Mary Lou and Ecaterina were in an epic clash to win the all around gold medal and so for those two girls they just threw out 10s like they were nothing
Standards were looser back then; a slight hop on the dismount didn't incur the type of deductions you see in today's scoring. If you look at some of the "10" routines performed by Nadia Comaneci, you'll notice that there were steps and hops as well. The judges still regarded her performances as flawless.
Ekaterina was flying and the way she was moving and executing far better than Marie Lou that looked like a guy doing female gymnastics.. Americans were threatened and of course overrated Retton so make her the first.. I'd like to see Retton competing in Eastern Europe
I'm so sick of people saying that she was robbed of all around gold here. No she wasn't. Yes, she was a FAR superior gymnast to Mary Lou Retton, but in these days the all around score was made up of scores from the team competition AND the all around competition. Szabo had a fall in team optionals on the bars and couldn't come back from that. MLR didn't have a fall and was able to outscore her here. The way it was supposed to be? No, but that's how competions work day to day. Get over it!!
I don't see why in order to praise Szabo you people have to degrade Retton. Honestly, they are both extraordinary gymnasts. It wouldn't have been suprising should Szabo had won, but it isn't suprising that Retton won either.
@NDBCdancer Thank you! Agreed, some gymnastics fans are completely pathetic, way overinvested in their little champion (who probably couldn't care less 20+ years later). BOTH Szabo & Retton were brilliant at the Olympics & either one deserved it. Retton won according to the rules and she delivered consistently great routines. And then Szabo cleaned up in the EF. They are both champions & people need to stop whining about the results.
much has been made about retton not deserving a ten during the AA FX because of a mistep following her second diagonal pass, yet no one talks about the obvious hop that Szabo takes at the end of this balance beam routine (2:10 for the slowmo). They were both awared tens for those efforts. While I am not taking sides in the never ending debate, I am simply pointing out the video evidence.
Ecaterina Szabo was so exhilirating to watch and her exhuberance and radiant smile were so special. If the "Mary Lou Retton deluded fan club" wants to critique her double back dismount and claim this was not a 10 then we should make clear that MLR was overscored in all 4 compulsories, TO bars and beam and AA bars, beam and floor. ECATERINA SZABO WAS THE TRUE 1984 AA OLYMPIC CHAMPION (even with the TO bars mishap).
ecaterina fue la mejor, le robaron su medalla de oro,la gringa fue favorecida,nunca mas supe de ella,ecaterina desplego:arte,disciplina,fuerza,tecnica,tiempos y aun asi no pudo con los gringos,que cuando realizan un evento de este tipo,siempre van a favorecer a sus"dopados atletas".
I love how people like Janafan4ever think that just because she watches gymnastics it makes her a judge!! You don't know shit, this was an absolutely brilliant routine and she deserved the 10.
@studentrick63 She really did--she seemed so excited to be there. I always love it when the gymnasts wave to the crowd--like, they actually enjoy the performance aspect of it! And who wouldn't be thrilled to be at the Olympics.
Don't make me snap my fingers in a zed formation. Head rotation. Matt you are doing it wrong, you look like you are flapping your stinky feet like a little birdy. LIKE ZO MY GOD THEY ARE SMELLY.
Even though they have the smell of a four thousand year old cookie lips. yea huh! COOLIE
She got a perfect ten on this routine, but wouldn't her dismount have gotten her deductions? For one, she cowboyed her double back, and her toes were flexed. Maybe this was because the rules were different back then? But overall, fabulous routine :)
@snowfire18 Svetlana Boginskaya and others were still showilng the same "cowboy" look on the double tuck several Olympic cycles later--Tatiana Lysenko in 1992 being a notable exception.
Wonderful though this is, and it is absolutely fantastic routine, she didnt stick her landing. Her feet did shuffle slightly on landing. But its so trivial compared to the brilliance of the whole routine.
Thank you SO much for posting this! I looked for it a few months ago while watching some other gymnastics videos; this is one of my favorite Olympic memories ever. I remember her so well from 1984 (I was 14), and as much as I loved Mary Lou's performances, I always thought Szabo edged her - and was robbed.
Ecaterina was robbed of the all round gold medal in 1984! I still can't understand why the only gymnast people remember from the Los Angelas Olympics is Mary Lou Retton? Ecaterina completely outclassed her!
@EdGringo78 Yes I know, its really incredible. If she would have gotten the AA medal she deserved and had not fallen in TO bars she would have swept these Olympics.
@nicaisleain I agree, Ectaerina was a much better gymnast winning four gold medals out of six possible gold medals. Mary Lou did not deserve a ten for her floor exercise... there were a few minor but visible errors that the judges chose to overlook. Mary Lou would not have even made the podium if the Soviets were there. I would have loved to seen Natalia Yurchenko in the Vault Event Finals. That ban was such a shitty thing to do to those athletes that trained and sacrificed for an Olympics...
