Kim Zmeskal - 1992 Olympics EF - Floor Exercise

[TikiBoy382]

@USAGymnast I think she tore or calf muscle as well...or something like that, so she just retired! I wish she could have stuck it out...she on route to an amazing come back and performed so well at the 98 Nationals!! She had everyone behind her routing her on! :)

[TikiBoy382]

@USAGymnast I thought she had a calf injury?

[MeanestCoachEver]

I actually thought the tumbling was worth a 9.925ish, perhaps more. But she was so uninspired in her choreo, unlike earlier in the year and at Worlds in 1991. With more showmanship I'd have tied her with Onodi maybe, even though the choreo was sub-par she could have sold it. I think perhaps she was a bit too old for choreo like that in 1992.

[tomsk14]

@MeanestCoachEver

I thought the entire US team had very immature style floors.... not Shannon.... but the rest....

[lostlyrarose]

I thought she deserved the bronze on this.

[lostlyrarose]

She never really sells that guitar dance move before her second tumbling pass...

[cherylannemason]

I don't recall any particular talk of a stress fracture at the time--but it was pretty clear that by this point, her mental state certainly wasn't the best. Probably made worse that after winning practically every major competition she entered from 1990 Ameican Cup to 1992 US Nationals, she started making errors at the biggest event of all.

[wwefan116]

Yea, I understand how she DID NOT medal with this routine. After watching these Olympics, I feel bad for Kim. So much pressure was put on her, then you look at her mom looking all ticked off after her AA Balance Beam routine. The poor girl pretty much had no support from her family, its sad.

[caseyphx]

@wwefan116: no support from her family?? where did you come up with that?

[wwefan116]

Have you not seen her Mom look pissed off at Kim, on national television no less? Kim was a great gymnast, but I think her Mom could had been a little bit more supportive.

[MeanestCoachEver]

@wwefan116 How do you know she had no support? Also, do you know her mom? Can you read facial expressions 100% accurately? Is it not normal for a parent who has spent so much time and money for their child's dream to feel the same thing Kim may have been feeling for herself in the immediate moment? Are you perfect?

[Kulpa71]

There's all that happy music, and her face looks so stressed, poor thing

[hjaidar]

actually with this routine at ef KIm did have one of the most difficult tumbling, not her most difficult wich she did on trials, but one of the most at the EF

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

She could have gotten bronze along with the other three for this, maybe. Did she go out of bounds on her first pass?

[kras118]

no, no oob.. i think she arguaably could have tied.. but, in my opinion, she seems so burnt out at this point.. exhausting team comp, disappointing AA, fall on vault.. if she had done her toughest tumbling, I think she would have been more equipped to challenge for medals.

[caseyphx]

@gymnasticsloversxoxo: no, but she lacked control on her first and last passes. i think she just tried to overdo them. as much as i'm a zmeskal fan, i think the scoring was accurate.

[sqlcomp]

She should have been awarded a bronze medal for this. Kim was cheated.

[caramelcreamsauce]

I really liked her ex though. Three whips to a double back was probably the most difficult pass in this Final! (aside from Chuso's DLO 1/1)

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

Also Gutsu's double split leg layout was more difficult then that pass.

[delodemi]

She should have won the ef!

[caramelcreamsauce]

If Miller (not that I have anything against her, I am a huge fan) deserved a tied bronze, Kim deserved to be olympic champion. I personally do not see why she did not tie for silver, or bronze. There was nothing wrong with that! Her 3 whips to a double tuck was so cool!

[Lilypod96]

all these years i never knew she had a stress fracture during these Olympics

[kerstenfanatic]

OK thanks. Was she in line to make the team before the injury, or was it not really looking that likely even before the injury, or was it too early to tell?

[rfillangi]

She was improving. If she had stayed healthy she might have made the team. She looked pretty good on Beam and Vault.

[kerstenfanatic]

Didnt Kim try to make the 2000 Olympics though? I heard some rumour about that although I am not American so I am not sure. I am pretty sure hearing Miller did and didnt make it but Chow and Dawes of course did make it.

[snofagun1814]

why'd she get a 9.9? those angels are horrible did she go out on the first tr?

[12bmills]

No she did not.

[gw2012ogm]

okay is it just me or does her double pikes look like double tucks?

[molly2222]

She was a very powerful gymnast but American media gave her too much pressure. Sometimes athletes need time for themselves. I think she should've made the 96 Olympics, at least. It must have been interesting.

[saltlakecity2002]

Didn't she quit after Barcelona and then came back in 1998?

[tynnya]

no she quit in 93 and 94 then competed for the super stars of gymnastics in 95 couldent compete in 96 due to an injury then started in 97 and retired in 99

[greyserf]

Actually, she retired from Amateur competition after the Olympics. (Stars of Gymnastics, etc were professional shows/competitions). She tried to make a comeback prior to the 96 Games but tore her ACL. Another come back was attempted in '98 and another injury in 2000 caused her to retire again.

[molly2222]

What was her score?

[tide32athlete]

9.90 was her score. She needed a 9.912 to tie for third.

[rikk4u]

The FAMOUS 2nd pass is a double TUCK, not a messy pike. Everyone knows that. By far this was her worst performance of this otherwise AMAZING routine. She had planned to do the first pass as whip, two back handsprings to a DOUBLE LAYOUT, the only woman to ever do that in the olympics, but the pressure got to her.

[Penguin888]

Are you sure she was going to do a Double Layout. I thought she said she learned that after she came back from retirement.

[raddrobbyy]

no,theres video of her going whip through to double layout,i tihnk she learned the double layout off uneven bars after retierment.

[raddrobbyy]

just look at her fx from 92 trials.

[tide32athlete]

She did her whip through to double layout at the Olympic Trials and had every intention of throwing it in Barcelona and possibly upgrading even more in areas. Unfortunately, the stress fracture in her leg kept her from throwing all her difficulty. Search for her floor routine at the '92 Olympic Trials. It's one of her best floor performances and she does arguably one of the best double layouts in the world.

[ImmortalSynn]

...um, it wasn't "pressure" that got to her, try a stress fracture.

[muffycat26]

Even with her best routine on her best event no medal, while Bontas, Miller, and Gutsu all made a major mistake and tied for the bronze over her.

In the all around only small mistakes and 10th place.

Goes to show what a force her 91 home cooked all around title was.

[aftonsucks]

that's a pretty messy double pike... more like a tuck

[SchwarzeWitwe2]

Talk about crappy camera/room work. Couldn't they have switched to a couple different angles?

[theshae09]

wow 3 whips and double pike dang!