Mary Lou Retton - Floor Exercise - 1984 McDonald's American Cup

[Starseedancer]

Whats the name of the song please__

[itsbrittany23]

two tenths at the most?! now it would be like 5 tenths and theres no way you're gonna place.

[PhenixJoe]

Was the floor less....springy back then?

[15MSBasketball]

I love her side ariel and her double layout (: She flies so highh!!



[sunrisesunset51]

I just keep watching 0:18-0:28 over and over. Holy crap.

[TheZwinkyStuff]

she runs so fierce! LOL

[crisiluv]

her run into tumbling passes... amazing^_^

[sageofsuccess]

Mary Lou has always known how to have fun and to be very intense at the same time. She's always smiling, and you can always tell that she is ready to take on every challenge that comes her way.

[TheZwinkyStuff]

what soong is this?

[AndDanielaSays]

Best gymnast. Ever.

[runnerboy081]

okay there is no way that you can compare gymnast from different decades, like comparing Mary Lou to Shawn Johnson. It doesnt work, yea they were both power gymnast but Mary Lou is in the beginning stages of American gymnastics while Shawn is in a completely different zone of American gymnastics. They never even thought of doing moves that gymnastic do today.

[popafan]

@runnerboy081 I totally agree. It's also worth mentioning the evolution of the equipment, including the floor exercise mat/springs. The spring floors of 80s, I'm sure, had far less rebound than those of today's. I imagine competing a double layout in '84 would have been exponentially more difficult than on today's super springy exercise mats.

[StLukey7]

my italian princess. dang i still have a HUGE crush on her!!!

[Squishylimez]

i <3 her !

[UltimateBacon64]

If you fall like that today its like a point....like Aliya Mustafina at the American Cup.

[abbymac2171995sweety]

she is my hero

[nicksline]

That DLO! Better than anyone.  Yeah i know people bitch and moan about how if the Soviets had been there she'd never have one but she finishes that move with her chest higher than ANYONE! One of the most powerful gymnasts ever.

[SuperMoonman10]

Yep Shawn Johnson is Way better than her

[Rynryn99]

Wow a 9.75 with hands down and a step, times have changed, lol... Under the newer 10.0 system that routine would have barely scored a 9.0 lol

I love Mary Lou tho! She was an amazing athlete!

[summerbaer25]

Does anyone know if she won? Well I watched the all her performnases and I guess but you never know, do you?

So does anyone know for sure?

[LakinDenae19]

@summerbaer25 Yes, with two perfect 10s. First American woman to win gold in this category.

[MakeupDanceArt]

like an olympic gymnast would eat mcdonalds

[LCAmarkymark]

@MakeupDanceArt the art of marketing...like a 14 or even 16 year old gymnast can get a credit card lol.

[102210heart]

Today that would be considered a fall...shows how times have really changed in gymnastics

[nicksline]

Wow, that's the best DLO i've ever seen. She lands with her body totally upright. Amazing power

[MrJST94]

I tink that is the best double layout I've ever seen :)

[kevterrancee]

Look at thos legs!! She had the most developed leg muscles ever and she was just 14 in this video!!!

[garyj79]

@kevterrancee not to be pedantic kev but she was 16 here in 1984...she was born in Jan 1968, besides she wouldnt have been able to be Olympic AA champion at 14 by that time......I dont think so anyway...they raised the age criteria in the late 1970's.....

[TheOklahoma10]

@garyj79 actually, they could not have raised the age criteria in the late '70's because shannon miller went to the 1992 olympics at 14.

[bbhouk1]

@garyj79

They didn't raise it from 14 until 1997

[uzijohn]

I believe Mary Lou's physical strength set her apart from the others, when she stuck a landing it was solid, Béla Károlyi coached many champions, I suspect she was his favorite

[JJoshWinchester]

Her double layout was sooooooooooo high!

[gymbert13]

Love that music, her run is great!

[chloecrockermusic]

how old is she here?

[KaEproductions78]

i think that this is shawn johnson's mother.

hahahahahah

[musicisinmeforever]

um...epic.

[bertera1614]

@kuddygymnast12 there is a movie wich is called" Los Angeles Olympic Games"

[AlmightyOwl]

I love how right after the doudle layout you see bela jump up in the background.

[28cheerprincess]

wow she got a ton of height on that ariel!

[garyj79]

Awesome tumbling BUT there was something really bloudy annoying about MLR - cant put my finger on it ! 

[gymnastparexcellence]

@garyj79 hey i feel exactly the same way!

[ThePingShowJL]

Awesome. Some people might of though she was german cause of her leo....well except for the white.

[AreJacqueline0000]

tenía muchísima potencia!!!!

[afgymnast96]

wasn't that "two tenth deduction" a fall? she clearly put her hand down

[elven678]

@afgymnast96 I just thought of it as difference in scoring system.

[tmwalkerm]

@afgymnast96 it would be by today's standards I guess, they didn't even mention she put her hand down.

[gymnasticsloverxoxo]

"Another Olga" hahahaha

She runs incredible fast though.

[TheJordy456]

her double layout was so graceful not like the other gymnast that are so tense when they do it!

[samIam490]

I'm kinda related to her!

[smallmushroom15]

@samIam490  how ?

[Baileyrocks7598]

@samIam490 thats awesomee how??

[bbhouk1]

nadia comaneci did floor without the springs . I remeber wondering why she didnt just do a full split in the air its becuz the floor was not sprung enuf to do it

if you like this looke at nadia comaneci floor at the 1976american cup AMAZING

also i like the older routines becuz they use too much classic today and gymnasts are about strength and power and grace not a bunch of flightylittle notes classic just isnt fast paced enuf to go with floor routines

[evoandy]

one of hte best double layouts done by a woman.

[ActionLooking]

@evoandy Anna Pavlova's is better.

[Mora626]

Anyone know what this song is called?

[Sileeee56]

@Mora626

"Sanie cu zurgalai", Romanian song.

[HyperKandie]

@Sileeee56 THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[ThePingShowJL]

O.O

That was one fast run in the beginning. I like this routine. It has a certain flare to it.

[milogirl14]

I feel so bad for her because of that one move.

[Team3Psalms23]

@milogirl14 yeah me too, she was kinda low when she landed

[ThePingShowJL]

She has quick, powerful movements.

[nikkigymnast94]

i like how the lunges are during this time. it shows still shows control but now with the fig changing the code of points and stuff i kinda like the stuck landing.

[MisanthropistPro]

Did they use a spring floor? How could someone throw a double without a spring floor?

[erin592]

It looks like the floor is sprung here. Not as much as today's floors though. I'm definitely not an expert, but I think that floors got more sprung as the 80's and early 90's went on. This was just the beginning of springs in floors. Because didn't they pretty much just use wrestling type mats before this? Mary Lou is prob able to fly like she does because the floors were starting to improve at that time. She is amazing regardless!

[KittyCatZoey1691]

she's so powerful!

[spartyutube]

Wow she flies on that double layout.

[Taylor23smiles]

she gots skills!!!

[Aldonza2]

IIRC Hands down did NOT constitue a fall in that code. It was a.1 or .2 deduction only

[sniperworx]

cause its a judged event and they judged it a 9.75 , thats why

you would have 'judged' it lower - opinion with rules

[mrflipz]

she defintly put her hand down after that second run. why did she get such a good score?

[12bmills]

Because it wasn't a complete fall.

[Giulyx16]

Put a hand down mean that's a fall....

[luv4cookie1]

no her hand was so close to hitting the floor but obviousley she didnt or they would of took the hole .5 deduction.