Perfect 10 (gymnastics)
Encyclopedia
In gymnastics
, the maximum possible score was a perfect 10 until the rules were changed in 2006 by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Currently, there are different top scores for various events based upon difficulty ratings, and no consistent perfect score.
came under review as a result of two incidents during the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, Greece. In the men's individual all-around competition, South Korea
n Yang Tae-Young was awarded the bronze medal, rather than the gold, because of a scoring error, which the FIG decided to let stand. (However, both commentator Tim Daggett
and Miles Avery, gold medalist Paul Hamm
's coach, later reviewed tapes of Yang's performance and found a second scoring error, in which he was not docked 0.2 points for making four holds instead of the maximum allowed three, which more than offsets the first error and means his not being awarded the gold was correct.) The second controversy centered on Russia
n Alexei Nemov
in the men's horizontal bar
final. The crowd so raucously voiced its displeasure with Nemov's score (perceived as too low) that the final was stopped for 10-15 minutes. Finally, the judges raised his score (though not enough for a medal). When this did not satisfy the spectators, Nemov himself had to plead with the crowd to allow the competition to continue.
The new scoring system is open-ended, rewarding competitors for incorporating more difficult elements.
. "It's hard to understand. I don't even understand it," remarked gymnast Mary Lou Retton
. Romania
n gymnast Nadia Comăneci
commented, "It's so hard to define sports like ours and we had something unique. The 10, it was ours first and now you give it away."
Paris, 1924
Montreal, 1976
(Olympic database; Women's individual results; women's all-around results; women's team results)
Moscow, 1980
(Men's all-around results; men's individual event results)
Los Angeles, 1984
Men
Women
(Men's results; women's results)
Seoul, 1988
Men
Women
(Men's results; women's results)
Barcelona, 1992
(Women's results)
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, the maximum possible score was a perfect 10 until the rules were changed in 2006 by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Currently, there are different top scores for various events based upon difficulty ratings, and no consistent perfect score.
Impetus for change
The scoring systemCode of Points (artistic gymnastics)
A Code of Points is a rulebook that defines the scoring system for each level of competition in gymnastics. There is no unified, international code of points; every oversight organization—such as FIG , NCAA Gymnastics, and most national gymnastics federations—designs and employs its own unique Code...
came under review as a result of two incidents during the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece. In the men's individual all-around competition, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n Yang Tae-Young was awarded the bronze medal, rather than the gold, because of a scoring error, which the FIG decided to let stand. (However, both commentator Tim Daggett
Tim Daggett
Timothy P. Daggett is an American gymnast born in Springfield, Massachusetts and an Olympic gold medalist. He is a graduate of West Springfield High School and UCLA, who competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, along with Bart Conner, Peter Vidmar and Mitch Gaylord...
and Miles Avery, gold medalist Paul Hamm
Paul Hamm
Paul Elbert Hamm is an American artistic gymnast. He is a World Champion gymnast and three-time Olympic medalist. He won the all-around competition at the 2004 Olympic Games.-Career:...
's coach, later reviewed tapes of Yang's performance and found a second scoring error, in which he was not docked 0.2 points for making four holds instead of the maximum allowed three, which more than offsets the first error and means his not being awarded the gold was correct.) The second controversy centered on Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Alexei Nemov
Alexei Nemov
Alexei Yurievich Nemov is a gymnast from Russia and one of the most medaled gymnasts, male or female, of all time. He has won 12 Olympic medals, including more Olympic bronze medals than any other athlete. Nemov's sense of showmanship and his difficult routines have won him many fans...
in the men's horizontal bar
Horizontal bar
The high bar, also known as the horizontal bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in Artistic Gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a system of cables and stiff vertical supports. Gymnasts typically wear leather...
final. The crowd so raucously voiced its displeasure with Nemov's score (perceived as too low) that the final was stopped for 10-15 minutes. Finally, the judges raised his score (though not enough for a medal). When this did not satisfy the spectators, Nemov himself had to plead with the crowd to allow the competition to continue.
