Kim Zmeskal performs her floor exercise routine at the 1991 World Gymnastics Championships in the All-Around competition, scoring a 9.987 and winning the gold medal.
THis floor routine gives me chills. Kim really made the best of the awful choreography that the Karolyi girls always had. I never get tired of watching her 3 whips! I would have given it a 10!
This was a fabulous routine, very well-performed, but the most impressive thing about it was the audience. 0_0 There's nothing like an American audience cheering on their athletes in a home competition. And Kim handled the pressure so well and delivered! *cue people who think she didn't deserve to win*
meegikwang the problem with that routine is there was a whole lot of nothing going on during that fast paced music. Kim’s performance matches her music and she looks like she’s enjoying it not working hard on and only focusing on the tumbling passes.
meegikwangt I get what you are saying. Her tumbling passes were amazing. But do you see how Kim almost constantly moves in time with her music? Like she’s dancing to the beat of the song? Oksana did none of that and whether it’s technically part of the scoring or not judges like that in a floor exercise. Had she used slower music her routine would’ve matched better. (And I did watch again as you suggested) it’s just not as exciting to watch as this. It’s her choreographers fault. Not hers.
The problem with today's routines is the in-between dance moves are packed with "D" skills that earn the gymnast valuable points but aren't aesthetically pleasing to watch. Most of the choreo in the old days was entertaining but holds no bonus value today, so gymnasts tend not to bother with it. It's a shame because I truly miss what will probably be considered the "golden era" when gymnastics was both difficult and entertaining to watch.
I agree. I keep saying the same damn thing. Fuck focusing on how difficult the routine can be with D skills and bring back the artisitc portion. In fact, I believe it is more difficult to do the floor like Kim, Dawes, and Miller the way they had to do it.
I know, right?! I learned how to do a whipback on the trampoline when I went for a back handspring and my hands accidentally didn't touch the canvas...🤔Hmmm...😁That was pretty cool...
I remember taping her on my VCR and watching over & over. 20 years later I still can't get over that second pass of 3 whip backs into a flip flop double back. At one time she even did 4 whip backs (it was a little overkill)
Kim was amazing back in the day. I live in Jersey and used to train with Olga Korbut in Hammonton and remember watching this with her. She said Kim was the most amazing gymnasts she ever saw...and we all know how good Olga was.
I'm actually related to her on my dad's side. I've met her parents once when I was really young, but I've never met her. My mom's only met her once because she was always practicing. My dads met her a few times as well, mostly when they were younger, they're third cousins I believe.
She could work a crowd like no other! I idolized her when I was a gymnast back then and it still gives me chills the way the crowd cheered her on!!!!! She was awesome!
I love her!! I remember watching this when, I was still in the single digits;).....I love when gymnastics meets are in the United States. The crowds go insane!!!
Maybe somebody will correct me, and, if you can, please do so, but this is the best floor exercise that I have ever seen. I remember seeing a replay of this on the news or sportscenter and being aghast at the talent of this girl. Simply amazing. Too bad that she got hurt before the Olympics.
This floor exercise timeless. It represents a kind of goodness about USA that I miss so much. We were so good. I hope and pray that we can get back to that place.
was never a fan of kim, her choreography, and she really relied on that whip back sequence to wow. Alas, this is the one moment where I think it all came together for her and its a shame she did not perform to her potential in barcelona. all details aside, 1991 was all hers. Such bravado and excitement, the crowd seems to lift her higher.
@ReedieBop yes, her score has been in the video description since I put it up on UA-cam, you just have to expand the description to read it all. She scored a 9.987 :)
No joke, I remember watching this the day it happened (it's been 18years!!!!) and it STILL is incredible to me. Then again, feel the same way about her fall in BCN. :(
Watching Kim Zmeskal's "91 routine has always put a smile on face and motivated me as a gymnast. It continues to do so watching it in my 30's!! I agree with most of the other comments posted here. The newer regulations have removed the entertainment enthusiasm from the routines.
@bluebirdsin No, she had performed the triple whip-back in competition since 1989. The crowd knew that with a great floor routine in her final rotation, she would be the first American female gymnast to win the all-around gold medal :)
I've seen her do the quad in exhibition! So cool! Is there vid of her crying in Barcelona?? The NBC coverage never showed that....my heart just broke for her. My first fave gymnast!!
Not only did this routine have great tumbling for the time, but the dance, and lots of it, was so energetic and went so well with the music. So many routines today lack what this routine had. They are all tumbling w/ a little lackluster dance as filler today.
