Dominique Moceanu - 1996 Olympics Team Optionals - Balance Beam

[marlenthemermaid]

bela.<3

man, this girl is amazing.

[msms68]

lol bela

[CheyanneXisawesome]

Dominique Moceanu rocks! I love her!

[teeniemeowmeow]

love her

[TheParodyfails]

She is amazing

[gymcat991]

I LOVE HER MOUNT!!!! ANd i luv u Dominique! so great and fun! Dominique is one of my fave gymnasts. I really look up to her since i'm a level 10. should i do her mount?

[shaijulia]

@gymcat991 u should i love her mount too its pretty dark cool.if ur gonna do her mount u will relive the moceanu mount in gymnastics when u turn elite..........

[GCGCGymnast98]

Listening to bela was amazing :) and the music in the background is my floor music

[MyKristenStewart]

piont ??

[meaghan6784]

Remember watching this it like it was yesterday!!! Ahh this was such an amazing beam routine!!

[caramelbrowneyes]

regardless of Bela Larolyi's past, the guy has a huge personality that invokes many LOL's while watching/hearing him :P

[gymnastmimi]

listening to bela was hilarious!

[free2write26]

:) wow.

[JadaBrOXx]

This beam routine is amazing ! especially her first acrobatic pass (:

i would love to learn how to do that in my beam routine, hopefully one day.

I am a national gymnast,

well done Dominique xxx

[7MadisonAnn]

Bela's reaction gives me goose bumps. (:

[gollymolly123]

thats kinda scary to have the springboard right next to the beam..like what if she falls on it?

[TripleAxel1991]

She was very little so it was a little easier for her to do elements in a row on the beam.. Actually it is not easy at all but she makes it look like it. Its sad that in the Event finals she falls on her head on the third layout

[nicki446]

coolest beam mount I've ever seen...

[totallygothboy]

Why doesn't anyone do four elements in a row on beam anymore these days? : /

[suegirl145]

@totallygothboy because u get no points for them anymore.  u get a deduction if u repeat too many skills. do your research, the rules have changed since 1996

[totallygothboy]

@suegirl145 sure the code of points always change but the skill level and level of risks gymnastics nowadays are soo blah blah boring compared to the gymnasts back in the day. Whats next? Oh, I'd like to see you go up there and try it! -sigh- whatever... no man in their right mind would risk themselves on beam. Bottom line, what im trying to say is that gymnasts today are not as great and or glorified as the gymnasts of the late 80s and 90s with their skills and routines.

[flexdapex]

I wish I was that beam. It would be so hot to have her ride me like that

[doda]

Damn, that was SO SO good! I LOVE the way she goes into a handstand and then moves the way she does as she mounts the beam. That's always impressive no matter how many times I see her do it! And from the crowds reaction, I'm not alone! Bela cracks me up. She's so young and cute here, and she was one of my inspirations when I was little. She's grown up into a beautiful and grounded woman, definitely still an inspiration!

[cheerbaby1028]

yyoooo! that gave me chills.

[agentblonde1530]

I love Bela. He cracks me up.

[spartyutube]

In the team finals - other than the vault where she fell- she scored at least a 9.8 - a huge contribution to the Mag 7!

[Niwa2780]

Was that the "Miller" Dominique did at 0:54?

[bbhouk1]

@Niwa2780 its just a quarter turn to handstand not a Miler, which is a quarter turn to hs into immediate half pirouette then split hs. much more complicated imo

[dodgedakota1979]

@Niwa2780 yes; she did the miller. =)

[triplefull368]

@Niwa2780 No; there is no such thing as the "Miller." The American commentators called it that, but there is no skill in the Code of Points named after Shannon Miller.

[MichaelaLeach]

best beam routine ever.

[cairsahr64]

That dismount  is awesome.

[cairsahr64]

She was so good in this routine; the main point of concern was with the quadruple backflips on the beam (done from a *blind* position!) Personally, I was relieved every time she did it without a mishap; it's an extremely risky move.

[suzzer19]

I love Bella, he's like GORGEOUS! LOL...he is awesome!

[hermione12]

whats the score?

[vdamken]

what was her score?

[Floatie114]

She had very pretty hand and arm movements here. Clean.

[StgaGymnast1997]

i loveee her mount :)

[MrPabzpokemon8144]

shes so cute!

[peaceluvcheer97]

i got to meet her once shes very nice

[peaceluvcheer97]

i got to meet her once shes very nice

[natalienat518]

bela karolyi is too excited... -_-

[cairsahr64]

May I point out what horrible luck Moceanu had ? She just barely made it to Atlanta, due to injury; in '98 had many personal issues; in 2000 she never made it to Sydney, due to injury. But you cannot deny that the U.S. team would *NOT* have won if she was not there (only Shannon Miller was better). Otherwise, the Russians would have had more points.

