Only missing Shannon’s beam due to international copyright. Complete coverage of the 1996 Women’s Team Gymnastics Team Final competition, featuring USA, Russia, Romania, China, Ukraine and others. Compulsories - • Video
I still can’t believe I was there in person. We heard on the news there were tickets still available. I turned to my mom and said let’s go! And then we did… got in the car and drove from NYC to Atlanta. It was INCREDIBLE!!!
Dayum times so fast. I was saying USA USA USA! while watching this on tv. Now CA PA WA and NY are dens for thieves, druggies and the homeless. Wha happened?
One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE Olympics team EVER. From Moceanu’s floor exercise with the song the Devil came down to Georgia while at the Atlanta Olympics, to Kerri Strug’s absolute INCREDIBLEEEEE AMAZING vault landing on ONE foot, I will never forget as a little girl watching these amazing gymnasts fight it out to battle to be the best in the world. #USA 🥇
Nadia 1976 Perfect 10s.No bling needed on a leotard to sparkle.... kudos to E VERYONE currently competing in paris. Be a gold medal or last place, you made it to the Olympics and you should forever be proud of yourself.
I remember watching it on TV and I couldn't believe it, when Moceanu fell down twice on the vault Strug fell down too but the second vault was the most incredible moment, it felt like wait did this just happened this sort of thing only happens in fictional movies, this just happened I was so amazed! Unbelievable! Wow! 😲 🇺🇲 ❤
Did anyone else hear the crowd singing the National Anthem like a choir? I’ve never even noticed that before. Chills! How can anyone forget Kerri’s bravery that night?! Or the entire team’s utter gracefulness?
@@cthulhuhoops Because they are very difficult to do past one spin (in fact one spin is hard if you don't have your body in the right position). They place difficulty over artistry nowadays and wolf turns are proven to be one of the far more difficult skills to master, even more so the more spins you add. I've never seen anyone besides Simone do more than 2 and half in competition, and Simone has been videoed doing 6.
Has to be the best women’s gymnastics Olympics. U.S of course totally nailed it. Stuck landings and everything pretty much perfect. They were ready. Romania and Russia awesome too. Some of the best gymnasts here
The thing for the Romanians was they still pulled off the bronze in spite of being decimated by injuries and having only barely enough to get five routines per rotation in.
@@saragrant9749 they were so solid. Everyone always talks about how ‘simple’ or ‘boring’ they were but rarely see people giving credit to those young girls for how tough they were
The BEST Olympic victory ever! Love this team; their determination: team work. Kerri Strug: amazing; Shannon Miller a true veteran with Dominique Dawes...amazing...I still get chills...this is team work and sports at it's finest
@@SamiLo2 that’s right, she was. I was very sad when she had to end her Olympics after the ankle injury- I was hoping to see her get a vault medal and maybe even an AA medal- but that team gold was spectacular!
You are so right. I just recently started watching all elite competitions working backwards from the most recent and I am just blown away by this team. I mean just not a mistake between them, it's insane.
Exactly 28 years ago today. It also fell on a Tuesday. I remember, I was 19 years old watching it live on TV with my parents. Memories. The Magnificent 7! Best team ever!👍🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸
I remember watching this live. I was 10 and such a big fan of Moceanu. I had posters on my wall haha. She was adored by a lot of people and inspired many.
