Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci redefined perfection on today in historical past, July 18, 1976, when she scored the first-ever excellent 10 in Olympic gymnastics historical past.
Competing on the uneven bars equipment through the obligatory portion of the staff occasion of the ladies’s creative gymnastics competitors, Comaneci made historical past in lower than 30 seconds.
“Chris, this might be the spotlight of the obligatory occasion. She is without doubt one of the technically strongest, finest gymnasts that I’ve ever seen,” mentioned former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby to fellow commentator Chris Schenkel through the American tv broadcast of the occasion.
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On the time, the staff competitors consisted of a “obligatory” and “elective” spherical for every equipment; the obligatory spherical consisted of set choreography that was carried out by every gymnast. The obligatory spherical was carried out away with beginning with the 2000 Summer time Olympics.
All through Comaneci’s routine, Rigby may be heard praising the 14-year-old gymnast’s talent.
Nadia Comaneci scored the first-ever excellent 10 in Olympic historical past on today in historical past, July 18, 1976. (Frank Barratt/Getty Photos)
“Beautiful routine, stunning, and the gang loves it,” exclaimed Rigby following Comaeci’s dismount.
The judges gave Comaneci’s routine a ten, the first-ever awarded in Olympic competitors.
The right 10 was so unprecedented that even the digital scoreboard was not capable of correctly show the rating.
Comaneci’s 10 was displayed as a 1.00 — as there have been solely three show digits.
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Romania would go on to win the silver medal within the staff occasion, inserting behind the gymnastics powerhouse Soviet Union. (The Soviet Union received the ladies’s creative gymnastics staff occasion in every of the 9 Olympic Video games they participated in, notes the Olympics web site.)
Comaneci would go on to repeat perfection six extra occasions on the 1976 video games, scoring excellent 10s on the stability beam within the staff elective occasion, all-around remaining, and particular person equipment remaining, and on the uneven bars within the staff elective occasion, the all-around remaining, and particular person equipment remaining.
The scoreboard displayed Comaneci’s excellent 10s as “1.00,” as there have been solely three digits on the gadget. (Don Morley/Getty Photos)
Moreover, Comaneci would take dwelling a bronze medal within the flooring train.
She positioned fourth within the vault particular person equipment remaining, in keeping with her profile on the Olympics web site.
Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim additionally scored an ideal 10 within the 1976 video games: Kim’s vault within the all-around remaining and flooring routine within the particular person equipment remaining had been each deemed excellent by the judges in Montreal.
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Like Comaneci, Kim additionally received three gold medals in Montreal.
She received the staff, flooring train, and was second to Comaneci within the particular person all-around.
Comaneci would seem within the 1980 Moscow Olympics, successful a further two gold medals on the stability beam and flooring train.
She tied for second within the particular person all-around remaining with East German gymnast Maxi Gnauck, and Romania received silver within the staff competitors.
Romanian Nadia Comaneci, heart, and Soviet Nellie Kim, proper, had been each awarded excellent 10 scores through the 1976 Olympics. Comaneci bested Kim within the all-around remaining, seen right here. (Getty Photos)
Following the 1980 Olympics, Comaneci retired from aggressive gymnastics.
She defected to the USA in 1989, mentioned the Olympics web site, eight years after her coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi did so whereas on tour along with her in the USA.
She married American gymnast Bart Conner in 1996, states the web site for the couple.
The 2 function the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Oklahoma.
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None of Comaneci’s achievements within the 1976 Olympics might be replicated at this time.
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Along with the elimination of the obligatory competitors, Comaneci — at age 14 — would have been too younger to compete within the Olympics had they occurred within the twenty first century.
In 1997, the Worldwide Gymnastics Federation dominated that gymnasts should be turning age 16 within the 12 months of competitors with a view to compete within the Olympics, says the group’s web site.
Nadia Comaneci received three gold medals, one silver and one bronze through the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. (Getty Photos)
Additional, the gymnastics scoring system was fully overhauled after the 2004 Olympic Video games, which noticed quite a few controversies associated to scoring.
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Now, elite gymnasts are given a selected issue rating for every routine, and are scored on their execution of the routine out of 10.
These two numbers are mixed for the ultimate rating.
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The ten-point system remains to be utilized in different ranges of gymnastics competitors, together with the NCAA and Junior Olympics.
