The First Perfect 10 in Olympic Gymnastics
In today’s world it is hard to imagine that there was a time that gymnastics was not at the level that it is today.
With athletes like Simone Biles, and Katelyn Ohashi, the standards for gymnastics are incredibly high, and are constantly being challenged. However many do not know about those who came before them, and really helped pave the way for competitive gymnastics.
The sport of gymnastics dates back to ancient Greek times, when people started to exercise regularly and competitively. It was then developed in 1774, where it was developed over time into what it is today. It was not until 1896 that gymnastics was accepted as an olympic sport.
Gymnastics was not very popular either in the Olympics until the 70’s when two pioneers of the sport came around, bringing a huge buzz to the scene. It wasn’t until 1976 when Nadia Comaneci did what no other has done before.
Nadia was only six years old when she first started gymnastics in Romania. From a very young age she showed extreme talent winning different junior national championships across many countries.
The 14 year old was the first person to ever score a perfect 10 in any event. This first victory came in the uneven bars, and would eventually lead to her going on to earn six more perfect 10’s.
Check out her groundbreaking performance here:
Today you can often find Nadia back home in Romania helping to teach younger generations about the beauty and grace of gymnastics. She has toured all over the world, inspiring and bringing awareness to the sport.
If it were not for her perfect performance, gymnastics might not be as large as it is today, as this was truly an incredible moment in sports history.