IDC what ANYONE says, there will NEVER EVER be another 1996 Summer Olympics. Not just in Women's Gymnastics either. But Gymnastics was my favorite. They KILLED it!! I remember I was 5 and I would practice on the "balance beam" which was the arm chair of our living room couch, with my Sister, Angel. She passed away in 2001, when I was 10 and she was 12. But when I watch this, it takes me back. Puts me in a VERY GOOD place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But like I was saying, sorry I trailed off, lol. There will NEVER be another 1996 Olympics, in Women's Gymnastics. The Magnificent Seven, and that they were. But really, ALL teams were good. Of course I was rooting for America. But a favorite of mine was Lilia Podkopayeva of Ukraine. ALL these women were amazing. America, Russia, Romanian, Ukraine, China... They all blew it out of the water. But when little miss sassy britches, Dominique Moceanu came alive to The Devil 😈 Went Down To George by The Charlie Daniels Band, and the crowd erupted. What an ICONIC moment. 🤠💚💚 R.I.Paradise to Mr. Charlie Daniels who has since passed. 😞 And when Kerri Strug brought home the GOLD medal 🏅 after THAT?!?! Wow!!! She STUCK THE LANDING!! I remember my household cheering. 🥳🥳 And then she went down, and our hearts sank. What a Super Woman!! 🦸🏼🇺🇸 Love this!!! And them all putting their hands over their heart and mouthing the National Anthem made me smile. 🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️🤍💙 Thank you for allowing me to share. 😊😊
Was a self taught gymnast I could flip bars from time I was 4i look back wonder how I didn't break my neck parents never had money to train actually they didn't even know I could do bars
I just read your comment, beautiful, and very well articulated. I 1st watched gymnastics when Nadia made history in 1976. Ever since then, I'm an addict. This is an amazing sport. I don't know how they do it. Enjoy the 2024 Olympics!! 😊😊❤❤
Yes!!!! When Keri landed that vault on one leg I cried! The passion and tenacity these women have to give their all for their country is amazing. My condolences for the loss of your sister. It’s such a precious feeling when something can bring you back to a time a loved one was with us.
My sister Angel and I loved watching every summer Olympics especially for gymnastics. She died 388 days ago, and I just wanted to reach out and let you know that my heart recognizes yours, and thank you for sharing your story. May our sisters meet somewhere in peace 🌻💚
@@Beargeek616everything was more elegant and graceful and beautiful back then. Women today should be power tumblers and keep the finesse and beauty in gymnastics, while still having a great difficulty. ✌🏻
This is my favorite woman’s gymnastics team ever . These young ladies were on 🔥… it’s crazy I remember all there names till this day ..I remember this like it was yesterday, what an amazing Olympics ..
Gymnastics was at its best in 1996. The elegance is not there anymore. I was a talented power tumbler in my youth. Modern gymnastics is more similar to this. My heart breaks for Carrie. Also, Simone Biles never sticks her landings but is talented nonetheless.
Gymnastics really doesn't stun me like it used to, there's not the same originality to it now - you don't really see gymnasts' personalities in their routines anymore - or at least it doesn't feel that way, which it did when I was younger. The skills are amazing, of course...but it all just feels more formulaic these days!
@@danielreid2868 simone doesnt stick landings??? since when??? she sticks them on floor, vault, balance beam & uneven bars. thats why shes the most decorated gymnast in the world. all that power & strenght from a 4’11 woman AND she jumps HIGH.
@@danielreid2868look up “simone biles stuck landings” she has stuck her full in off beam more than I remember, and she has a lot of overlooked sticks, but she hasn’t been sticking recently, although her landings are always super clean and light, so she minimizes deductions
@@amiyahnishae_ they started having the worlds every year instead of having them every FOUR yrs that’s why she has so many medals 🙄 she is not the goat, and she didn’t stick ANY landings in Paris, not one, the artistry aspect of her performances are stale, she wins by points not artistry which is why gymnastics today is so not fun to watch, all power with zero artistry involved, Biles is overrated.
On July 23rd it will be 25 years since this night! I was 15. It was magic. I have watched this competition so many times. The good old days of gymnastics.
I'm glad someone else remembers the date! I was 11 and I stayed up late to watch the entire thing, in my parents' room while they were trying to sleep! Good memories.
I had just turned 13 and I remember me and my sister screaming wildly when Kerri stuck her 2nd vault! What a triumph. Unfortunately Kerri was forced to vault when she didn’t have to.
What a time to be alive. I didn’t watch it live but saw my sister watching it. I saw it all over the news the next day. Back then during this era, sports we’re all for moments like this, Or any talents really. Didn’t know how much this would rang bells throughout time until all these years later, and you see what things are now. It still gives me chills.
I watched it live in Atlanta. This was pre social media so you could feel the energy and excitement throughout the whole state. That’s why it was sold out each night. Better times pre social media and internet obsession.