@MelleAndKev Ecaterina was the beginning, middle and end of the 1984 Olympics for me and I get so annoyed that nobody seems to have remembered her name. She was in the same class as Olga and Nadia in my opinion. Mary Lou wasn't fit to share the podium with her! Also completely agree with what you said about the ban. I bet America thought all their Christmases had come at once!
Mary Lou and Ecaterina were in an epic clash to win the all around gold medal and so for those two girls they just threw out 10s like they were nothing
wristslitter229 5 days ago
I love her.the gold should b hers
eastrun 1 month ago
I wonder how she got a 10 with that hop on the dismount =|
Mary Lou overscored? No more than anyone else.
zeldafreak701 3 months ago in playlist gymnastics 2
Standards were looser back then; a slight hop on the dismount didn't incur the type of deductions you see in today's scoring. If you look at some of the "10" routines performed by Nadia Comaneci, you'll notice that there were steps and hops as well. The judges still regarded her performances as flawless.
JLFAN2009 2 weeks ago
Ekaterina was flying and the way she was moving and executing far better than Marie Lou that looked like a guy doing female gymnastics.. Americans were threatened and of course overrated Retton so make her the first.. I'd like to see Retton competing in Eastern Europe
EuropeanGuy87 4 months ago
MINUNAT !!!
alexandrestark 4 months ago
I'm so sick of people saying that she was robbed of all around gold here. No she wasn't. Yes, she was a FAR superior gymnast to Mary Lou Retton, but in these days the all around score was made up of scores from the team competition AND the all around competition. Szabo had a fall in team optionals on the bars and couldn't come back from that. MLR didn't have a fall and was able to outscore her here. The way it was supposed to be? No, but that's how competions work day to day. Get over it!!
EdGringo78 5 months ago
Mary Lou Retton was a sickening cocky little showoff I just wanted to slap her smug overconfident face. The Eastern block countries are way better!
pelicanus11 5 months ago
She's my aunt and I am very very proud of her as the whole family is!!!
kincso87 6 months ago
I don't see why in order to praise Szabo you people have to degrade Retton. Honestly, they are both extraordinary gymnasts. It wouldn't have been suprising should Szabo had won, but it isn't suprising that Retton won either.
NDBCdancer 7 months ago 3
@NDBCdancer Thank you! Agreed, some gymnastics fans are completely pathetic, way overinvested in their little champion (who probably couldn't care less 20+ years later). BOTH Szabo & Retton were brilliant at the Olympics & either one deserved it. Retton won according to the rules and she delivered consistently great routines. And then Szabo cleaned up in the EF. They are both champions & people need to stop whining about the results.
NYCBlonde 2 months ago
ECATERINA DEBIO SER LA CAMPEONA
kabulser 7 months ago
much has been made about retton not deserving a ten during the AA FX because of a mistep following her second diagonal pass, yet no one talks about the obvious hop that Szabo takes at the end of this balance beam routine (2:10 for the slowmo). They were both awared tens for those efforts. While I am not taking sides in the never ending debate, I am simply pointing out the video evidence.
ViardotVSGrisi 8 months ago
Gold.
ShawnVikaKomova2012 10 months ago
Even is she did not win..She is overall better than Retton.. Ecaterina has a better balance, she moves more clean and elegant..
EuropeanGuy87 10 months ago 5
Ecaterina Szabo was so exhilirating to watch and her exhuberance and radiant smile were so special. If the "Mary Lou Retton deluded fan club" wants to critique her double back dismount and claim this was not a 10 then we should make clear that MLR was overscored in all 4 compulsories, TO bars and beam and AA bars, beam and floor. ECATERINA SZABO WAS THE TRUE 1984 AA OLYMPIC CHAMPION (even with the TO bars mishap).
WarrenBeattySplendor 1 year ago 3
ecaterina fue la mejor, le robaron su medalla de oro,la gringa fue favorecida,nunca mas supe de ella,ecaterina desplego:arte,disciplina,fuerza,tecnica,tiempos y aun asi no pudo con los gringos,que cuando realizan un evento de este tipo,siempre van a favorecer a sus"dopados atletas".
Thecarlosmuerto 1 year ago
That's my Aunt!
kincso87 1 year ago
i'm surprised this is has a SV of ten even back then... but it was gorgeously done, so I can't complain. :)
panic042 1 year ago
Frumusica noastra gimnasta... foarte buna... si Nadia apreciaza asta :))
lilianaromania 1 year ago
Her flip flops are quite good, the way she just attacks the beam and her flip flop to layout is excellent.
gymnasticsloverxoxo 1 year ago
I love how people like Janafan4ever think that just because she watches gymnastics it makes her a judge!! You don't know shit, this was an absolutely brilliant routine and she deserved the 10.
