Gymnastics is a unique sport, because it is often focused on the individual. Most of the glory comes from the all-around and individual events. But we have seen great team competitions, where the individual gymnasts come together and build off one another and produce amazing results. Though some of the individual names may slip from memory, their achievement as a team lives on.
Here is a list of some of my favorite women’s team competitions held at the World Championships or Olympic Games:
1996 Atlanta Olympics
OK, so I am very biased here. I’m an American, and I was fifteen years old when I sat glued to my television set, vehemently taping on my VHS every single second of gymnastics at the Atlanta Olympics. I followed gymnastics very closely that quad, and it featured my fave, Lilia Podkpayeva of Ukraine. While I was happy that she achieved individual glory, I was mesmerized by the amazing competition of the American girls, aka the ‘Magnificent Seven’. A beautiful blend of veterans (Miller, Borden, Dawes, and Strug) and dynamic newcomers (Chow, Moceanu, and Phelps), this team had everything. At the time, I actually thought it was impossible for them to win the team competition; surely the experience of Russia and Romania would win out! But those teams faced injuries and mistakes while the Mag 7 continued to hit routine after routine….until the famous conclusion of Moceanu’s two missed vaults, setting up rock-steady Kerri Strug, always the bridesmaid, never the bride. OK, so the USA didn’t really need her score, but it was a cinematic moment. Sure, the crowd was pretty overwhelming for the non-American competitors, but I couldn’t help but get swept up in the magic of that night.
Here, Kerri and coach Bela reflect on her historic vault:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRYiOa5lM8
1979 Worlds
Before the Americans were strongly in the mix, the battles in team competition in the 1970s and 80s were between the Soviet Union and Romania. The USSR was the traditional power in gymnastics; so much of the sports progression was due to the Soviet influence. At the 1976 Olympics, Nadia Comaneci put Romania gymnastics at the forefront, but despite individual success, the team from the Soviet Union continued to outpace the strong and steady Romanians. That is, until the 1979 Worlds, the year before the Olympics (to be held in Moscow). The Romanians showed up fit and ready, complete with legend Comaneci, who was on the comeback after a 4th place finish in the AA at the previous year’s Worlds. But, as luck would have it, Nadia suffered an injury to her hand, and was unable to put any significant pressure on it, rendering her practically useless on every event. The Romanian team was left to compete optionals with no score to drop. Competing with greats like Eberle and Ruhn and stellar teammates Dunca, Turner, and Vladarau, these young ladies held off the Soviet challenge. The USSR failed to take advantage of the situation by having an exceptionally poor uneven bar rotation (counting a 9.0, a 9.1, 9.5, and two 9.8s). Coupled with Nadia’s clutch performance on beam, which had to be altered considerably to favor her injured hand, the Romanians provided the upset of the Worlds by winning their first team title.
Here is that beam by Nadia, which scored a 9.950. You can see the huge bandage she is wearing over her hand, which was infected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7VdsFKEPPU
2000 Sydney Olympics
Another great team story by the Romanians. In 1996, they entered the Olympics as the two-time reigning World team champions, but finished 3rd at the Olympics. Now, headed to Sydney, the Romanian girls were the four-time world team champions. There was a lot of expectation for them to win team gold, but the Russian ladies had some key performers who were eager to claim an Olympic title. Khorkina, Produnova, Zamoldchikova, and Lobaznyuk were all a part of the 1999 World Championship team that had the title in their grasp and then lost it on beam. They came back at the 2000 Europeans, taking the title from the Romanians (and winning seven individual medals, compared to Romania’s three), and setting themselves up as the favorites in Sydney. But once again, steadiness won out over flashiness, and the super consistent and well-preserved routines of the Romanians took gold over the more difficult yet risky routines of the Russians, who once again counted low scores on the beam. Watching the Romanians stare up at the scoreboard and jump for joy is a treasured moment.
Here is the last floor routine for Khorkina and the Romanian realization of Olympic gold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaNt7wwEONE
2006 Worlds
For a long while, the Big 4 was really the Big 3. While China was always in the mix and provided an assortment of stellar individuals, their status as a team power was limited by their less than strong vaulting and floor skills. In preparation for the 2008 Olympics, to be held in Beijing, the Chinese women’s team was set to show that they had just as much prowess as the men’s team. Armed with supreme vaulter Cheng Fei, veteran Zhang Nan, and many young, well-rounded competitors, China came into team finals second behind the US, but poised to take advantage of the reigning world champions who were beset by injury and some lack of experience. China proved to be the best at navigating the new Code of Points and scoring system, while traditional powers Romania and Russia dealt with coaching changes and retirements. Questions about Chinese consistency were laid to rest after a dominate team performance that set them up perfectly for to capture the gold two years later.
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Enjoy this montage of the team competition!<br /> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl66dXQW8Yw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl66dXQW8Yw</a>
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<strong>1966 Worlds</strong><br /> And a major throwback! Before Romania and USSR, before the USA was dominate on the world scene, it was Czechoslovakia that provided the major competition to the USSR. Several major names dominated the individual rankings (notably, Bosakova and Caslavska), but Team TCH couldn’t withstand the dominance of the Soviet Union, overrun with legends, like Latynina, Manina, Gorokhovskaya, Tourischeva, Astakhova, Korbut, and Kuchinskaya (and more!) In 1958, Team Czechoslovakia received silver after losing out to USSR by a whopping ten points at the worlds in Moscow. Two years later, the World Championships were held in Prague, and the TCH women were only 2.4 points behind the Soviets. Then, finally, in 1966, armed with Olympic AA Champion Vera Caslavska, TCH emerged as team champions by a mere 0.038 over the Soviets. While the Czechoslovakian women’s team would never reach such success again, never finishing higher than third in the worlds again, this landmark victory will always stand. For a time when the Soviet Union was the be all end all in the sport, Vera and Co. proved themselves worthy contenders and champions.
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So, it’s hard to find a lot of footage from the 1966 Worlds, but here is Vera’s bar routine—check out her mount! The commentary is also lovely.<br /> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op5o-5y1eT4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op5o-5y1eT4</a>
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So what else can you add to the list? How about Romania in 1994, the beginning of their streak? Or Russia in 2010 and their first team title at the world level since the Soviet Union break up? Any Fierce 5 fans? How about Romania’s crazy consistent performance in 2004, holding off the world champs from the USA? Speaking of, the American team title in 2003 was pretty spectacular, introducing us to alternate Chellsie Memmel. Or perhaps great silver and bronze medal performances—Australia in 2003, or Ukraine versus China in 1999? Let me know which team competitions still give you goosebumps!
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<strong>Coming up in the following weeks: Parts 2 and 3 – Sara and Bea have their say regarding the Greatest team competitions of all times!</strong>
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<strong>Article by: Kristen Ras</strong>
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<a href="http://www.newsgd.com/news/weekly%20news/200610200063.htm"><strong>Photo Cover Source</strong></a>
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