@@winthrop2005 You’re correct. These people today view everything as race. I was a young aspiring gymnast in Atlanta when this happened and know it was actually less racist back then than it is now. I miss that era. Where you were judged by your character, not through a victim lens.
I watched Nadia Comaneci in 1976 when I was 7 years old and I was hooked. Took gymnastics lessons at a private gym and worked my way up the classes and difficulty levels until I qualified to be on the team. When my mother went to the gym to sign me up for team and pay, she was told: Your daughter is already too tall at 10 and will never be a competitive gymnast. I was heart broken. My mom suggested ice skating to make me feel better about not being able to do gymnastics, so I did that, competed in a couple of competitions and was progressing well and I liked it--then the rink in my town closed. I still love watching both sports, and I went on to play basketball, fastpitch softball and volleyball in middle school, high school and in college. But gymnastics was my first sport love and I still enjoy it. Title XI forever.
I am so happy I was able to find this amazing piece of history. In these terrible times, it's really easy to feel defeated and lost, but these amazing women bring me back to a place of utter joy and wonder...thank you so much for this upload!!
This was spectacular. I remember watching this and I couldn't watch her final vault because I was so scared. By the time I looked, she was on the floor and I thought we had lost. I didn't know we'd actually won.
I feel like I’m 10 yrs again, watching this again. Just to be a part of sports history and watching these beautiful and strong woman is so amazing. I don’t have a favorite cause ALL 7 of them did incredible and not only did they represent USA, but they represent for gymnasts that we know today, ones in the future to come. Thank you Magnificent 7 for being such a inspiration to ALL young women with big dreams. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
It’s a bit incredible that these women are all in their 40s now. Seeing them in their teenage years competing is incredible. Capturing video must be the greatest gift to man, each video being a time capsule in its own right. ❤
This was the first Olympics I watched, I was 12 and this was the most exciting thing I had ever seen on TV. I became obsessed with gymnastics after this. I was too old to start gymnastics (much to my dismay) and too poor, but I read all the Team USA's biographies and just daydreamed about it being me. They were so inspiring!!
I remember this was so exciting at the time in US. We hadn't really had a big hit in Olympics women's gymnastics except Retton, and the 96 team took so many medals.
I'm so glad I this is on here and I can watch it again. This is gold. I was 14 then. I miss the way Olympics used to be, the energy, team spirit, patriotism, the way everyone gave a standing ovation at the end. Those were great times.
She didn’t need to do that extra vault but if it was up to her she would not have but the karolies just want to win so she had no choice she ended up winning team but her career would not be the same Godbless her
@@Saleighthe interview at end was heartbreaking. "im just glad i did well its like a dream come true 🙂 but 😬 i cant believe this happened but its ok 🙂" he sacrificed her career for that moment. She looked to him and he said "Get the win. Dont worry about. You can do it."
@@SaleighI’m curious by what you mean by her career? I mean isn’t winning Olympic gold basically the pinnacle and goal of that career? So wouldn’t it seem she achieved her goals regardless of what she did after? Or was it the possibility of more gold/olympics in the future? Though would a sprained ankle really not heal back to where she’s be back to normal a few months later?
The perfectionism of these performances are unprecedented. Unless someone sat through the entire competition and grew up in this time they wouldn’t understand. Those impeccable landings and the grace and elegance of the routines back then was so different than today’s gymnastics. The routines today have forgone this grace and elemental pieces that made these times so wonderful to experience. Today’s gymnastics is all about power and difficulty that’s all. Nothing more and nothing less. With that said there is a part of me that is broken hearted to hear about all the stories and see Bela in a completely different light as a tyrant rather than the lovable character we thought he was.
Totally agree with you... It was _way_ more elegant and smooth/beautiful back then. Now, they aren't even remotely as smooth/elegant, but they do moves with higher points, but don't perfect them. They're still insanely talented, no matter what, but I do miss watching the older gymnastics
She wasn't overwhelmed. Someone flipped the mat over to the slippery side and took away the white mat that goes on top of it. Dominique and Kerri have both complained about that being done and both of them falling because of it
In a podcast Dominique discusses this, she stated that Bela had the mat removed right before her vault. She however didn’t want the mat removed as she never practiced the vault without it and during the chaos and confusion of the moment she became quite rattled and nearly experienced a panic attack.
