1976 Montreal Olympic Games - video

It's hard to believe that it is now 36 years since Nadia fought Nelli at the Montreal Olympics, since Maria unveiled that trademark cheeky charm, since Ludmilla broke her heart and Olga broke ours. The sport has come a long way since those heady days. Turn the clock back another 36 years and we pre-date the beginning of the 'new' era of gymnastics that began with the entry of the Soviet Union into Olympic competition in 1952. In that sense only, the sport was still in its infancy. Just think of all the twists and turns since.

Gymnastics was on the cusp of an acrobatically led revolution. Just look at the bars routines of Saadi, Tourischeva and Grozdova and compare them to those of Filatova, Comaneci and Korbut. Comaneci looks well ahead of the field on bars, but Nelli Kim soars ahead on floor and vault. This video reminds us that Comaneci's victory in Montreal was not as emphatic as the legend may lead us to believe: her floor is unsophisticated and relatively simple (see her compatriot Ungureanu for superior dance and expression though), vault a good effort but lacking the complexity of Kim's outrageous innovation for that time. Kim combines artistry and acrobatics to express the full dimensions of the sport of artistic gymnastics; Comaneci impresses with her daringly confident bars and beam. It is all about who made the most impact with the first ever 'ten' recorded in Olympic gymnastics' history.

It's a great video that has recently become available on Youtube, good quality and with full (Russian language) commentary. Not complete, but the best record many of us have available, with floor music intact - so now we can follow a pivotal part of the gymnastics narrative at almost first hand.