EdGringo78 1 year ago
yes szabo wasnt perfect either,, that super cowboy tucked at the end of beam and low landindings sooo id give it to Retton 2 but she had faults also
mmoran3 1 year ago
I love the "Eye of the Tiger" floor music in the background!!!
enjoybinky 1 year ago
her double back is so ugly, too much cowboy-ing
benrobinson77 1 year ago
What a beautiful routine - she makes so much of it look effortless.
Kulpa71 2 years ago 4
What a huge double back dismount! Great routine!
nlm2183 2 years ago 5
Am i the only one to notice how pretty Kati was in Los Angeles. What a lovely smile she had.
studentrick63 2 years ago 6
@studentrick63 She really did--she seemed so excited to be there. I always love it when the gymnasts wave to the crowd--like, they actually enjoy the performance aspect of it! And who wouldn't be thrilled to be at the Olympics.
NYCBlonde 1 year ago
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Don't make me snap my fingers in a zed formation. Head rotation. Matt you are doing it wrong, you look like you are flapping your stinky feet like a little birdy. LIKE ZO MY GOD THEY ARE SMELLY.
Even though they have the smell of a four thousand year old cookie lips. yea huh! COOLIE
snowfire18 3 years ago
She got a perfect ten on this routine, but wouldn't her dismount have gotten her deductions? For one, she cowboyed her double back, and her toes were flexed. Maybe this was because the rules were different back then? But overall, fabulous routine :)
snowfire18 3 years ago
Perfect tens were given very generously in the 80's.
gymnasticsloverxoxo 2 years ago
Also that dismount was considered to be very difficult and leg separation was not a deduction in the code of points at this time.
gymnasticsloverxoxo 2 years ago 2
Also she has a wobble on her tumbling series - a slight one, but it wasn't perfect. Her arms were a bit out of balance.
Janafan4Ever 2 years ago
@snowfire18 Svetlana Boginskaya and others were still showilng the same "cowboy" look on the double tuck several Olympic cycles later--Tatiana Lysenko in 1992 being a notable exception.
cherylannemason 1 year ago
Wonderful though this is, and it is absolutely fantastic routine, she didnt stick her landing. Her feet did shuffle slightly on landing. But its so trivial compared to the brilliance of the whole routine.
ralucagymnast 3 years ago 4
Thank you SO much for posting this! I looked for it a few months ago while watching some other gymnastics videos; this is one of my favorite Olympic memories ever. I remember her so well from 1984 (I was 14), and as much as I loved Mary Lou's performances, I always thought Szabo edged her - and was robbed.
braziliangog 3 years ago 2
thnx for uploading ... so emotional when that scoreboard turned around! such a proud moment ... god i miss those days
WorldClassGym 3 years ago
Ecaterina was robbed of the all round gold medal in 1984! I still can't understand why the only gymnast people remember from the Los Angelas Olympics is Mary Lou Retton? Ecaterina completely outclassed her!
nicaisleain 3 years ago 31
Because Mary Lou made a first in Olympic history, while if Ecaterina had won, it just would have been another Romanian.
wc213 3 years ago
Ecaterina would not have been another Romanian, she would have made history for getting five gold medals.
gymnasticsloverxoxo 2 years ago 2
@gymnasticsloverxoxo She's still in the books with 4 gold medals. That's no small feat.
EdGringo78 1 year ago
@EdGringo78 Yes I know, its really incredible. If she would have gotten the AA medal she deserved and had not fallen in TO bars she would have swept these Olympics.
gymnasticsloverxoxo 1 year ago
U.S.A people remember M Lou more but
i think world knows Szabo was better, but of couse US:a overrated M Lou so much that is embarrasing
segismundus07 3 years ago 21
@nicaisleain I agree, Ectaerina was a much better gymnast winning four gold medals out of six possible gold medals. Mary Lou did not deserve a ten for her floor exercise... there were a few minor but visible errors that the judges chose to overlook. Mary Lou would not have even made the podium if the Soviets were there. I would have loved to seen Natalia Yurchenko in the Vault Event Finals. That ban was such a shitty thing to do to those athletes that trained and sacrificed for an Olympics...
MelleAndKev 1 year ago
@MelleAndKev Ecaterina was the beginning, middle and end of the 1984 Olympics for me and I get so annoyed that nobody seems to have remembered her name. She was in the same class as Olga and Nadia in my opinion. Mary Lou wasn't fit to share the podium with her! Also completely agree with what you said about the ban. I bet America thought all their Christmases had come at once!
nicaisleain 1 year ago