Kerri landing that vault and Bela Karolyi carrying her is one of those "Where were you?" moments that happen a few times a decade. If you ever doubt you can do something just remember a teenage girl with a twisted ankle and a squeaky voice landed a vault for a gold medal with a billion people watching.
wow man this brings back memories. i was 19 engaged living with my fiance and his mother and step father in their apartment i was preggers with my first born and had him in Sept of that year. I remember watching Keri in this very scene to have landed it and won it. I drew so much inspiration from that very moment that got me through some hard few years ahead of me. Who knew i would be here decades later reminiscing of all that transpired over the years.
Yes, of course. The women now are doing much more athletically-inclined and way more challenging routines that move the sport forward. But, the past days were better because they looked prettier and were younger. Because we all know looking pretty and being young are the most important things for girls.
There was more variety in their routines back then. I remember watching the 2020 Olympics. First of all the coverage was bad, but it seemed as if every girl was doing pretty much the same routine so it got a little boring.
Thanks so much for uploading! I remember watching this in the US, when I was the same age as these girls. The first Olympics I'd seen had been Barcelona, and that had made me a Shannon Miller fan. During the 96 games, my family was moving cross country, but we made sure to get a hotel with TV so we could watch the Olympics every night. It was so exciting when they won
My daughters spent years at Amanda's gym. Gold Medal. She was the sweetest ever. I'll never forget how excited she was when my daughter got her back tuck and I was just thinking she's an Olympic gold medalist and yet so happy for my daughter. They used to have a Christmas show every year and they would have coaches turn to Tumble and dang she was still so good. Great memories of her.
I have always thought Borden's beam deserved a 9.8 here. Best routine of her career when it counted the most. She and Phelps did so well as the first athlete up on this day
Definitely deserved it! Problem was they put her up FIRST. She was one of the best on beam, but given her compulsory performance, she would not make beam finals, so they put her first to get the base score for the team at a higher level, which helped Dawes and Strug and ultimately, Moceanu and Miller.
@@metsdudenj yeah makes sense to me. It really seems like they made intelligent lineup decisions at this Olympics to try to maximize the team total and get that gold medal. And you could tell these girls were a true team, greater than the sum of its parts.
metsdudenj that is really messed up. Unfortunately Kim didn’t hold up, with all the pressure, stress and injuries. Would you say Kerri was better or just as good as Kim?
1996 was the golden age of women’s gymnastics. Athleticism, gracefulness and artistry. I love how long they hold their hand stands on the uneven bars. Today, I feel like the tumbling is more difficult, but it has lost the elegance of these talented women. USA! 🇺🇸
Today's gymnast (in my opinion) do not have the grace or elegance it once had. The girls difficulty is great, it just seems what made Artist Gymnastics so beautiful is lost.
@@primetimecoffee6421 I agree. From a 70's watcher from the days of Nadia, my fav. was '84, the silver, and when Marylou was the first US woman to take the all around Gold. And now this; my "favorite" days stopped at this. This team truly was magnificent. And I loved the early 90's with Kim Zmeskal; the Whip Back queen. Anyway, yes, they've put so much difficulty into it that the sport lost what it started out as. Sad.
I agree now it feels rushed and they just want the gymnast to throw the hardest skills the elegance that use to be my fav parts . Now it feels too rushed and the girls do a tiny bit of choreography but it’s just to get to the other side of floor tumble than tumble do a few front aerials Or twist final pass that is the hardest . like it once was'! Amazing to just watch
Yes, because looking pretty is way more important than actual skills and strength in “girls”. People said the same about female tennis when they got stronger. No mention of power being less “elegant” in the male side of either sport.
@@belleslettres354 I was there, (insert inappropriate haha here for your silly counter) - people were nicer, kinder, more tolerant, and we didn't give a crap about what a person looked like, it was all about MERIT AND CHARACTER! No one claimed that bad people didn't exist then (insert inappropriate haha here), they did, but it wasn't the norm. Your smugness proves my point. HAHA.