She fell off the beam during the compulsories, clawed her way back into the AA (this was back when you could have 3 gymnasts from any 1 country in the AA, not just 2) and then took a step out of bounds in her floor exercise in the AA and finished 10th. She had a stress fracture but the insane hype couldn't have helped. Poor kid. I love this routine.
She looks so strong and healthy here compared to the 1992 Olympics. ❤️ I know there can still be issues surrounding weight,, but I’m glad gymnastics has evolved so much that body lines amounting to emaciation for many teenaged women are no longer a priority. Strength and technique are. I think Zmeskal is as natural a tumbler as Simone Biles.
Yes, indeed, but I was speaking in the context of the World Championships :) Until Kim Zmeskal won the gold in 1991, there hadn't even been a U.S. medalist in the women's all-around competition at a World Championships. So, that's part of what made this routine so exciting and special for the audience :)
idolwatcher0 I'm from Indianapolis and was at work when she won. I remember being told she had won and I was squealing! I did get to go to event finals and see her teammate Betty Okino do the first triple turn on beam AND win the bronze 😁
Sometimes I feel that floor is just a routine with music playing in the background. This routine was beautiful and skillfully executed with the music woven wonderfully into the routine. I hope/wish some of the magic she harnessed in this routine can be tapped into at the London Olympics.
Don't get me wrong because I love watching gymnastics, but what has happened to gymnastics nowadays? You never see a routines as gorgeously performed and executed as back in the 90s nowadays. (i.e. Kim Zmeskal on floor, Shannon Miller on beam, etc.). I think the sole basis on difficulty has hurt the sport in some ways.
I remember feeling so bad for her in the 92 olympics, because I don't know what happened, but she just didn't perform like this, and they kept showing replays of her messing up over and over. That's when people seemed to stop ignoring Shannon Miller. After that, I don't remember hearing anything about Kim Zemeskal, wonder what happened to her?
this was mos def a great exercise. i'm in the camp believing kim deserved to win the world title AA based on that code of points. all of her sets were at maximum start value & she executed perfectly even though there were several who competed more difficult sets. she did what she needed. but i think this is why the code used for 1993-96 was the best of all b/c it recognized the need to reward others who took more risk.
Agree. Sends chills down my spine. The funny thing is that youtube displays the "related" videos to the right of this, one of which showing Boganskaya's "perfect 10" routine, and it pales in comparison to this one. I am glad, as evidenced by the comments, that people recognize how great she was.
Boginskaya is far better than Kim. One of the most stylish gymnasts ever in fact. This routine by Kim is good for college level. I find it boring and irritating
I love the triple whipbacks. Why don't they do those anymore? And what was that ending of the first pass? It looked like a double twist with a double tuck? Cool
She's married, has her own gym, and still tours in professional exhibitions from time to time. That, and she's built like a brick house... girl's strong as hell!
It doesn't matter if Kim had grace and beauty in her routine. It's not ballet; it's gymnastics. As long as there is energy, which Kim was known for, and excitement, it is memorable. She doesn't have to be one of the Soviet pixies that everyone drools over; she has her own style and people should appreciate that side, not just one aspect of gymnastics.
Ah, a vid back when gymnastics was EXCITING.... ...as opposed to the let's-see-how-far-we-can-push-the-difficulty-before-impact-trauma-becomes-the-norm era of today.
Even if she thought that, it would've been a flawed thought. Kim got 2 gold medals at the 1992 Worlds in Paris, so it wasn't like Kim was incapable of performing well outside the U.S. and under pressure. Also, Bogi's routines were not considered difficult enough to garner the higher scores she needed to win the all-around in '91. Kim performed very well in this all-around competition, and gymnasts who had more difficulty either had a major error or too many little ones that caused them to lose.
Unfortunately even if Lysenko (IMO the best gymnast in the meet) had hit 4 for 4, they weren't going to give her the scores to win. That was obvious after bars.
This not only made up for the controversial results of that Worlds. Looking at it 20 years after, it even looks like Zmeskal could dance! I mean, we have Raisman as FX Olympic champion. My lord..
That's because back then, they awarded you PROPORTIONATELY to how well you performed whatever it was you'd planned to do. Now, you basically gotta get out there and do things scientists didn't even know COULD be done-- just to stay competitive in the ridiculous bonus system that replaced our time-tested and beloved 10-based system. I say phooey on that, and I doubt I'm alone in that opinion.
![[HD] Nancy Kerrigan - 1994 Lillehammer Olympic - Free Skating](/img/n.gif)
THis floor routine gives me chills.
Kim really made the best of the awful choreography that the Karolyi girls always had. I never get tired of watching her 3 whips! I would have given it a 10!
