Kim Zmeskal - 1992 Olympics AA - Floor Exercise

[GymnasticsFan1144]

I loveee the 3 whips! WOW!

[TheMsmith77]

Zmeskal, Retton, Johnson, Moceanu, Dawes, Nadia,Korbut, and Teza. All greats to me. I dont know if any of you are a fan of just tumbling, but there are a few out here that are bad. Kiara Nowlin, Whitney Love, Angel Rice and thats just to name a few. Check them out. They are awesome. Kiara has been tumbling since she was like 3. Had colleges offering her scholarships at 9. Check it out.

[ddj8877]

Kim was always my favorite, but always choked....

[kakumei77]

3 whips in a row. you don't see that anymore!

[oreo898]

love that second pass!

[ElLoboWolfy]

I've always thought the choreography was fantastic, Kim was the first Gymnast I ever saw that you could really tell was moving to the music. And FINALLY some music that had a little pizzazz, instead of over orchestrated, meditative-put-you-to-sleep classical pieces that had naught to do with what the girls were doing on the floor. I've never seen such power delivered so undenighably feminine.

[NYCBlonde]

*Shudder* Her tumbling is terrific. The choreography? Embarrassing. All the Karolyi athletes had the same horrible 'ography--hand on swivel hips, lots of "chin up," cutesy factor to 10. So, so horrible--trust your athlete, Bela, let them do something better!

[tmwalkerm]

@NYCBlonde totally agree, just because they look like little girls doesn't mean they should do little girl choreography.

[danasuperstar]

Love Kim, hate the "piano fingers."

[jewellssweety]

Kim stepped out of bounds on her last tumble pass with just three more seconds to go. She lost one tenth of a percent which knocked her from first. It was just sooooo close that I was ripping my hair out watching this!!

[twilliger123]

@jewellssweety Ummm, what were you watching? She was NEVER in first!

[seesee61]

Still love those whip-overs!!!

[WaterEngel4]

Is the middle section of her floor music Fun, Fun, Fun by the beach boys?

[NYCBlonde]

@WaterEngel4 It sounds like either the intro or the middle section of "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Barry.

[tmwalkerm]

@WaterEngel4 yup I think it was, but NYCBlonde could be right too, all those songs sound alike lol

[drkdglr13]

Jesus fucking Christ. Such power, such an inspiration.

[linetwolinetwo]

no whip first pass no double layout no full in final pass no wonder she didnt bring home anything

[LMA629]

@linetwolinetwo yeah but when's the last time you saw a gymnast do 3 whips in a row on floor (not on a trampoline)? 

[Chutson353]

I wasn't watching gymnastics at the time but I know Karolyi has said that he feels Kim was one of the most underappreciated gymnasts - both at home and abroad - that he has coached and he just LOVES her a a person and a dedicated athlete.

[annadrop11]

amazing tumbler ive never seen anything like it!!!!!!!! such a strong build its amazing

[jewellssweety]

Too bad she can't throw a baseball 100 mph. If she can, then she will be rich.

[jewellssweety]

Kim is the best tumbler I have ever seen. She has just incredible power and inspiration. She is an amazing person, creative, strong, and a pure athlete.

[garyj79]

This was defo the summer of cheesy olympic floor routines AND cert not just this one...........

[jelasgirls]

She compted at the Worlds in Paris event finals Beam and Floor and won gold. in 1991 She became World Champion in the All Around in Oct of 1991 ......What i am trying to say is from April to July....something seriously happend to her way of training which caused the injury look how great she looked 6 months prior. She was way to skinny at the olympics and lost her muscle mass she was not strong at all..yes she had the skill but the will and strength was gone ...needless to say i love her!

[evoandy]

so unfortunate that she had to water her tumbling down for the olympics....

[MrCarnov]

Fuckin awesome music... much better than radiohead faggots..

[mediorion777]

Why do they have to pick such awful, corny music? How amazing would it be if there were a floor routine set to Radiohead, Bjork or Portishead?

[spongeybean1214]

she has pretty eyes.. and she's an awesome gymnast..

[babyxe8]

she is ahhhmazinggg

[sbinsdca]

The tumbling run at :55 with the roundoff backhandspring, triple whipovers, backhandspring and double back in pike is simply awesome! I recall watching Kim on TV way back then as she prepared for the Olympics. I believe it was the first time I saw a gymnast perform the whipover move.

[TuesdayPillow]

It's actually a double tuck - a patented Karolyi "puck as we in the gymnastics community like to refer to it.

[garyj79]

whipovers were being done in the 70's sbinsdca.....