It was such a smart move putting her up first. And think about it, for her to get a score of 9.787 then the majority of judges would have given votes of 9.8 - huge score for the first routine of the night.
I remember watching this in 1996. I was in the Mountain Time zone, so we were tape delayed. I was trying so hard to avoid hearing the results. I had heard that something happened at the end of the competition and that Kerri Strug had been injured. But I successfully avoided hearing the results. When it finally came on TV, I knew after the first few bar routines that they would win. They hit routine after routine and, importantly, did not give anything away on the dismounts. In 1992, they took silly steps and hops instead of fighting. But in 1996, they could easily have taken some steps, but remained composed and didn’t move their feet.
Best Olympic team final ever. I don't care what anyone else says, you could ask any gymnast if they'd be willing to sacrifice a severe sprain and some torn ligaments for the first ever Olympic team gold and 100% would say yes in a heartbeat. Kerri was a hero. She made history. Mag 7 was brilliant.
MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE US GYMNASTIC TEAM ! THEY WERE THE DREAM TEAM !!! I remember watching this 1996. Kerri made me and My grandpa cried 😭 These very young girls made US history 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Man I get goosebumps just thinking about the magnificent 7... Watching it in 96 was the most incredible and exciting gymnastic Olympics EVER. My best friend and I were the same age as Dominique Moceanu at the time and we were OBSESSED with her and her floor routine! Still my favorite routine, 28 years later.
1996 we were stationed in Pensacola, FL and my 1.9lb preemie was born...breathing on his own!! I'm here watching as I didn't truly get to ENJOY watching the Olympics. The NICU and bringing him home in JULY was my preoccupation!! I'm just watching & waiting to hear...YOU CAN DO IT!!!!
This comment makes no sense but at the same time I’m asking,,Why even take the chance to judge. The recording is from 1996 and played on a VHS tape, and besides film there was no other higher quality format at the time.
@@aaronberns8485 the comment makes perfect sense. If you watched gymnastics in the early days of RU-vid, there were great quality videos of the games. Then several years ago, a lot of them were taken down and people weren’t able to comment. Probably because people were always arguing for no reason lol. This comment was also meant to be light hearted. I don’t know why you seem offended about video quality but whatever. God bless.
Amazing nostalgic memories. I was 6. Remember this like it was yesterday. 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸. Many thanks for this upload 😊. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER MAGNIFICENT SEVEN AS EPIC AS THIS. 🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🥇
This is the true Olympic moment. Kerri Strug with one bad leg, she has to make a final vault and stick to landing to win a gold medal for the first time for the team. The USA millions are watching on NBC and are waiting for a miracle, and it came. Kerri is the true Olympic legend
It made her a legend…but it turned out the US would have still won gold by .309 if she scratched and did not do the 2nd vault. But she was brave and showed strength and heart and she literally gave all she had.
I don't think an injury that ended her career is worthy of any gold medal. That was stupid and unsafe. I can't believe the coach was encouraging her to do the second vault...
@@albarjas8360 First of all that injury didn't end her career. She chose to quit gymnastics and go to college. Secondly, that was the proudest moment of her life according to Keri, so I seriously doubt she gives a sh*t that you consider it "stupid." Thirdly, stfu
I think this was the first olympics I ever watched as a kid! I was only ever into the gymnastics and figure skating so these young women's faces are burned into my memory.
I know I sound old, but I miss this fluidity lacking in the last decade or so. I love that almost ballet arm, hand and leg moves, not the current style of stick my arm out, move it up and down and back into the body. I miss the grace, the flare, and that smooth beauty.
I watched this live in my living room with my parents and brother. I remember how exciting this was and how I felt for weeks afterwards. It started a gymnastics craze for me to the point where I taped a balance beam to the floor 😅. I wish so badly we could go back to those times. Such a magnificent and magical memory
God, Lilia Podkopayeva was so beautiful, everything about her was gorgeous, elegant, pretty, talented and seems very humble. You don't see many gymnasts like her anymore, if any!
@@punkrockstarwhat are you talking about? The women on today’s team deserve their place. No one handed anyone a berth based on race, so what reverse discrimination is there?
