Lori Fung won the first Olympic gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics at Los Angeles 1984.
Fung represented Canada in the inaugural Olympic individual rhythmic-gymnastics competition. She won the combined final ahead of Romania’s Doina Staiculescu and Germany’s Regina Weber.
The competition involved apparatus routines using rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. Rhythmic gymnastics had previously appeared as a demonstration event, but Los Angeles 1984 was its first official Olympic medal competition.
Fung’s title was followed by a long period of dominance from athletes representing countries associated with the Soviet and Eastern European rhythmic-gymnastics tradition. Group rhythmic gymnastics entered the Olympic program later, at Atlanta 1996.