Nadia Comaneci, the original queen of the Olympic gymnastics 'Perfect 10,' is hoping that officials will turn back to the old school scoring style so that modern Olympian gymnasts can score the 'perfect 10' as well.
The famous Romanian gymnast Nadia Elena Comăneci made Olympic history books for being the first female gymnast to achieve the perfect score of 10. She was only 14 when she achieved the perfect score at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal for her performance on the uneven bars. Not only that, but she took home three gold medals during those games. She earned two more golds during her career which are among her nine medals.
At the time, the Olympic scoreboards couldn't even display a 10 because it was thought that no one would be able to earn an absolutely perfect score. The board showed a 1.00, which left Comaneci confused as she thought she had done much better.
"I didn't understand what that meant," Comaneci, 50, told The Associated Press. "That's all they could show. I was a little frustrated at the beginning because I thought I did better than one."
Comaneci did do better than a one. Her performance, by the judge's standards, was perfect.
Today, gymnasts don't even have a chance to score the perfect 10. It isn't because they're not good enough to try. It's because the scoring system changed six years ago, 30 years after Comaneci got the score.
The International Gymnastics Federation established the new scoring system in 2006, before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A high score is considered to range in the 15's and 16's. So scoring a 10 today would be pretty bad.
Although the 2012 Olympic Games are underway in London, Comaneci still hopes they bring back the old perfect 10 scoring system.
"I think gymnastics was associated with a 10. I thought that belonged to the sport and somehow we gave it away," she said. "I think we lost a lot of fans.
"It's a little bit confusing for fans. I think probably they're going to find a way to bring back the 10."
In addition to her five gold medals, two silver medals, and a bronze, Comaneci won two world titles during her 10-year international career.
At the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Comaneci took home two golds and two silvers, which some didn't find impressive compared to her three gold medals won at the Montreal Games.
"Nobody talks too much about Moscow," Comaneci added. "It's funny because I get this all the time. 'You went to Moscow but didn't do too well.' And I say 'Two gold medals and two silvers I don't think is that bad."
source: travelerstoday
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