Highest Scorer per event in this “Optional” Round: Bars - Dominique Dawes (9.850); Beam - Shannon Miller (9.862); Floor - Dominique Dawes (9.850); Vault - Dominique Dawes (9.762) Best Scorer per event if you combine and average their “Compulsory” and “Optional” round scores: Bars - Dominique Dawes (9.806); Beam - Shannon Miller (9.7995); Floor - Kerri Strug (9.831); Vault - Kerri Strug (9.762)
She literally gave it her all! It is a little sad seeing her in so much pain knowing that they would have won even if she did not do the 2nd vault…but her bravery/strength/determination made her an Olympic Legend!
One of the BESTEST women’s gymnastics olympic ever. Go Kerri! You are the reason the gymnastic was the greatest in the 90’s. Love it! Nothing can’t compare your move!
If anyone on here has read Dominique Moceanu’s autobiography OFF BALANCE, the end of this day was sadly frustrating for her. She fell twice on the vault and not only was her father angry with her and dressed her down, but the Karolyis completely deserted her as coaches in the event finals she qualified for. After the event final, they left her without even saying good-bye. The cameras told one story. Reality was quite different.
No doubt that when Kerri performed that 2nd vault she was running on pure adrenaline….the type when you don’t feel the pain…no matter how bad, you just do. When you’re running on that type, the human body can do almost anything.
I loved these Olympics! I was 8. The torch was carried through my town (Bremen), and I got to hold it and have my picture taken with it! What memories!
After reading Dominique Moceanu's book this makes me feel sad, like knowing Bella Karolyi is only acting for the cameras and never spoke another word to her after she fell on her first vault. The Karolyis abused so many girls then turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse. If not for Simone Biles having the fame and power our gymnasts would still be training at the ranch. I just don't understand why they are held accountable when so many women have come forward
You can actually hear him say to her “Well done little piggy” after the beam and the commentators didn’t even acknowledge it 🥺. So many signs of the abuse and no action done.
Her anger, bitterness and indifference toward her parents had extended to bela. She was looking for a father figure in him but his job was her coach first and foremost not to be her replacement dad. She should be grateful to bela for making her an elite gymnast. That was normal for a coach to berate a protege as taking it as a grain of salt. The karolyi’s was not implicated of the charges which nasser found guilty with because for the fact that they didn’t know anything about it. The only thing their fault was : they were the owner of the ranch.
Yet he was talking to her again the next day in the all-around and really supportive even though she went out of bounds. She looked very comforted by him. He knew she was injured going in and wasn’t at her best. He was trying to support her living out her dream while staying safe. Moceanu is capitalizing off of “cancel culture”. There’s a reason she stayed with him almost a decade.
"you can do it" - Bela to Keri, THAT ALONE, as an athlete, will give me 100% additional strength to perform. Like in all the pressure, someone believed that I can do it. Hail, Keri Strug!
There's a lot of information out there now about what it was really like training under him , he was abusive, they all hated him and it shows here in their body language.
I watch the gymnasts coming up for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics for the American team and...I'll be perfectly honest: nobody was as good as the girls from this team. They didn't get the name "The Magnificent 7" for nothing. The "Fierce 5" were good too later on but this team...they were THAT good individually. No balance checks. No hops in landings. Just...nearly dare I say perfection. You can't duplicate that.
The CoP changed. The difficulty required is insane. IMO the 2012 team blows this team out of the water, the 2016 Rio team as well was amazing. I do not recall the USofA making any mistakes, sure a balance check here and there, but their difficulty compared to 1996 is huge.
I was 13 watching this in 96’ what was so special about this is .the summer Jordan came back to the bulls and they won their 3rd NBA championship prior to the Olympics starting later that summer .. the good ole days . Mannn I miss this 🤍🙏🏾🤍
@@saragrant9749Literally, dk what they are talking about, but I definitely agree that the artistry was more genuine especially on floor and beam, now most gymnasts aren’t very artistic, rush choreo, and don’t properly salute at the end of performances, so I do sort of understand their dumb comment. They did word it badly
