GBR TV coverage (poor quality) of ROM and USSR women's compulsory & optional routines. Comaneci, Shaposhnikova, Filatova, Zakharova, Eberle, Davydova, Kim, etc.
This is a gymnastics treasure! The compulsories was really something back then. The Romanias did very good, even better than the Soviets but this is 1980 and in Moscow so. Nadia was the Queen of compulsories, this Olympics are the best example. That balance beam and floor was exquisite. Her floor routine showed her "new" lines as she was taller than before and it worked to her advantage, her ballet was perfect, her body was in "by the book positions" even so she got a 9.95 but it was a 10. Incredible to be watching this in 2020!
With respect, Nadia was as good as the Soviets, better than some, but the suggestion that all the Romanians were better than all the Soviets? Simply not true, especially if you compare floor exercise. The Soviets were superior.
It's terrible what happened to Elena Mukhina. It seems as though they truly didn't care and discarded her. She in my opinion was the most graceful and pure gymnast ever. It's a shame her career was so short. There is a documentary about her in 1987 that shows how sad her life was after the injury.
It's sad to think of what she would have accomplished if she hadn't had that accident. It's even sadder that as soon as she did get hurt she said her first thought was "Good, now I don't have to go to the Olympics" or something like that. She was terribly mistreated, they really all were. The Soviet regime demanded winners and put immense pressure on the coaches who then put immense pressure on the gymnasts and worked them like crazy. The individual gymnasts seemed to mean absolutely nothing aside from what they could produce for the Soviet Union. It was a throw away sport but they pinned all of their hopes on Mukhina to be the Soviets answer to Nadia and bring home gold medals so they couldn't throw her away until she was broken beyond repair. They forced her out of a cast when she broke her leg and made her train with it unhealed, and obviously it exasperating the injury but they didn't give a shit. They forced her to put that Thomas salto in her routine even though she was very scared about it and clearly not able to do it because of her injury and because she didn't have nearly enough time to train. She wouldn't have even needed it to win. Then to add insult to injury they lied about it for years and probably made damn sure that she didn't say anything to anyone about what really happened to her. Hers is definitely one of the saddest gymnastics horror stories I've ever heard.
Amazing competition footage! Poor quality but nonetheless essential. I was hoping to see Yelena Davydova's compulsory floor which kept her out of event finals. Also, disappointed that it's so fragmented. The announcer states Dumitrita Turner scored a 10 on vault but there is no footage!
What a lovely compulsory balance beam routine from Nadia Comaneci. It was flowing, precise, magnificent, stunning, and absolutely flawless. What other possible score could the routine have been judged as other than a perfect 10.0?
Shaposhnikovas first vault deserved a 10. It was clearly better than Nadia's 9.95 vault yet received the same score? Both of Shaposhnikovas vaults were perfect.
Nadia's beam and Natalia's vault were school perfect 10. On the other hand Nadia on vault and especially Natalia on beam were overscored with 9.95. Davydova was way behind them in compulsories. 9.80 floor and UB
This is a gymnastics treasure! The compulsories was really something back then. The Romanias did very good, even better than the Soviets but this is 1980 and in Moscow so. Nadia was the Queen of compulsories, this Olympics are the best example. That balance beam and floor was exquisite. Her floor routine showed her "new" lines as she was taller than before and it worked to her advantage, her ballet was perfect, her body was in "by the book positions" even so she got a 9.95 but it was a 10. Incredible to be watching this in 2020!
With respect, Nadia was as good as the Soviets, better than some, but the suggestion that all the Romanians were better than all the Soviets? Simply not true, especially if you compare floor exercise. The Soviets were superior.
It's terrible what happened to Elena Mukhina. It seems as though they truly didn't care and discarded her. She in my opinion was the most graceful and pure gymnast ever. It's a shame her career was so short. There is a documentary about her in 1987 that shows how sad her life was after the injury.
It's sad to think of what she would have accomplished if she hadn't had that accident. It's even sadder that as soon as she did get hurt she said her first thought was "Good, now I don't have to go to the Olympics" or something like that. She was terribly mistreated, they really all were. The Soviet regime demanded winners and put immense pressure on the coaches who then put immense pressure on the gymnasts and worked them like crazy. The individual gymnasts seemed to mean absolutely nothing aside from what they could produce for the Soviet Union. It was a throw away sport but they pinned all of their hopes on Mukhina to be the Soviets answer to Nadia and bring home gold medals so they couldn't throw her away until she was broken beyond repair. They forced her out of a cast when she broke her leg and made her train with it unhealed, and obviously it exasperating the injury but they didn't give a shit. They forced her to put that Thomas salto in her routine even though she was very scared about it and clearly not able to do it because of her injury and because she didn't have nearly enough time to train. She wouldn't have even needed it to win. Then to add insult to injury they lied about it for years and probably made damn sure that she didn't say anything to anyone about what really happened to her. Hers is definitely one of the saddest gymnastics horror stories I've ever heard.
Amazing competition footage! Poor quality but nonetheless essential. I was hoping to see Yelena Davydova's compulsory floor which kept her out of event finals. Also, disappointed that it's so fragmented. The announcer states Dumitrita Turner scored a 10 on vault but there is no footage!
What a lovely compulsory balance beam routine from Nadia Comaneci. It was flowing, precise, magnificent, stunning, and absolutely flawless. What other possible score could the routine have been judged as other than a perfect 10.0?
@wstacym 16.5?
Poor quality indeed, but priceless! I haven't seen this since the live broadcasting in 1980! Thank you for posting!
Shaposhnikovas first vault deserved a 10. It was clearly better than Nadia's 9.95 vault yet received the same score? Both of Shaposhnikovas vaults were perfect.
Shapo was underscored compared to Nadia
Here they are lying about Elena Mukhina. It took years before the world knew what really happened to her.
Nadia's beam and Natalia's vault were school perfect 10.
On the other hand Nadia on vault and especially Natalia on beam were overscored with 9.95.
Davydova was way behind them in compulsories. 9.80 floor and UB
At 30:30 Yuri Titov talks about The Great Elena Mukhina! He says he talked to her "this morning".
I read that she was in a coma during the Olympics.
The Romanians chanting in the audience (every time) were obnoxious.
@Star Tetrahedron Yes, the random screaming was weird lol.
@Star Tetrahedron The Atlanta crowd really pissed me off. I honestly would have been embarrassed had I been one of the American gymnasts.
The Romanian supporters have been the 7th member of the team then. Great job! Let them know we matter! Like Simona Halep's supporters today!
Thank you!