This was a fabulous routine, very well-performed, but the most impressive thing about it was the audience. 0_0 There's nothing like an American audience cheering on their athletes in a home competition. And Kim handled the pressure so well and delivered! *cue people who think she didn't deserve to win*
Shatarupa I agree. American audiences are the most spirited and gives me pride.
meegikwang the problem with that routine is there was a whole lot of nothing going on during that fast paced music. Kim’s performance matches her music and she looks like she’s enjoying it not working hard on and only focusing on the tumbling passes.
meegikwangt I get what you are saying. Her tumbling passes were amazing. But do you see how Kim almost constantly moves in time with her music? Like she’s dancing to the beat of the song? Oksana did none of that and whether it’s technically part of the scoring or not judges like that in a floor exercise. Had she used slower music her routine would’ve matched better. (And I did watch again as you suggested) it’s just not as exciting to watch as this. It’s her choreographers fault. Not hers.
meegikwang Well sorry to break it to you on floor exercises they look at that. I know from experience. But thank you!
@meegikwang That's a completely different competition. This is the AA, the one you linked is the Event Finals.
I nearly cried with the brilliance of this when I saw it at the time. Over 20 years later and it still has the same effect.
The problem with today's routines is the in-between dance moves are packed with "D" skills that earn the gymnast valuable points but aren't aesthetically pleasing to watch. Most of the choreo in the old days was entertaining but holds no bonus value today, so gymnasts tend not to bother with it. It's a shame because I truly miss what will probably be considered the "golden era" when gymnastics was both difficult and entertaining to watch.
I agree. I keep saying the same damn thing. Fuck focusing on how difficult the routine can be with D skills and bring back the artisitc portion. In fact, I believe it is more difficult to do the floor like Kim, Dawes, and Miller the way they had to do it.
Omg, this sport used to be so much fun. The code of points killed it. : ( Look at everyone clapping before the last pass.
They knew what was coming. Sheer power. Kim was a strong girl. Very powerful on her tumbling runs. And of course the infamous whip backs.
I wish they still did whip backs they're awesome
I know, right?! I learned how to do a whipback on the trampoline when I went for a back handspring and my hands accidentally didn't touch the canvas...🤔Hmmm...😁That was pretty cool...
I never forgot this floor routine. I watch it everytime the Olympics rolls around. In my mind one of the best ever done.
Would love to see those whip backs done by the 2016 Women's Team
@Mara L Whips are worth as much as back handsprings
It’s only like a 0.1 connection bonus. Most girls don’t take the risk of longer tumbling passes because of it
whoa!!.. she was my favorite back in the day.. now i see why!!..
@Mara L Better how?
had to see this memory again after seeing Kim on tv tonight coaching. still a pleasure to watch
Ha me too.
When gymnastics and floor routines were exciting. One of my faves
Golden age- yes no wolf turns! lol
You know it’s good when the judges are clapping and smiling!!
My routine is based on this... I love it! It's really fun.
I remember taping her on my VCR and watching over & over. 20 years later I still can't get over that second pass of 3 whip backs into a flip flop double back. At one time she even did 4 whip backs (it was a little overkill)
jungillest omg me too ! I VCRd this routine and I watched it over and over it was extraordinary
Such a 10.00 --- my favorite gymnast
Love Kim Zmeskal's power and showmanship! You can see through the whole routine she was going for that 10 and showing that to the whole crowd.
Mannn this is amazing! Had to watch after seeing Ragan at Olympic Trials the past weekend..
Love love LOVE KIM ZMESKAL!!!!!!!!
Kim was amazing back in the day. I live in Jersey and used to train with Olga Korbut in Hammonton and remember watching this with her. She said Kim was the most amazing gymnasts she ever saw...and we all know how good Olga was.
Top three favourite floor exercise routines of all time. 90s gymnastics was very special-- athleticism, elegance, and grace...
I'm actually related to her on my dad's side. I've met her parents once when I was really young, but I've never met her. My mom's only met her once because she was always practicing. My dads met her a few times as well, mostly when they were younger, they're third cousins I believe.
She could work a crowd like no other! I idolized her when I was a gymnast back then and it still gives me chills the way the crowd cheered her on!!!!! She was awesome!
The girl was on fire that night! I have never seen a better floor performance.
I love her!! I remember watching this when, I was still in the single digits;).....I love when gymnastics meets are in the United States. The crowds go insane!!!
Maybe somebody will correct me, and, if you can, please do so, but this is the best floor exercise that I have ever seen. I remember seeing a replay of this on the news or sportscenter and being aghast at the talent of this girl. Simply amazing. Too bad that she got hurt before the Olympics.
