In the world of artistic gymnastics, a sport known for its elegance and demanding body control, you must have heard of these two names at least once: Nadia Comaneci, the Romanian gymnast who scored for the first time in the Olympics a perfect ten, and Simone Biles, the most decorated US gymnast also known as the best in the world.
These two athletes are two great representatives of each gymnastics era. We can easily divide the artistic gymnastics into two different time periods marked by the change in the scoring system in 2006. Before every competitor performed routines with the same degree of difficulty. The score depended on execution, originality, and grace. With the new scoring system, implemented by FIG (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique), every gymnast can define their own level of difficulty. Judges are split into two panels: one for execution (E) and one for difficulty (D). This is one of the main reasons why gymnastics today is so much different than it was before.
In the past the quality and technology of the equipment weren’t very good so the athletes weren’t capable of performing high-level skills. Movements that look basic today used to be a lot harder and dangerous. For example, the vaulting table used to be a foot wide; the trampoline, just like the floor, didn’t impulse as much as today; and the bars were closer. The beam is the only one that remained the same.
If you compare any events routine from these two eras, you’ll definitely notice how much it changed: since the uneven bars were closer there are some skills that gymnasts were able to do that now are impossible (e.g: belly beats), and this can also be applied the other way around. On vault the difficulty was much lower, for example, nowadays a tucked Tsukahara is considered a relatively easy skill but back then it was only performed in high-level competitions. On beam there was much more artistry and elegance, when building the routines, the coaches tried to show as much creativity as possible even creating unique elements, currently uniqueness doesn’t matter as much and they bet more on difficulty. On floor we can also see simpler and classier routines, now they have much more power and tricky elements.
In 1976, Nadia Comaneci, at only 13 years old, won a total of five gold medals, three silvers, and one bronze, at the Olympic Games in Montreal. Although very young, she had one of the best forms and postures ever seen which got her very far in her career. Technically she got the first perfect ten ever but, in that same competition, the Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim, her greatest rival, also got that score. When looking at Nadia’s performances it stands her control and perfection, her body moves almost like a feather, she’s able to reach high altitudes while being perfectly positioned with her body tight, that shows just how much strength she had. Everything she did was with extreme precision and balance.
In present times, Simone Biles is known for her immense power. She also displays a perfect corporal form while traveling at great speeds and heights. This body and aerial awareness are partly what makes her so fascinating, allowing her to win in the Rio Olympics four gold medals and one bronze. When watching her performances, you’ll be amazed by the heights she reaches, you’ll also observe elegance and discipline, but her high-risk tumbling is what captivates the public eye the most. A common watcher back to “Comaneci era” would be able to notice the excellence of a gymnast's moves, but now the “cool tricks” are what get the most attention. Biles has a total of four skills rightfully named after her: two on the floor “Biles” and “Biles II”, one dismount on the beam “The Biles” and one vault “Biles”. Each one of these until now has only been performed by her and will be forever engraved in history.
Some prefer the old ways, when artistic gymnastics was a sophisticated sport that required expressiveness and clarity. Others prefer the modern grand aerial skills that involve a lot of precision and braveness. Either way, it’s a beautiful sport where mental focus and a strong body are indispensable. In my opinion, gymnasts are not recognized enough even though they deserve and have been working for it their whole lives.
In case you’re interested, here are some links to gymnastics skills and performances that were mentioned:
-Tsukahara vault: https://youtu.be/D_tmqLVpy0A
-Nadia Comaneci UB using “Belly beats”: https://youtu.be/I78f_04mQ5A
-Simone Biles performing her unique skills: https://youtu.be/xYAp-3-NoDo
-Vault back then (Nadia Comaneci): https://youtu.be/R9JAaXc5Rws
-Vault now (Simone Biles): https://youtu.be/Tizy5pnvBK4
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