All the esteemed gymnasts on this list up to this point (and Mary Lou Retton) had one thing in common. They truly were all-around gymnasts. That changed in 1991, when Bela Karolyi got his pupil Kim Zmeskal the World All-Around Title.
At the start of Kim's bars routine, commentator Kathy Johnson says her bars are improved. Note she does not say they are good. They were a severe hindrance, to put it nicely; an eyesore, to put it accurately. In the past, that would have been rightfully taken into account and judged accordingly. But suddenly in Indianapolis, it was downright ignored.
Laughably, Zmeskal scored the same on bars in the all-around as Tatianas Gutsu and Lysenko, both of whom would go on to be European medalists on the event--and in Gutsu's case, the Olympic silver medalist.
This kind of oversight should never happen if a sport is supposed to be taken seriously. Which is precisely why many don't take the result of this meet seriously.
Btw scores added for ridiculosity.
26 авг 2024