This still gives me chills!!!
Kim and this GREAT routine is why I became a gymnast😊
The pass with 3 consecutive back whips: best tumbling pass of all time.
Has anyone attempted it since??
This floor exercise timeless. It represents a kind of goodness about USA that I miss so much. We were so good. I hope and pray that we can get back to that place.
Exciting video!! This remains on of my favorite routines - love those whip-overs!!
WOW that was perfect! so beautiful - so powerful - i think i'm in love kim zmeskal
That was Amazing... Thanks for the link Micheal...
was never a fan of kim, her choreography, and she really relied on that whip back sequence to wow. Alas, this is the one moment where I think it all came together for her and its a shame she did not perform to her potential in barcelona. all details aside, 1991 was all hers. Such bravado and excitement, the crowd seems to lift her higher.
@ReedieBop yes, her score has been in the video description since I put it up on UA-cam, you just have to expand the description to read it all. She scored a 9.987 :)
No joke, I remember watching this the day it happened (it's been 18years!!!!) and it STILL is incredible to me.
Then again, feel the same way about her fall in BCN. :(
Watching Kim Zmeskal's "91 routine has always put a smile on face and motivated me as a gymnast. It continues to do so watching it in my 30's!! I agree with most of the other comments posted here. The newer regulations have removed the entertainment enthusiasm from the routines.
I love that pass with the three whip backs. So cool to watch.
@bluebirdsin No, she had performed the triple whip-back in competition since 1989. The crowd knew that with a great floor routine in her final rotation, she would be the first American female gymnast to win the all-around gold medal :)
she is by far the best gymnast I have ever seen. The way she connects with the crowd is just WoW I have never seen any other gymnast do that.
My favorite FX, it just makes you smile.
Not only is Kim a great gymnastic, she is also a very friendly person to everyone.
I remember this video from when I was a little girl. Amazing.
Thanks! Always wondered what the middle part was called. Loved Louie Prima! Surprised I never new that!
In 1991 she had In the Mood (popularized by Glenn Miller). In 1992, she had a Rock Around the Clock and Johnny Be Good mix.
That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!
I loved her! she was such an amazing gymnast!!
now I understand the texas dream's girls fx routines
I’m so happy Kim Zmesksl won 🎉
I love this its so full of energy
"The newest sensation."
HOLY CRAP. That was amazing. I didn't know humans could MOVE like THAT!
That deserved like a 10.9
Kim Zmeskal just proved that the human body, when combined with spirit and soul, has the capacity to contradict the law of gravity.
I've seen her do the quad in exhibition! So cool!
Is there vid of her crying in Barcelona?? The NBC coverage never showed that....my heart just broke for her. My first fave gymnast!!
Not only did this routine have great tumbling for the time, but the dance, and lots of it, was so energetic and went so well with the music. So many routines today lack what this routine had. They are all tumbling w/ a little lackluster dance as filler today.
She fell off the beam during the compulsories, clawed her way back into the AA (this was back when you could have 3 gymnasts from any 1 country in the AA, not just 2) and then took a step out of bounds in her floor exercise in the AA and finished 10th. She had a stress fracture but the insane hype couldn't have helped. Poor kid. I love this routine.
thanks buck for linking me!
She looks so strong and healthy here compared to the 1992 Olympics. ❤️ I know there can still be issues surrounding weight,, but I’m glad gymnastics has evolved so much that body lines amounting to emaciation for many teenaged women are no longer a priority. Strength and technique are. I think Zmeskal is as natural a tumbler as Simone Biles.
She does the same exact thing I love when Shawn does. Roundoff, back handspring and then a double layout.
Yes, indeed, but I was speaking in the context of the World Championships :) Until Kim Zmeskal won the gold in 1991, there hadn't even been a U.S. medalist in the women's all-around competition at a World Championships. So, that's part of what made this routine so exciting and special for the audience :)
idolwatcher0 I'm from Indianapolis and was at work when she won. I remember being told she had won and I was squealing! I did get to go to event finals and see her teammate Betty Okino do the first triple turn on beam AND win the bronze 😁
Sometimes I feel that floor is just a routine with music playing in the background. This routine was beautiful and skillfully executed with the music woven wonderfully into the routine. I hope/wish some of the magic she harnessed in this routine can be tapped into at the London Olympics.
This is one of the most famous routines in history.
I don't think there's a young woman gymnast today that could better that floor routine Kim performed.
There are a couple songs played. "In the Mood" -Glenn Miller; and "Sing Sing Sing" -Benny Goodman. It is sort of a Big Band Mash-up.