[zeldafreak701]

Wow she looks mean at the beginning of this video.

[cairsahr]

A perfect routine...good for DM! I love how Bela Karolyi goes nuts at the end. My sentiments exactly!

[FLACSC74]

I love the sound the beam makes on her layouts

[jlwham]

Yeah, sounds like the clip clop of a horse in motion?

[NoSuchThing2009]

@FLACSC74 haha not just me then!

[LMA629]

she did so amazing on this routine!! anyone know what her score was?

[jlwham]

She scored 9.85 if I recall correctly; I was hooked on this games so much at tt time I still remember the scores! Her score was the 3rd highest in this whole competition I believe. The highest was China's Kui Yuan Yuan 9.875 in the team optionals. Too bad she didn't make it to the event finals because of her fall in the compulsories!

[LMA629]

i love her mount. and yes i agree with kittycatzoey1691 the cute factor did have to do a lot with her popularity but you have to admit, she's a better gymnast than all of us are!

[Tilara]

this is the second video i've seen of her, she is soo graceful and so sure in her movements. it would be nice to see more gymnasts with that confidence it would make for better performances

[luv4cookie1]

@Tilara she is not graceful at all compared to shannon milller. plus this is the only routine in the olympics where domi is sure of herself. Dominique really had a horable olympics.

[LiveBreatheLoveGym]

I'd say she was pretty sure of herself in all of compulsories, all of optionals but vault and she did well in the all-around and floor event finals. I'd say helping the team out of lot to win a team gold and should of had a bronze on floor is a pretty good olympics.

[krissypoetnwriter]

I am wondering  what they call that mont Dominique did is called.

[NoSuchThing2009]

@krissypoetnwriter probably a Silivas, or a variation of a Silivas, bacause she did the original version of it x

[possefever]

ROFL Bela.

I remember watching this routine over and over. Now, I tell myself to fo-chuss whenever I need to get stuff done. =D

[markedexclusive]

Her mount is like a variation of the one Daniela Silivas used in Seoul.

[misscarolinec]

I love this beam rutine!! always have... Isn't she xtra small because she was xtra young?? I can't remember but anyhow.. She's awesome! :)

[KittyCatZoey1691]

No offense, but Dominique moceanu was not really the best gymnast. I think the only reason why she was so famous was just because she was tiny and cute. I know I'm gonna get a lot of thumbs down for this, but it's what I think.

[salali6]

I partially agree with you. She was a good gymnast, and she was tiny and cute, and young, but she kind of reminds me of Kristen Maloney-- she wasn't consistent with anything.

[politicallycorrect14]

umm did you watch this beam routine? bet you couldn't do this good.ever. and ya i totally agree with you Peaceplatform

[salali6]

Actually, no, I couldn't. I was just commenting that Dominique was never a consistent gymnast. I wasn't saying she sucks or anything.

[politicallycorrect14]

sorry i took that in the wrong way.lol i wish somedays i was as short as she was.lol im 5' 8". ! haha

[salali6]

I'm pretty close to her height. I'm 4'10" and 15 years old. I think she was a bit shorter in 1996 though.

[politicallycorrect14]

haha im 14.lol

[Klingon1000]

@salali6 lol. I'm 4"10 as well. But 14.

[KittyCatZoey1691]

yeah, and to all those people who are giving us thumbs downs, think about it, if Dominique was ugly and tall, would you like her? I don't think so. Look at Shannon, she was amazing and consistent, but just because she wasn't good looking, she didn't get respect. I hate how everyone judges people by looks.

[KittyCatZoey1691]

And look, in 1998, Dominique wasn't so famous anymore BECAUSE she had a growth spurt of 5 inches and she was no longer that "tiny, cute" Dominique. See, you people only liked her because of her looks, not because of how she did gymnastics.

[QueenieQue]

In 1998, Domi won the Goodwill Games, probably the peak of her career (as far as her style and skills went). The only reason she wasn't as famous was because there were no summer Olympics in that year, especially in the US! Duh...also, she wasn't training with Bela anymore, and she ended her career in 2000 due to prolonged injuries.

[lambielkwanfan]

@QueenieQue you make it sound like the Olympics would have turned out anything like the Goodwill Games. The Ameicans dominated the Goodwill Games with Atler and Malonely winning 3 of the 4 event finals but no way in hell that was happening in an Olympics that year. Goodwill Games didnt have all the top gymnasts, many of those who were there were in less than optimal shape, and most of all very biased pro U.S judging (though Moceanu did deserve the AA due to falls by the others).

