
| 2000 Sydney details | Liu Xuan China | Yekaterina Lobaznyuk Russia | Yelena Produnova Russia |
| 2004 Athens details | Cătălina Ponor Romania | Carly Patterson United States | Alexandra Eremia Romania |
| 2008 Beijing details | Shawn Johnson United States | Nastia Liukin United States | Cheng Fei China |
| 2012 London details | Deng Linlin China | Sui Lu China | Aly Raisman United States |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro details | Sanne Wevers Netherlands | Laurie Hernandez United States | Simone Biles United States |
| 2020 Tokyo details | Guan Chenchen China | Tang Xijing China | Simone Biles United States |
| 2024 Paris details | Alice D'Amato Italy | Zhou Yaqin China | Manila Esposito Italy |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Gymnast | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Nadia Comăneci | Romania (ROU) | 1976–1980 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Eva Bosáková | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1956–1960 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Věra Čáslavská | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 1964–1968 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Olga Korbut | Soviet Union (URS) | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Shannon Miller | United States (USA) | 1992–1996 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Tamara Manina | Soviet Union (URS) | 1956–1960 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Larisa Latynina | Soviet Union (URS) | 1960–1964 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Simone Biles | United States (USA) | 2016–2020 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |

#### Medalists by country

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Romania (ROU) | 6 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Soviet Union (URS) | 3 | 8 | 4 | 15 |
| 3 | China (CHN) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | United States (USA) | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| 5 | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | Hungary (HUN) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Italy (ITA) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Unified Team (EUN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |