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  • Wow. I would have given that a ten. She's amazing

  • the most graceful gymnast i have ever had the pleasure to watch...no one has ever been as good as her on the floor, it's almost like extreme ballet..

  • BEAUTIFUL it's as though the makers of the compulsory routines went into a room and said okay, what routine will make lilia look like a gorgeous ballerina? lol

  • Yeah, how the hell did she not get a 10 for this?

    Possibly one of the best floor routines I've ever seen.

    So damn beautiful to watch.

  • No, Tim, it doesn't look like she's playing on a playground.

  • That was a perfect 10. I want a know what they could have possibly deducted for.

  • perfect i love this routine

  • absolutely stunning.

  • 9.85

  • For those of you who think Kerri Strug did this better - you can't be f-cking serious!

    Even if they were scored closely - who would you rather watch?

  • Must have been harsh to go after her...

  • I know so many ballet dancers who would die to have her feet. Gorgeous high insteps and arches! You have to be born with that...

  • It's almost as if the committee sat down and said, "OK, what music and moves can we put together that will fit Lilia Podkopayeva the best?"

  • Just incredible, This is the best preformed compulsory floor routine of the 1996 games, maby even of them all.

  • Lovely to watch almost seemed too easy for her and wonderful timing with the music no one else matched it at :45 like she did and just the most simple touches like holding her hand on her hip at :55 made this absolutely lovely

  • I heart Podkopayeva!

  • LOL, I've watched this routine like 5 times in a row because it is so spectacular. The thing I can't get over is I've watched other compulsory floor routines that were beautifully performed, but Lilia's was SO precise. She had the ability to be beautiful and flowing while at the same time having incredibly precise placements of her arms and hands. She wasn't just waving them around, she knew EXACTLY where she wanted them. Beautiful!

  • Spectacular!

  • Her extension and arches are so beautiful.

  • I thought her upper body and back was too stiff, I preferred strugs

  • Lilia makes this look like a completely different routine. No one else managed to perform it quite like this. This is what gymnastics should be.

  • She makes it look so easy. She is amazing, I love this routine.

  • Jerky? No, she has such beautiful form... so balletic you almost forget it's primarily a tumbling routine...

  • i thought her movments were to jerky to be considered "the best"

  • Tim Daggett always talks about how they look like they're playing on the floor. "Like a kid on a playground!"

  • SHE IS SO AMAZING AND COOL !

  • each time i watch this, i always compare this to kerri strug's routine; and each time i think she did it better than lilia. where was the 0.025 difference in scoring?

  • She's like a ballerina who can tumble! Gymnastics has changed so much in the past 14 years.

  • Comment removed

  • beautiful....:)

  • Why did she not get a perfect 10. Were the judges on crack. 9.850 only, please.

  • @theobosking much better then Miller or any of the Americans she is an artist

  • @stickitupyourasteric Do you post these comments just to start fights? You know how people can react to things like that ESPECIALLY miller fanatics! You know they are going to go on some psychopathic rampage and leave like 200 comments annoying u! And if it were up to my opinion i thought they both miller and Lilia had wonderful routines. And i like them the same they were both remembral and outstanding, compared to the rest i should say.

  • I can bet aything that i her training ballet classes were a mager factor. you can see it i her posture, shape of legs, the multitude of 5th position as well as in most of the ballet moves that are included in the routine

  • was taken to the gym at the age of....?????

  • @MrJST94 5 (by her grandmother)

  • @MrJST94 5

  • @7544263

    thanx :)

  • Wow- IF they took into consideration the compulsory performance plus the finals- she would be floor champion by a mile!

  • my god ti s perfect !!! no one can realize this routine like her absolutly superbe beautiful demonstration of gymnastic !!! graceful strong technik

  • OMGGGGGGG ..... flawless

  • just like nadia comaneci did her routine... prefect!

  • what was her score????

  • @kiwigymnast16 She earned a 9.850

  • @kiwigymnast16 9.850, the highest in compulsories.

  • This routine should have been given a 10. It was perfect and another planet from all the other compulsory floor routines at these Games.

  • does anybody know how i could get ahold of this music?

  • @saradenise04 it's Die Fledermaus by Strauss, as far as classical music goes well known is an understatement so will be very easy to get hold of, just Google about

  • One of the most beautiful things I have ever watched...