[goodyougetastar]

@sbinsdca I believe that tumbling pass ended in tucked position.

[NewMinako]

@sbinsdca She does a couble tuck not a double pike, she grabs her legs under her knees so it reminds of the pike position but no.^^

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

She didn't really have the right personality to be doing that kind of choreography. ALso how did she get into the AA if she fell on beam?

[marieked]

She scored high in all other compulsory events and really well in Team optionals, to make it the 3rd person into AA for USA.

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

Oh thank you

[screwdabrewcrew]

You're probably thinking of the balance beam

[marieked]

Also Vault EF, she fell on one of them... missed/left out a bean skill in AA and stepped out of bounds on floor.

[screwdabrewcrew]

Ok you obviously have a better memory of this than I do. At least we agree she was an amazing athlete.

[screwdabrewcrew]

I really miss Kim, she was the best

[threestooges3]

what did she fall on at this meet

[marieked]

She fell off beam in the Team Optionals, left out a skill in AA BB, stepped out of bounds in floor in AA too... I felt so sad for her, she was and still is my Fav gymnast!

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

Actually she fell off in compulsories.

[marieked]

yeah, I forgot to retype that! I noticed it after I posted...

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

I am kinda surprised she took the world championship title, she did not do well under pressure. It also seems that for her height she is a little over weight.

[meckle1515]

ok. stunts back then were much less than they are now. the floor had little to no springs and the ;fat; thats called muscle!

she probably has an 8 pack.

and no not the beer. 8 pack of ribs!!!

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

Oh the floor most definitely had springs, it had springs in the eighty's. She just seems slightly thick, not in her stomach area just in general.

[JLFAN2008]

It wasn't the pressure: it was an injury -- a stress fracture in her left leg that forced her to remove her most difficult skills. Her final pass would ordinarily have involved a full-twisting double back. Instead, it was a simple double back -- giving her too much height. Hence, the step out of bounds.

[marieked]

Also, at USA Champs in 92 before she was hurt she was doing a double layout as her first pass, had to take it out here to protect the leg.

And yes the floor did have springs, man, it's not the "dark" ages! LOL

She's not "thick", very muscular and compact as she was SHORT, she was barely 4'7' there. She was not overweight at all, Bela would never allow it for one! And he really rode her hard when it came to that b/c of how she was built.

[evoandy]

she was doing a whip through to a double layout. lol. this tumbling is REALLY watered down.....

[piskoun]

When was it during the competition? There's no one in the audience! (Well, it's not full!)

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

The all-around

[MANERA311]

Stunning Gymnast

Great Performance

[3TalentedSuperstars]

all Karolyi's gymnasts are beautiful performers and definitely crowd pleasers. I would do anything to train with that man no matter what

[meckle1515]

i work with her!!!!!

[happystuff12345]

really?

[meckle1515]

yes.!

she owns a gym in coppell.

i work level 6 thru 10

[happystuff12345]

you are so lucky! I wish I could meet her...

[meckle1515]

shes really cool.

but , intimidating.

she has two kids and they are realy cute!

where do you live?

maybe you could come down or somthing.

just tell me state.

im not a stalker.

[happystuff12345]

I live in Ontario (Canada) =(

[gymgirl115694]

I met her (kinda) today and got her autograph i was watching my team at a gymnastics meet.

[happystuff12345]

you're so lucky!

[Fruitkiwi]

Holy crap :O

[lokienvy]

Nowadays, even with that step OOB, she could have won gold. Amazing how things have changed since '92...

[JLFAN2008]

No, that's only a MATHEMATICAL statement. The fact of the matter is that a score of 9.775 would not have translated into a 9.775 in Atlanta ... or Sydney ... or Athens. Kim would have had to perform much more difficult routines, in accordance with changes to the Code of Points.

[lambielkwanfan]

This routine would have scored an 8.7 or something these days if the 10 system was still around.

[htownhomie06]

this pails in comparison 2 her Oly Trials routines. bela & marty overtrained her 4 barcelona. I swear the US has probbably destroyed more potential champs than they've created.

[jelasgirls]

You are so right. Look how skinny she is here. I have never seen her so thin. Look at at any 1992 Nationls routine, then Olympic trials then look at her here. Look at how plump she is then now all bones. Very sad. She was competeing with an almost broke ankle. Cortisone shots were given to get the the games.

[gymn0brunette0hanley]

her full-in is so pretty! i love this routine she is so powerful

[QueenMajora]

Kim was such a great tumbler, but Karoyli's girls always had the cheesiest choreography. This routine is just a little to cutesy wutesy for me...

