most people could learn to row a boat or swim the breaststroke for example. Compare that to the pommel horse, balance beam, vault or rings. The learning curve and the combination of speed, strength, coordination, finesse, timing, pure born gymnastic athleticism would be too much for large majority of people to even execute a basic move of that particular gymnastic event. I'm totally blown away by the athletes on the rings. I'm amazed at the stress the upper body (tendons) can take with that event.
Gymnasts are amazing, that's for sure, but how one excels is all the same. You choose to be a specific type of athlete, you dedicate yourself to attaining the best you can, and you train. For gymnasts to accomplish what they can, their path was no different from a rower or swimmer.
