Gymnast Olga Korbut's gold medal from 1972 Games nets $66K

Published Feb. 28, 2017 6:39 p.m. ET

How much is a 1972 gold medal won by Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut worth? According to a recent auction, $66,000.

Korbut let go of five of her medals, including the gold she won in team competition in 1972. Heritage Auctions said in a release Tuesday her 1976 gold was auctioned for more than $57,000 last weekend.

Korbut, nicknamed ''The Sparrow from Minsk,'' sprang onto the Olympic scene by performing acrobatics no one had seen before. She won three golds and a silver as a 17-year-old at the 1972 Munich Games, and added a gold and silver at Montreal in 1976.

Korbut, who lives in Arizona, says she sold her medals to share her Olympic experiences, not because she is in any sort of financial crisis.