Most powerful gymnast ever
Don't get me wrong because I love watching gymnastics, but what has happened to gymnastics nowadays? You never see a routines as gorgeously performed and executed as back in the 90s nowadays. (i.e. Kim Zmeskal on floor, Shannon Miller on beam, etc.). I think the sole basis on difficulty has hurt the sport in some ways.
Very best gymnast ever, IMHO, and you don't need medals to prove that. Loved her.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIMBO. We share a birthday today. It is my birthday today too.
Yes its "In the Mood" but at :50 to 1:10 it switches to "Sing Sing Sing" by L.Prima made popular by Benny Goodman.
I started throwing a double whip-back because of this routine. Never could quite get that 3rd one in though lol.
man, i miss the 90s.
oh man i remember this i wanted to be her when i was little!! what a true athlete she was.
I remember feeling so bad for her in the 92 olympics, because I don't know what happened, but she just didn't perform like this, and they kept showing replays of her messing up over and over. That's when people seemed to stop ignoring Shannon Miller. After that, I don't remember hearing anything about Kim Zemeskal, wonder what happened to her?
this was mos def a great exercise. i'm in the camp believing kim deserved to win the world title AA based on that code of points. all of her sets were at maximum start value & she executed perfectly even though there were several who competed more difficult sets. she did what she needed. but i think this is why the code used for 1993-96 was the best of all b/c it recognized the need to reward others who took more risk.
Agree. Sends chills down my spine. The funny thing is that youtube displays the "related" videos to the right of this, one of which showing Boganskaya's "perfect 10" routine, and it pales in comparison to this one. I am glad, as evidenced by the comments, that people recognize how great she was.
Boginskaya is far better than Kim. One of the most stylish gymnasts ever in fact. This routine by Kim is good for college level. I find it boring and irritating
I love the triple whipbacks. Why don't they do those anymore? And what was that ending of the first pass? It looked like a double twist with a double tuck? Cool
BRAVOOOO
Gymnastics has always been a sport.
She had a quad whip back at one point. I felt bad for her watching her cry in Barcelona.
She's married, has her own gym, and still tours in professional exhibitions from time to time.
That, and she's built like a brick house... girl's strong as hell!
It doesn't matter if Kim had grace and beauty in her routine. It's not ballet; it's gymnastics. As long as there is energy, which Kim was known for, and excitement, it is memorable. She doesn't have to be one of the Soviet pixies that everyone drools over; she has her own style and people should appreciate that side, not just one aspect of gymnastics.
She is the fastest tumbler I've ever seen!
Wow. I am in awe that anyone can move like that. And yes, I am also here because of Buck. xD
the second pass was breathtaking omg
woah those are crazy flips.
Ah, a vid back when gymnastics was EXCITING....
...as opposed to the let's-see-how-far-we-can-push-the-difficulty-before-impact-trauma-becomes-the-norm era of today.
Gosh, this is when floor exercise was magical. Can someone tell me why we don't see routines like this anymore?
she's a class act! is that the judges clapping along at 1:15?
I think i remember this.
The crowd was in a frenzy.
Mary Lou Retton was all-around in '84
Damn straight! I follow him on Twitter. He is so funny!
@medicatedchestrub Really? That'd be cool having a coach that went to the olympics. Does she coach all levels or only elite?
Even if she thought that, it would've been a flawed thought. Kim got 2 gold medals at the 1992 Worlds in Paris, so it wasn't like Kim was incapable of performing well outside the U.S. and under pressure. Also, Bogi's routines were not considered difficult enough to garner the higher scores she needed to win the all-around in '91. Kim performed very well in this all-around competition, and gymnasts who had more difficulty either had a major error or too many little ones that caused them to lose.
Unfortunately even if Lysenko (IMO the best gymnast in the meet) had hit 4 for 4, they weren't going to give her the scores to win. That was obvious after bars.
@@thesovgc Lysenko was definitely a superior gymnast
Oh my God I have the same floor music😱
Best floor routing ever.
This not only made up for the controversial results of that Worlds. Looking at it 20 years after, it even looks like Zmeskal could dance! I mean, we have Raisman as FX Olympic champion. My lord..
That's because back then, they awarded you PROPORTIONATELY to how well you performed whatever it was you'd planned to do.
Now, you basically gotta get out there and do things scientists didn't even know COULD be done-- just to stay competitive in the ridiculous bonus system that replaced our time-tested and beloved 10-based system.
I say phooey on that, and I doubt I'm alone in that opinion.
That I can not answer. I was in Barcelona..
I like her and Dominique Dawes both females to get a 10.00 good job