  • she sets up the tumbling passes so effortlessly, unlike most who take a breath and you can tell what they're going to do next

  • @Lenae6292 :-) i agree with you, i love how the bounds of final pass are actually synched up with the music, now that is perfection

  • Years later and with a more objetive view, I can see that this was the best floor ex. A lot better than the others. Perfect!!!!! Nice! Excellent!!

  • That was just perfect!

  • Breath-taking in it's elegance and beauty.

  • exquisite

  • Absolutely the best... no one did their routine like that at the Olympics, it was like this compulsory floor was made for her.

    She already scored very well considering her team wasn't particularly competitive and didn't have many great gymnasts to set her up for big scores. I can't help but think that if she had been on the American or the Russian team, maybe she'd break 9.9 with this routine. Incredible.

  • And what was worse is that Kerri Strug only scored .025 less than Lilia. I loved Kerri Strug, but I found that unbelievable; Lilia was untouchable on this event really...

    I think Lilia, throughout the Team event, was largely underscored.

  • @uwoeric i think shannon miller had just as good a routine, plus shannon held her leg up longer on her dance skills, and flowed in the dance just as well

  • @luv4cookie1 thats funny  shannon had no no artistic quality,

  • @luv4cookie1 Okay look I understand you are a miller fan but you need to recognize other gymnasts and not just her. This is the best compulsory floor routine without debate, Shannon's is not even in the running for the best compulsory routine (kotchekova's is probably second best). Every video I've seen you comment on is something to do with miller. Please chill, Shannon's not the only gymnast in the world try to enjoy other gymnasts, you will come to find many who are better than Shannon.

  • @gymnasticsloverxoxo luv4cookie is entitled to her opinion. Some people favor other gymnast's styles. I personally prefer Lilia's style, but I think Shannon performed this routine beautifully and luv should be able to speak her opinions.

  • @can1052 Of course she is entitled to her own opinion but she rants on every video I have seen of any gymnast about Shannon miller, it is fine to do that on videos of miller but she should not comment on videos of other gymnasts unless she has something to say about them.

  • @uwoeric Um no. Lilia was already given enough gifts at these Olympics (team finals vault. UB her entire time here) the judges were never going to gift her a 9.9 average with this or any routine she competed.

  • @GymGoneWrong Her optional FX got 9.887, so that means she was just 1 judge short of getting 9.900 on FX... I'd say it very well could have happened.

  • @uwoeric because she was over scored not because she deserved it. She got a few 9.9's from the cheating former  USSR. If they had given her over a 9,9 that would have been cheating.

  • @GymGoneWrong She was given a 9.9 from Tourieshieva here because she deserved it. This was the best compulsory floor routine of the games regardless of where she's from. Has nothing to do with cheating.

  • @uwoeric I think shannon miller did just as good

  • honestly, one of the best performances that I've watched from the 1990's. Really smooth

  • being able to actually dance was such a huge advantage. I remember when I came to the gymnastics I came from ballet and my coaches loved my floor routines... they could get me to do anything!

    I love Lilia.... I'm from Ukraine too and even though she trained in a different gym or city (cant remember) I've seen her at meets, great girl!

  • WTF!?!?!? she did two tumbles and they were like realllly easy what happened? :S:S:S:S:S:S :|

  • it was her compulsory routine

  • this is compulsory......

  • Good. ;-)

  • Is it wrong that I kind of hope it was?

  • like who?

  • Better at what? Better tumbling? Lilia was one of the most powerful tumblers of the Games (considering that front tumbling is way harder than back tumbling, she might have been THE BEST tumbler of the Games). Better dance? Seriously, no one dances like Lilia (watch her lines and toe point)! Better AAer? Lilia was the only gymnast (along with Mo Huilan) who didn't have a weak event. Lilia is the epitome of what gymnastics should be and it makes me wonder how can a knowledgeable fan not like her.

  • what are compulsaries?

  • Up until 1996, gymnasts had to perform compulsory sets on all four apparatus. All the gymnasts have to perform identical routines which are specifically choreographed to showcase the gymnasts mastery of the basics.

    The routines might look easy, but the gymnasts are being judged by the preciseness, and execution of the skills. You'd be surprised that a lot of gymnasts had more trouble in the compulsories in the optionals.

  • thank you! :)

  • What was the score? It was perfection!

  • 9.850

  • she is just amazing

  • I think that's the best floor routine I've ever seen. Look at her dance, wow!!!!

