Oh this is a fabulous trip down memory lane. I was a kid when Nadia won in '76, but I remember her so well...and I wasn't even a gymnast! Pretty much every girl wanted to grow up to be her that year. Thanks for sharing!
The main thing that sticks in my brain is the fact that Nadia never wobbled on that 4" wide balance beam. Every gymnast since her seems to wobble on the beam but not Nadia
The greatest gymnast of all time is only one that is --- Nadia Comneci. She performed so easily, confidently and artistically in less modern amenities which no one could do. Hats off to Nadia Comneci and her coach.
the low bar and high bar aren't as much distanced those days as it is now. Plus, the requirements for the routines aren't as complicated. Their routines are much simpler, so grips probably weren't necessary.
raras889 they did use grips....in training but also in competition... these excercises where the beginning of the skills they do now. You can't compare it
@NatalieWood11111 don't kid urself, she got 10.0 twice in the European Championship, while Nadia got 7 and one in the grandest stage of them all "The Olympics".
actually you can't really compare Nadia with gymnasts these days. The Code of Points were different, as well as requirements for each routine and the apparatus. Not to mention there's more pressure these days. Gymnastics weren't as popular then as it is now. It's not a fair comparison.
I got hooked by Nadia at 10 yrs old and 40 years later love watching the American team finally competitive w European teams! Love it! The Nadia's are now Americans! Mary Lou Retton, Shannon Miller, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Lukin, Gabby Douglas To name a few!
