Olympic Champions - Moscow 1980 Beam - Nadia Comaneci

[po2493]

nadia would have won the aa. her bb, vt & ub has more dificult than Davydova, Davydova's floor is amazing, but Nadia is better in the other exercises :)

sorry, I don't speak english. I'm learning :P

[eugvh18]

Her tumbling series are so graceful in the air, thats how you win in the meet, moves like that, making it look easy, again anywhere were Nadia compete she well win some kind of title

[loouuiiisee]

1:40 wahoo

[Airspeed24]

The last 2 are like exactly the same?!??

[hockeygirl789]

it's amazing the lack of appreciation for todays gymnasts. If a gymnast today performed this routine on the new equipment they wouldn't even have been considered. Widening the bars makes it more difficult to move from one to the other. The floors may be springier but the gymnasts can't take a huge step back without getting a deduction. the vault is obvious and the beam is the only one that might have changed for the worse. So if all you want is grace, go watch a ballet for god sake.

[zyban3]

horrible what the US has done to this sport - with the new scoring and routine system they have imposed to accommodate wide ass, trolls like premature-hormone-zillas reminiscent of an elephant in a china shop- they've destroyed a sublime sport in a futile attempt to demonstrate that they can be elegant

[ccaruso81]

@zyban3 You realize the FIG is made up of multiple countries that create the COP. The US has nothing to do with the current trend of the sport. I don't like where it's going either, but put the blame where it is due. I think they should bring compulsories back and put more emphasis on execution. I think having world & olympic medalists that fall in EF is inexcusable. They will eventually come out with a better code, but I don't see how you can blame one country.

[zyban3]

it was all about the beauty of the human body - it was like watching centuries of art in one moving sequence of images- now it's like a Cirque du Solei performance - all playing for the american tv audience who wants to see the Panda do new and more dangerous tricks else the inevitable switch to HBO

[Mbookfreak]

she does have a nice grace about all her movements, but personally i do prefer the stronger power gymnasts we see nowadays. (don't bite me everyone, just my opinion!!!) different equipment has certainly changed the game, i think for the better, by allowing for moves of much greater athletic difficulty-- less dancers' grace, more explosion off of each apparatus. just my opinion though, no need to hate! :-)

[windwalker06]

I like how she could managed to do the turnings (1:51) and aerials (like they were nothing and continued to walk gracefully for the subsequet routines. And all the precisions, thats what I failed to see in most gymnasts nowadays. Good job.

[robi2000]

Those backflips at 2:23 are incredible

[barlowgirl4787]

I absolutely love this "old" style of gymnastics. It's simple but beautiful and intreaging...

[liikeangel978]

no le entiendo a nadie

[The3Moi3]

SO AMAZING!!! LOVE IT!!!!! <3

[MAGDI397]

Intotdeauna mi-a placut de ez, era super buna....Bravo....pacat, ca n-o mai vedem la televizor...

[10gymnast2]

her back tuck scares me!!!

[ralucagymnast]

@10gymnast2 Why?? Because its so beautiful and controlled?

[Nornegest]

Beautiful control with that pirouette at 00:41 - 00:43 seconds.

[starrgirl991]

I'm a level ten and I can do those skills which at the time were considered elite... Anyways now the skills are much harder especially on beam I beleive...

[ralucagymnast]

@starrgirl991 Yes but can you do those skills as beautifully and with perfect form and maximum amplitude like Nadia? I highly doubt it. She didnt get Perfect 10's for niothing you know;)

[sweeen1994]

the gymnasts back then were so much more beautiful to watch, it wasn't all about physical strength but grace, poise and fluidity. honestly there are good gymnasts now but they don't hold the beauty of the sport

[noster9]

@leeny11 very true but for being a gymnast my self it seems difficult not trying to break a bone but gymnastics back then seemed more graceful

[noster9]

It seems that today all gymnast have harder skills to learn then back then

[RandalynFaith]

Why does everyone fight about the older and newer gymnastics? Who cares which one is harder and which one takes more skill or is more artistic or prettier? Gymnastics is gymnastics. Every gymnast works there butt off to do what they do. Every single gymanst, new or old, puts their all into it day after day after day. Gymnastics is a hard skill to master no matter the change in equipment. So why bring gymnasts down? Instead applaud them for what they can do today.

