The conspiracy is tempting. The GDR would have done as ordered and Gnauck wouldn't have had a choice. She would vault immediately after this rotation. On the other side she did have ankle surgery not long after this and has never given an alternate story in the 35 years since the fall of the wall

The last person to perform the Korbut Flip at a World Championship was Anja Wilhelm of West Germany in 1987. By then the move was rare because the sport had already moved past this style of gymnastics on the uneven bars.

It was not because of danger but because stopping to balance on the high bar stopped the flow of what was supposed to be a swinging routine.

The reality is that it (and this more difficult version the Mukhina Flip performed on the way to the 1978 World All Around Championship) was performed many times in the 17 years before all moves that involve standing on the high bar were removed from the sports code of points.