Season One of Blind Landing centered around the world of elite gymnastics and what it takes to change a culture. Our first story, “The Vault” (five episodes) looked at the 2000 Summer Olympics, where an unprecedented mistake derailed the women’s all-around final — a mistake that changed the gymnasts’ lives forever. In our follow-up, “A Look At Safety In Gymnastics” (two episodes), gymnasts who competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 talk about the current state of safety at competitions, revealing how twenty years after the Sydney vault controversy, problems still abound when it comes to ensuring their physical safety on the competition floor.
THE VAULT
Our flagship story from Season One, “The Vault” was the miniseries that started Blind Landing, a five-part look at one of the biggest mistakes in Olympic history. Produced by Ari Saperstein, Myka Kielbon, Christian Green and Jessica Taylor Price.
The Vault: Part 1 | Transcript
Elise Ray, America’s top gymnast, qualified for the 2000 Olympics with big dreams –but during the all-around final, high expectations clashed with reality and came crashing down. Literally.
The Vault: Part 2 | Transcript
The story of the 2000 women’s gymnastics all-around final picks up with Australian gymnast Allana Slater. In the midst of the competition, Allana realized that it was no coincidence gymnasts were falling on vault.
The Vault: Part 3 | Transcript
The officials tried to solve the vault problem. Their decision had major consequences for everyone in the arena – but no one more so than the frontrunner, Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina.
The Vault: Part 4 | Transcript
Romanian gymnast Maria Olaru discusses how the vault problem might have been stopped before it even started. Olympic officials explain what was happening behind the scenes.
The Vault: Part 5 | Transcript
On the final episode of Blind Landing, British gymnast Lisa Mason reflects on the culture she trained in. Elise and Allana discuss the impact that the Sydney Olympics had on their lives.
A LOOK AT SAFETY IN GYMNASTICS
After releasing “The Vault”in the summer of 2021, we heard from Olympic gymnasts who had just competed at the Tokyo Olympics about the current state of safety in the sport and looked into the troubling issues they were speaking about . Produced by Ari Saperstein, Myka Kielbon, Christian Green and Jessica Taylor Price.
A Look at Safety in Gymnastics: Part 1 | Transcript
We spoke with Olympic gymnasts from around the world about the current state of safety at competitions. Twenty years after the Sydney vault controversy, things have changed – and not necessarily for the better.
A Look at Safety in Gymnastics: Part 2 | Transcript
When it comes to addressing the safety concerns gymnasts have about competitions, there are structures in place to help gymnasts be heard… but are these structures working? Can they work?
Blind Landing 