[garyj79]

@RandalynFaith - I dont know why however a certain percentage of 'gymnasts' today have little/no knowledge of the history of the sport which is quite shocking!clearly illustrated by the "that was so easy" comments on here from some who prob cant do a back somersault in reality, your right, gymnasts should be applauded for what they do today BUT thy shouldnt be made to forget how much more they are aided than 30years ago - we all know gymnastics as a sport has prog far more than other sports....

[wannaknowit]

I wonder if such skinny gymnasts have periods at all. Unhealthy thin,no body fat(though there should be)and from month to month they have the normal period?! I do not think so...In that case,it is very unhealthy,and they should put on weigh,if they do not want to risk their health!

[Cupcakesweet244]

@wannaknowit they still have them

[valebeu]

noone can be compare with her!

EVER!!!

[oklahomatornadoes]

Nadia is the best on all apparatus! I like how the mediocre quality of the 80s TV gave the "Whoosh, whoosh" effect on her aerial walkover to aerial cartwheel. Every time I saw that part, I was like: "Holy crap! Nadia is a ninja!" lol. The queen forever. :)

[almanicesole1]

UN GENIU !!!

[natalienat518]

she connects the aerial walkover and aerial cartwheel even better than the gymnasts today!!

[tranvozcaya]

Gyms today is with more difficult stunts .. mutch more ..

It looks like slow motion..

[ralucagymnast]

@tranvozcaya Thats right: gym today is just that: "stunts". What happened to grace and precision of movement??? Todays gymnasts struggle with a full turn on beam, most of them cant manage that without wobbling all over the place. Gymnastics was never meant to be "stunts". Thats why gymnasts like Nadia spent a lot of time at the ballet bar; look how beautiful, light, precise and elegant her moves are. Some of todays gymnasts sound like canal horses on the beam.

[glanert74]

Amazing!!!

Brasil

[StephanieMcMahon74]

Nadia Comaneci is a real goddess.I want to worship her all day long.

[natalienat518]

aerial walkover to aerial cartwheel! the most amazing at that time!!!!

[Kevinsf]

her beautiful lines and the fluidity of her movements are a reflection of years of hard work.

[fr1zz1y]

so graceful

[NoSuchThing2009]

2:06, i love that

[TheNebunika]

sie isch die best

[kalloused]

Best ever.

[ahrensgay]

After seeing Nadia's compulsory beam routine, the other competitor's should have packed up their gym bag's, along with any hopes of winning, and faced the truth, Miss Comaneci was unbeatable. Except at times, Nadia, and only Nadia defeated herself. Look at the scores at the end of 1980's all-around. Nadia barely lost. Without the fall off the bars, Nadia would have won, and by a few tenth's of a point. When she won, it was by a wide margin. In '76 she won by 6 tenths of a point over Nellie Kim.

[cahan]

I agree! I always felt that Davydova was overscored on beam, bars and vault.

[drboogersnot]

She is gymnastics' Babe Ruth (or Wayne Gretzky). Greatest ever.

[idefyustars]

She was so elegant. Even when she wobbled, she did it elegantly ! She was great.

[cahan]

You are so right even her wobble was elegant.

[heyginny]

1980 was a personal triumph for Nadia. I guess she had a really bad time after Montreal.

[utoob9999]

and for the record no one has -- or has done -- a better front aerial than her on or off the beam. ever. but it's a sight to behold on the beam. wow.

[ahrensgay]

In her optionals routine, I don't see the deduction. It appeared to me to be your typical Nadia 10.00 performance.That little hop meant nothing. Many of Nadia's 10.00's in Montreal were followed by a small step backward, or a slight hop forward.What separated this performance from any of the others? Screw a little stutter step. What did matter, was Nadia's entire routine, and that was what made it PERFECTION.

[ralucagymnast]

@ahrensga I also cant see where there is a tenth deduction: 9.9????If this deserved only a 9.9 Yelena Davydova's wobbly, far from flowing routine should have scored 8's!!!! That first optionals routine(with the BBC commentary) was a 10 if ever I saw one; in those days it was all about the routine, not the landing:( Nadia was cheated horribly on that routine:( It was beautiful and perfect. This should be compulsory viewing for todays gymnasts.