[QueenieQue]

@lambielkwanfan No, I'm saying that Moceanu never really had a chance to showcase her abilities on the international stage when she was at her peak. She was just too young at the 96 Olympics, and in 2000, she had gone through too much. She had a lot of talent, but the timing was just off.

[lambielkwanfan]

@QueenieQue she was a real contender in 1996. She could have medaled in the AA and on beam easily with all the mistakes that were made, maybe even a gold on beam. She just didnt deliever the goods when it mattered. She did hit her best routine in floor finals and just missed a silver or bronze. I am not sure 98 was anymore her career peak than 95-96 was.

[QueenieQue]

@lambielkwanfan She had MUCH better lines, better choreography, better form, and better style in 98. I loved her in 96, but I really do think that she was at her peak in 98, when she still had the big skills but with more refinement and polish.

[lambielkwanfan]

@QueenieQue I understand what you are saying. However in 96 she was overmarked so much that it made her just as much a contender as she would have been as a much better gymnast in 98. She had all kinds of praise and judges recognition in 96 with her tiny body, her pixie look, her age, her coach, and all the hype around her. If she had hit better at the 96 Games she would have likely done very well.

[QueenieQue]

@lambielkwanfan That is very true. I guess I was responding more from an objective perspective, than from thinking about all the hype around her in 96. She was certainly very talented, especially for her age, but I think she was just a much better gymnast in 98 (though she was always very charismatic and exciting, especially in 96).

[Peaceplatform]

You can say the same about a lot of gymnasts back then and now.

The fact is, she stuck when it counted (at least for the team finals), and she threw high difficulty skills across three of the four apparatus. There's nothing particularly artful about her gymnastics, but it suited this COP, and that's all you can hope for as a gymnast.

I think Shannon Miller falls into the same category. She is a legend, and she deserves that status, but her gymnastics is a triumph of technicality over style...

[MERLINA2007]

Great routine! what was the score?

It's a pity that she made a huge mistake on the EF, otherwise, she had assured a medal.

[yankees5297]

9.85 and yeah she prob would have won a silver in EF if she'd nailed it.

[politicallycorrect14]

she's so tiny!

[xylophone]

I love Bela Karolyi

[mwgirl60]

I remeber when I did gymnastics d I wanted to do that opening stunt that Dom did that was they most uncomfortable thing ever lol! Best rotuine I have seen ....

[chickennoodlesoop23]

i ♥her beam shoes:)

[ostentatiousvirtue]

That Leo was the best team USA have ever had!

[ninjachild5]

hahahha i love how at 0:59 he was like "GORGEOUS!"

[jeffy5482]

I believe he was shouting "focus!" as she was ever so slightly off-balance after the turn in handstand. With his accent though, it is hard to be sure.

[Gymnast1122]

yeah, that's what i was thinking too.

[iLuv2cheer527]

i thought he said gorgeous

[shelbylynn33]

bela is hilarious watching routines, did you see him when nastia was on floor at the 2008 olympics? it was great!

[dannyradar]

how old was she?

[gongolo65]

14 yaers old.

[TimeManiac]

what was the crowd screaming about just as she mounted the beam?

[tide32athlete]

Probably Shannon Miller's score that came up right before Dominique mounted the beam. Only thing I can think of, unless they were cheering that loud for another performance going on.

[901234565432109867]

probably for her mount

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

Definitely for her mount.

[cyberce]

Yes it was for her mount. She invented it.

[jeffy5482]

No she didn't. It's called a Silivas. It's named after Daniella Silivas of Romania. Moceanu just did the move several times in a row.

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

Actually she changed it a little bit, making it named after her.

[jeffy5482]

There is no "Moceanu" skill for balance beam in the current CoP. However, the "Silivas" is still there: "Jump with 1/2 turn (180°) over shoulder to neckstand. 1/2 turn (180°) to cheststand".

I even looked up old versions I have of the CoP, and the "Moceanu" is not referenced in any of them.

[YogiBear1988]

You can tell how much Bela cares about her.

[aztec711]

Valla ella es una verdadera mujer, talento genialidad belleza, no que las de Mexico nada mas abortando , bueno solo algunas hahaha

[hmlilly]

I think that this was the single best beam set of her career.

[uncchristine99]

I just love to hear Bela scream when she lands--it's hilarious! He was so ominous and ill in the last two Olympics--I miss what he used to be for the team.