[dancelife450]

you are absolutely right! look at dominique

moceanu and look at mary lou their choreography was cheesy! but all

gold medalists. But their tumbling was always the best!

[anulay]

@QueenMajora Haha! They really did have cheesy choreography!

[LMA629]

@QueenMajora I know, especially considering she's 16 here, not 11 or 12!

[agators212]

her triple whip to a double tuck is so much a part of kim and her gymnastics like the inside to outside edge spiral sequence of michelle kwan...both difficult but done with such grace.

[il422]

I have never enjoyed a floor routine more than Kim Zemeskal's. She was by far the best, no other could complete. I never get tire of seeing this routine. I was never a Shannon Miller fan, always felt that Kim was better. To bad that she had so many injuries, I felt so bad for her at the Olympics. I really wished that she fulfilled all her dreams. No one had as much power in the floor exercise, the only one that came close was Dominique Dawes.

[brianmulligan]

Did Kim have to wait an extremely long time to start this routine? Like Alicia Sacramone did on beam? I know it was before a floor routine, can't remember if it was Team Finals, or All-Around finals.

[ngv523]

the bitch didn't choose to abort you.

In my opinion, your birth was more of an error than someone stepping out of bounds in a floor exercise.

[DeLeonMJ]

I will never forget Kim Zmeskal and this floor exercise. My hero.

[johnbourbon]

you can't speak of the great american gymnasts without mentioning zmeskal. she was awesome.

[sevilla2222]

I totally agree. She's a brilliant gymnast. Too bad she didn't compete after that (or did she?).

[marieked]

She did, she made the 98 National team again, and prior to that did some pro comps as well.

[angelonsk8s]

anyone know what she scored here? i noticed at the end she got really great height, but landed outside of the boundaries.

[pattypeppermints]

is it just me or are these routines/music/choreography just ridiculous? the litte butt shaking and thumbs up. The athleticism is so great but those routines are so stupid.

[KarenLovesGymnastics]

Bela's gymnasts are known for their cutsie choreography and mental thoughness.

[Felipemajo]

Kim was great. I was just thinking how thin she was and then I start reading posted comments saying that these girls were not eating during the competition?? How can something like that happen?

[tide32athlete]

That's false. They ate during the week of competition. Anyone stating that they didn't is pulling your leg and just ignorant if they actually believed it.

[jaszmina9]

How old is she here?

[tide32athlete]

16 and about 6 months.

[russianskatingfan]

I never got the hype around this chick. She was very good but not that great. She did not have even close to the best artistry, she did not have even close to the most difficulty, she certainly did not have the best form or technique. She had alot of power but so did Milo, Gutsu, Lysenko, Onodi. How on earth she won a World AA title is beyond me. I always found Miller by far a much better gymnast and by far the best U.S gymnast at the time.

[ferency98]

Kim's face looks very thin here, and she looks thinner than she did at trials. It was reported that the girls were starved at these Olympics and that people had to sneak Power Bars and bagels to them because they were so hungry. Didn't the entire team look so sad at this competition?

[CampbellScot]

YES they did...they looked pale and weak. I was just telling my husband about that last night as we watched a VERY healthy, muscular Shawn Johnson earn her number 1 spot on the 2008 Olympic team. Looking at Kim here is shocking compared to the gymnasts we saw last night all Strong girls, healthy color all smiles. Part of the reason Kim's Olympic experience was not great was b/c she was so thin and malnourished. I hope that gymnastics will continue to reward health and not waif like pixies.

[tide32athlete]

LOL the power bars and bagels thing is certainly a lie. I worked with Kim and Dominique and heard about their Olympic experience from '92 several times. They were training extremely hard and eating lots of fruit and chicken. They weren't really malnourished as some may think. Any young teenager on such a strict diet and tough workout regimen would probably look the same. Plus, it's not like they were outside enough to get a tan.

[Lilstarrgazr]

It's actually conflicting stories. Many of the male gymnasts, USGA officals, and other coaches say that they snuck food into the girls, because the Karolyi's had them on a strict 1000 calorie diet (which is not enough for an athlete). Even some of the Karolyi's own gymasts (Chelle Stack, Dominique Moceanu) attest to this fact. Others, like Kerri Strug and Mary Lou Retton, swear by the moon and stars that the Karoyli's are Gods. I think they could've had more food, but were not "starved."

[Holycani]

wow this routine sux, how did this girl made it to the AA?

[tonyhawkwiz]

it's 1992, routines were MUCH different back then.

[JackBear79]

Oh sorry, I thought it was her foot/ankle, do you know which leg it was, I'm assuming her left?