[winampJS]

@ralucagymnast You know what? only an empty brained and pathetic people can even think about argue against the excellence and perfection Nadia had. You certainly cannot call yourself "gymnast". Please, learn to respect people who was really great in history

[ralucagymnast]

@winampJS Nadia was, and will forever be, the greatest gymnast ever. Anyone who denies this is blind, stupid or both.

[akimbohr]

@ahrensgay

Probably, because the front aerial and aerial cartwheel were not connected, that's why 9.90. (team optional).

Marianne Simionescu (Rom) was the head of the judges on the beam but there was also a judge from USSR,

That' s why they did not agree on the mark for Nadia and Natalia.....Just personal preferences....

Davydova did not deserve a silver. Filatova, with a difficult exercise, did not qualify for the final (only 9.70 in TO, and Emilia Eberle fell).

[PIEPORUS]

NADIA IS UNIQUE, FUCKING RUSSIANS...

[BELLACULLEN2128255]

OHH YHA GO ROMANIANS!!!!!

[sk8412c]

Wow. Gorgeous pretty amazing ...

[twilliger123]

You are a stupid bitch...NO ONE was doing the same tumbling that Shawn Johnson was doing, this is 29 years ago, dumbass!

[LittleImpaler]

Nadia is soooooooooo good, she makes it simple like it easy, but it not, she doing things that gymnastics of today try to do. If you watch carefully, the things she does is no way EASY. She dances on the beam.

[LittleImpaler]

People say that the routine are more difficult today then they were years ago. I have to disagree, yeah the do more things are the balance beam, a lot of them get unbalance, and don't have that grace Nadia has. She did a simple spin and didn't stubble a bit, where Gymnastics today, would do the same thing and get unbalance. I think she had more sticker training and then most gymnastics today have.

[jhar26]

Routines today aren't more difficult. The floor is springier today than in Nadia's era which makes tumbling easier. The unever bars are further apart which has changed the whole technicality of the routines. The beams have changed from wood to softer suede covered surfaces that are less slippery. What Nadia did on the equipment of her era is if anything more impressive than what gymnasts to today on their far more forgiving equipment.

[pietro0079]

@jhar26>>> I COULD NT HAVE SAID IT BETTER....!! NADIA IS THE EPITOME OF GYMNASTICS GREATNESS.

[LiveLaughLove8489]

@jhar26 agreed. I think it evens out in the end, she was impressive b/c of the type of material she was given to work with, but if our gymnasts today had the same type of materials and did the same type of jumps and such as they do today, would it be possible? I think it's also b/c nadia trained on this stuff.

[MTVMANN]

@jhar26 How much did the floor itself change from 1980 to 1984?

[sickpuppyz]

@jhar26 you forgot to mention teh hand grips they use today, which is an enormous help

[jhar26]

@sickpuppyz Well, there are only a limited number of words that fit into a youtube message. Good point though.

[AngelicPhantom]

@jhar26 Lol and they used to be able to stick a freaking pirouette on beam... With all the difficulty they put in nowadays, they seem to have enormous trouble not wobbling in a single turn pirouette.

[chinghxd]

@AngelicPhantom i agree so much! with everything they do; it's quite amazing they can't do a single pirouette without wobbling.

[vladimir4998]

She's from Romania I am from Romania and I know she was the best Gymnast ever!

[DeathLordFhyeg]

She still is, nobody is overall better, the is the best gymnast so far, nobody been better

[utoob9999]

could not agree more. if you think about it...this was 30 YEARS ago. and I have yet to see someone perform as fluidly and as confidently and as flawelssly on the beam--the most difficult event.

no one has been better IMO.

tell me the last time you have seen an aerial cartwheel back-handspring on the beam.

never.

[Excelxyz]

god she is so PERFECT

[Shy12JonasBrothers]

gymnastics looks so easy back then

[garyj79]

gymnasts were not as aided though as they are today....it was harder back then.....I wonder how many gymnasts today for example could do a full twisting DB on floor without any springs?? not many I bet!

[karhill]

Nadia certainly made it all look so easy, that's for sure.

[ralucagymnast]

These routines showed just how important compulsories were: a basic knowledge of the basics is so necessary. All of Nadia's elements were executed with maximum extension and amplitude, and she has, in my opinion, the best back handsprings on beam ever. Although her optional routine wasnt as difficult as some of the others, in those days, execution and form mattered, and her execution and form was flawless.