  • Fake smiling wouldn't go with the music, the routine's interpretation. Conveying a sense of majesty, for example, or sending up self-importance or ostentation (her routines were full of comical, pomposity-puncturing themes) needs a straight face - like silent movies do it.

  • Why did she need to smile? One can express themselves while dancing without smiling. It seemed very obvious to me that she was enjoying herself even without a fake plastic grin on her face. This was the best compulsory routine of the whole quad HANDS DOWN.

  • Just spell the damned words.

  • The best compulsory routine ever. She was a virtuoso.

  • @QueenieQue doesn't beat Silivas 1988 :)

  • @choustonlv Oh, gosh, you've got me there. Silivas is my absolute favorite gymnast of all time. How to compare Silivas and Podkopayeva? I just thank God for the beauty of both.

  • @QueenieQue agreed! :)

  • @QueenieQue I cant agree with you. Silliva was better!

  • @autoneto Again, I'll say it: Daniela Silivas is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE gymnast ever! That comment was posted a long time ago, and while I love them both, I would never put anyone above Dani. She was perfection in motion.

  • i love ballet and gymnastics so i worship lili

  • It would be interesting to see Sandra Izbasa and Anna Pavlova do this routine.

    I've seen other posting of this routine and the commentators mentioned that many gymnasts don't like compulsory routines( wimps)....well.....one reason is that you're constantly moving..no pauses before tumbling passes.

    I vote to bring them back..it would be interesting to see how the different gymnasts do the elements and the little stuff that a gymnast can add.

  • She was the real queen...

    Perfect, amazing, unique...

  • This is stunning and beautiful! For me, this was like watching Nadia Comaneci on beam, absolute fluidity and perfection. Amazing!

  • I like the ballet moves with the tumbling..unbeatable combination!

  • Beautiful!!!!, and she didn't got a 10??? That was perfect!!!!

  • she flies so high - 1:28 makes my jaw drop every time!!!

  • You could probably hear a pin drop in the audience while she performed this. I agree with yecatsb, it would be badass if she decided to coach.

  • I think she guest coaches !:^)

  • she is the perfect combination of athleticism, grace, and beauty! When she takes the floor you can't help but watch her. I know she has moved on with her life but I wish she would coach or teach dance to gymnasts, etc. She has something special that would be great addition to any gymnast. Thanks for the great memories Liliya! We miss you!

  • I totally agree, however the new scoring system has left the artistic nature of ARTISTIC gymnastics on the cutting room floor. Right now its more a circus act than anything else. trick trick trick!!!. But Im a real fan of the sport, so I'll keep watching

  • true story x

  • That was one routine in this quad/Olympics that should have received a ten.

  • I was gagging the whole time, she was PERFECT, gorgeous, the epitome of textbook gymnastics. Beautiful.

  • Amazing! This is the artistry I miss in gymnastics today

  • I acually did notice the united states team not to that slit leap. Its okay though. this routine gave me chills. perfection!

  • If the judges gave her a 10.000, they 100% know what they're doing. That was exquisit, the lines, the pointed toe's; i marvelled how balletic she was. Like Tim said, ''she looks like she having fun out there, too!'' she doesn't even try in this compulsary routine, amzing, well done Lillia!!!

  • Beautiful. I adore that split leap out of the first pass. Did anyone else notice that most of the American team didn't bother doing the split leap? Just watching a load of them and randomly noticed..

  • Technically it's a jump because it's off of two feet. Also, I think certain parts of the exercise had optional elements to it (such as what you could do out of the first pass - some did just a straight jump while most chose the split jump).

  • Yeah I know! You mean the split after the full in the beginning? Even Shannon surprisingly didn't do it. It definately looks better with the split and it's much more musical. This floor by Lilia is the ABSOLUTE BEST!

  • Simply perfection. I love Lilia!

  • wat a joy!!

  • Does anyone know what piece of music this is? Which ballet is it from?

  • Johann Strauss - Die Fledermaus Overture. It's on YouTube if u wanna see it!

  • Gorgeous!

  • This has to be the most godly floor routine ever. I think if someone had muted her floor music, you could probably hear a pin drop in the audience.

  • At times I have trouble distinguishing Lilia from a ballet dancer!

  • Lilia is more athletic AND gracious.

  • why did they stop having compulsories after this olympics?

  • Beyond beautiful...

  • she looks like she's flying!!

