Event
Vault

Known as
Handspring rudi
Rudi
Handspring layout 1.5

Named after
Oksana Chusovitinia (SOV/UZB/GER/UZB)

About
Ah, the golden goose of the handspring vaults. The rudi is one-third of the shining triumvirate of vault difficulty—along with the Amanar and Cheng—sought after by those hoping to win actual vault medals at world and Olympic competitions.

Colloquially, you’ll mostly hear this vault called a handspring rudi rather than a handspring layout 1.5—part of the front-tumbling terminology that gymnastics inherited from acrobats. You know the term is from acrobatics or trampoline when it sounds like a word a three-year-old made up to call the dog. (I kid…we’re all on the same team…fliffus isn’t a stupid word at all…)

The term barani indicates a front salto with 1/2 twist, with rudi indicating 1.5 twists, and randi indicating 2.5 twists. The rudi takes its name from Dave Roudolph, a trampoline acrobat in the 1920s.

Though the vault is named after Chusovitina because she was the first to successfully perform it at worlds in 2002, it was also performed by Vanessa Atler at American Cup in 1999, and you need to know that for my sanity.

Value
5.40 (2022-)
5.80 (2017-2021)
6.20 (2013–2016)
6.30 (2006–2012)