[dragonsgymnast]

not to be rude, i really love comaneci but wat happened to her split leaps???

[ralucagymnast]

Her leaps do actually hit splits, from a different angle you can see that. The leaps didnt have to be over 180 degrees splits though. If you look at Nadia's 1979 European Championships beam routines you will see her split leaps were actually perfect.

[jorgefborges]

shes really great

[Gonzoidz]

she was a perfect ten in my book!

[yoyomcg]

god so beautiful

[daviana29]

the best

[daviana29]

perfect

[utoob9999]

nadia has always been my favorite gymnast. ever. it's very apparent here in her beam work. i still don't think anyone today is as fluid, as solid, or as poised as nadia was. i think as she got older she was even better. more poised, elegant, and just as smooth as butter. and of course perfect. still my favorite to watch after 30 years. awesome and i'm sure she's inspired miillions of people all over the world. her commitment to doing amazing things was astounding

[leeny11]

even though the difficulty is clearly lower, the quality of gymnastics back then was so much better than it is now

[SATCfan69]

nail on the head!

[leeny11]

huh?

[mka800]

Yes - their quality as athletes, as performers and as people. No female gymnast today can match Nadia, Silivas, Shushunova and many others from that era. I expect some of the ones today, after hitting a routine, to do a between-the-legs chop like DX from the 90s and yell out "Suck it!" Nadia was total class, all the way.

[kellyrocks15]

@leeny11 thats very true because now can achieve a 14.0 on their routines. Gymnastics has advanced since Nadia's time and u will sometimes see her at competions just watching.

[joaopumper]

wow at 3:00

she really saved it there.

[intldawn]

Oh, she was the best. Thanks for posting all these! It's good that so many other appreciate what real gymnastics was all about back in the day.

[ahrensgay]

No, only the comulsories counted as a carry-over score.

[ahrensgay]

NOBODY did, or DOES it better than Nadia.

[caramelcreamsauce]

NADIA IS AMAZING!

[speedy9229]

awosme.... like a real romanian :D

[stuntingsxr600]

She was really good. I agree this isn't a 10 nowadays though.

[briaberger]

Nice try, but there's no such thing as a ten nowadays.

[davlor86]

that's not really a TEN in today times...

[Lucini91]

What did she do wrong in the second routine to have 9,900 and not the perfect ten?

[MidoriAyana]

I truly don't know.

It was, in lack of a better word, perfect.

Just beautiful.

[mrflipz]

She piked down and take a hop on the landing.

[sinjinthule]

Nadia is sublime in this routine. Everything perfect and fluid.

[AndreaMariana92]

I feel terrible but I must ask. What is meant by compulsories?

[skata524]

In the first round of the competition (today: qualifications) all gymnasts did compulsory routines on all events. Same moves, same choreography. Everyone did the same. Some people say compulsories were boring but I don't think so. I'm sad they weregone after Atlanta 1996.

[KarenLovesGymnastics]

Boring or not, they should have never been taken away. It kept the dancers in, or at least kept good form in the sport.

[sinjinthule]

I second that emotion...and I never found them boring. I enjoyed watching the compulsories live at the '85 worlds as much as the optionals. Part of it maybe is because I'm a strength & control guy--I mean, I'm impressed by execution as much as I am by crazy tricks. That and there's the fairness factor in judging. Used to be that 18 scores figured into the men's AA & 12 into the women's AA. Made for a more fair scoring system.

[KarenLovesGymnastics]

I never find a move impressive if it has bad form. And I also didn't find them boring, especially compared to some routines we see today.

[7Millionaire7]

@skata524 And a well one compulsory made you remember why you liked gymnastics in the first place - it;s beautiful.

Plus, compulsories made sure gymnasts had basic skills and showed those who lacked in the simple things that make the sport great...flexibility, grace, lightness,and strength

[skatepixie]

@skata524 To me, it is like the ice dance complusory dances. The fans who know about the sport and know what to look for relish the opportunity to see all the athletes on an even playing field. More casual fans find it boring. People today are trying to get the compulsory dance removed from competition.

[tmwalkerm]

@skata524 I agree, I thought it was a great way to guage everyone's ability and standing on neutral (for lack of a better word) ground.