[TuesdayPillow]

It was her left, although I had read that it was in her ankle. Moceanu's was in her shin. Poor Kim had all sorts of injuries with every comeback she attempted, too.

[TuesdayPillow]

Poor Kim looked so uninspired in this routine.

[pessimystica]

actually, i just remember her always looking very concentrated & relaxed. she just seemed to not let the emotions take over, no matter how well or bad she did. but i rarely saw her smile, & i think the 1st time i did see her smile was in a picture & hardly recognized her!

[JackBear79]

IF ONLY her foot wasn't fractured and IF ONLY she had thrown a full in double pike at the end, like she has done in the past, she may have done better, but nothing could fit the beam routine to come.

[TuesdayPillow]

She had a stress fracture in her leg.

[Holycani]

excuses, the girl sucked, she should have retired from gymnastics after the compulsories.

[tynnya]

ok if they sucked lets put you in a leo and a floor and see you do the same routinee. difficile tumbling and all!

[tide32athlete]

Had she nailed the floor and had a chance at a medal then I'm sure her beam would have been better. She knew she didn't have a chance going into beam and I think that's what threw off her concentration.

[ants2876]

She made a mistake ending with a simple double tuck. She is way too powerful for such a simple ending pass. I have no idea why she didnt throw the harder last pass she was doing with no problem in almost every other routine. Okino ends with a double tuck, but Okino is no Zmeskal in tumbling

[Satellitegirl41]

One of my all time favorite, if not favorite, gymnast.

[bowesgoes]

wow. what was that? like 7 flips in her 2nd pass? geeze. shes amazing !

[Satellitegirl41]

gives me chills.

[ImmortalSynn]

that's her trademark, 3 whipbacks simultaneously.

Once, she did 4-- THAT was truly amazing.

[turkeybaby2]

is it possible to do 5?

[ImmortalSynn]

In theory, but it'd leave awfully little room for anything at the end of that particular pass...

[espinaca79]

She did 4 whipbacks-ff-double tuck once...

[eMthegymnast]

dang i love this music!!!!

[tynnya]

rock around the clock

[eMthegymnast]

ru counting the double as 2 flips? oh.duh.

[bowesgoes]

haha, when did she do 4?

[gymnasticsforever95]

she performed 4 whips into a double tuck at the 1991 Romania vs. USA dual meet. the video is Kim Zmeskal : 1991 USA vs. Romania FX...look it up on youtube

[bowesgoes]

thanks!

[bowesgoes]

i looked it up and couldnt find it =( i really wanna see that lol, im bummed

[CamilleNadia]

It broke my heart watching her fall off the balance beam and never recover. A classic example of what too much pressure can do to an athlete.

[Satellitegirl41]

I agree, it seemed liked after that balance beam falter she just never got it back :(

[Yankees2446]

Best tumbler! She made gymnastics important to a nation. Always an entertainer.

[gymnast1lou]

i love her tumbling she get sooooo high up in the air! its great!!

[gymnasticsforever17]

man the media are fucking idiots!!!

[gymnasticsforever17]

did her middle pass (triple whip) count as a stick because sticks were supposed to be puttin one foot back but she kind of hopped...so did it count as a stick???

[JoshiesJem]

Yeah, she stepped out of bounds. I don't care if there were a few mistakes in that routine - it is one of the most memorable floor exercises I think. I love her triple pass

[CRUNKKGLAM]

she stepped out of bounds on her last pass? because that's what i saw.. did she? i liked it though. i think her level of difficulty was great.

[ImmortalSynn]

I'll never forget how much Kim brought American gymnastics into the spotlight, even moreso than MaryLou I'd say. The audience stilled to absolute silence whenever she took to the FloorEx, her triple whipback trademark was often the highlight of the night. Amazing athlete, and am so glad to see this vid once again.

[ImmortalSynn]

I'll never forget how much Kim brought American gymnastics into the spotlight, even moreso than MaryLou I'd say. The audience stilled to absolute silence whenever she took to the FloorEx, her triple whipback trademark was often the highlight of the night. Amazing athlete, and am so glad to see this vid once again.

[ibeddie]

Poor Kim nothing. She did a great job. Yeah she might have had some problems but still, she did great and I know it doesn't mean much but she gets a freakin' platnum medal in my book.

[FoggyRoad81]

A really sad moment in gymnastics.

[tide32athlete]

Poor Kim. If only she wouldn't have been injured then she would have been able to throw all her normal difficulty and that last pass would have been a full in with less chance of over rotating. Always a winner in my book.