  • She seriously has the prettiest toe point ever. =]

  • she's very very VERY light on her feet!

  • Lily Pod is such an artist...I remember watching her in the '96 Olympics (I was only 8 at the time) and being totally mesmerized.

  • know what you mean!

  • Just perfect... no more

  • magnificent.

    she is adorable and such a clean execution!

  • The times when people actually danced...

  • So true! Has Beth Tweddle ever been in a dance studio?

  • haha beth tweddle is definitely one of the worst dancers in the history of our sport

  • I don't think so! LOL!

  • ahh...it's performances like these that make me miss the compulsories

  • The 1992 Olympics were a bit ridiculous with the standard scores in the 9.900 range, but I hated the way judges just refused to give 9.9+ scores in these Olympics. It would have been so great to see a few of those, even a 10.0 for a routine like this. Certainly deserving.

  • she was absolutely AMAZING!!

  • It's the compulsory event- a set routine that everyone had to do. The idea behind it was marking the gymnasts with a fine tooth comb on the execution of the basics. This was the last ever olympics to have compulsories though.

  • That was simply gorgeous! Lilia was such a showgirl. I love her!

  • She my absolute favourite female gymnast of all time. Basically because she ticks all the necessary boxes for being the most perfect gymnast. She is elegant, graceful and expressive, she has power and a competitive grit and determination, she has the lines, the posture and the most amazing toe piont and most importantly she is consistent!

  • Absolutely!! I really enjoyed watching her gradually iron out all her flaws and blossom between 1993-1996 too, had a very inspirational effect on me as I grew up watching her.

  • This compulsory floor exercise was made for Lilia-her love of the ballet just shines through. She made this a joy to watch-just as Romania's Daniela Silivas did much the same in 1988's compulsory floor routine (and beam, and bars...).

  • was she once a dancer? somehow when she does this routine she makes it look like a ballet but when some of the other gymnasts do it, it just looks like a floor routine.

  • And Lilia loves the ballet which really shows here-in an earlier era she would have gotten a 10.00 for this routine imo.

  • you hit the nail on the head.

  • I've watched this routine probably 100x from almost every gymnast, and I can honestly say, Lilia's was definetly the best one.

  • her dance is beautiful. but the move @ :57 wasnt held at all. which is (to me) probably the only thing that stopped her from getting a 10 =P

  • I'm agree, I don't get bored or tired of watching it, nobody did it like her.

  • Why does everyone crop the video before the score? It's only 1:35 minutes, I think we can manage another 30 seconds.

  • If I can correctly recall she scored 9.850 for this routine.

  • I think gymnasts today are so lucky because only a handful would be able to pull a compulsory routine like this, let alone do it beautifully like Lilia.

    In my opinion, a lot of the moves here are something most gymnasts today wouldn't even dare putting in their floor routines.

  • Anna Pavlova did! In fact, her new routine is gorgeous!

  • I wonder how the gymnasts of today would look like if they were to perform this compulsory routine.

  • I'm confused....

  • I was just wondering how well the current crop of gymnasts like Shawn etc do, if compulsories are still performed today. Such as this routine.

  • Good question... I didn't know exactly what you meant, but I think Daria Joura would do the best with this kind of elegant-type routine.

  • Or Nastia Liukin...

  • Yup. Nastia could certainly pull this off.

  • Anna Pavlova could pull it off, too! But, I would like to see Stela Nistor and Jana Bieger trying...

  • If Anna Pavlova would do this routine it would be just as beautiful as Lilia's! It would be funny to see gymnasts like Nistor and Bieger trying XD

  • Nistor especially with all her form breaks she wouldnt stand a chance here!

  • I know right!

  • @KarenLovesGymnastics lol  Bieger. Poor girl. She's a great tumbler, but man her dance is just kind of sad

  • @can1052 get bach to your rap music trash

  • @stickitupyourasteric - excuse me? And what would make you think I even listen to rap music? Also, I'm guessing you meant "back". I'm just suggesting that Jana Bieger is not a very elegant gymnast. She just lacks in the artistic side of the sport. She is very powerful but needs refinement.

  • I used to love this routine... I remember watching the level 10's and elites in my gym do this routine when I was 6 and 7 years old!

  • Wow the audience is sooooo quiet, you could hear a pin drop. They're probably like "Yeeeah nobody is going to outdo this..."

  • Why did the judges not give this a 10?!? Are they crazy.