The new scoring system is open-ended, rewarding competitors for incorporating more difficult elements.
Criticism of the new system
The change has its share of critics. "It's crazy, terrible, the stupidest thing that ever happened to the sport of gymnastics," complained noted coach Béla KárolyiBéla Károlyi
Béla Károlyi is a Romanian gymnastics coach. He was born in what was then Kolozsvár, Hungary, a region restored to Romanian administration after 1944. Károlyi and his wife, Márta, also of Hungarian origin, emigrated to the United States in 1981 and both have dual citizenships for Romania and the...
. "It's hard to understand. I don't even understand it," remarked gymnast Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. She was the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title, after 14 Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.-Personal life:Retton was born in Fairmont, West...
. Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n gymnast Nadia Comăneci
Nadia Comaneci
Nadia Elena Comăneci is a Romanian gymnast, winner of three Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the first female gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is also the winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer...
commented, "It's so hard to define sports like ours and we had something unique. The 10, it was ours first and now you give it away."
Paris, 1924Gymnastics at the 1924 Summer OlympicsAt the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, nine events in gymnastics were contested, all for men only. The competitions were held from July 17, 1924 to July 24, 1924.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...
- 22 men in rope-climbing, with one Albert SéguinAlbert SéguinAlbert Séguin was a French gymnast and Olympic Champion. He competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics, where he received a gold medal in sidehorse vault, and silver medals in rope climbing and in team combined exercises.-External links:*...
getting a second 10 in the sidehorse vault
Montreal, 1976Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer OlympicsAt the 1976 Summer Olympics, fourteen different artistic gymnastics events were contested, eight for men and six for women. All events were held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal from July 18 through 23rd....
- Nadia ComăneciNadia ComaneciNadia Elena Comăneci is a Romanian gymnast, winner of three Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the first female gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is also the winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer...
(3) - individual uneven bars (both rounds) and balance beam; - Nellie KimNellie KimNellie Vladimirovna Kim is a retired Soviet gymnast who won three gold medals and a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics...
(2) - individual vault and floor exercise;
(Olympic database; Women's individual results; women's all-around results; women's team results)
Moscow, 1980Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer OlympicsAt the 1980 Summer Olympics, fourteen different artistic gymnastics events were contested, eight for men and six for women. All events were held at the Sports Palace of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow from July 20 through 25th...
- Zoltán MagyarZoltan MagyarZoltán Magyar was the premier pommel horse gymnast in the world in the 1970s...
(2) - individual and all-around pommel horse - Stoyan DeltchevStoyan DeltchevStoyan Deltchev is a Bulgarian gymnast and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow where he received a gold medal in horizontal bar and a bronze medal in all-around individual....
- all-around rings - Alexander DityatinAlexander DityatinAlexander Nikolaevich Dityatin is a Russian gymnast, three-time Olympic Champion, and Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR. Winning eight medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics, he set the record for achieving the most medals of any type at a single Olympic Games. The American swimmer Michael Phelps...
- all-around vault - Michael NikolayMichael NikolayMichael Nikolai is a German gymnast and competed for the SC Dynamo Berlin/ Sportvereinigung Dynamo, and competed for East Germany. He won the world champion title.-References:...
- all-around pommel horse - Alexander Tkachev - all-around high bar
(Men's all-around results; men's individual event results)
Los Angeles, 1984Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer OlympicsAt the 1984 Summer Olympics, two different gymnastics disciplines were contested. In addition to the fourteen artistic gymnastics events contested–eight for men and six for women, for the first time at the Olympics, a rhythmic gymnastics event was contested–the women's individual all-around...
Men
- Li NingLi NingLi Ning is a well-known Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur. He was born in an ethnic Zhuang family.-Gymnastics career:...
(5) - individual floor exercise and pommel horse; pommel horse, rings, and vault in the team final - Tong FeiTong FeiTong Fei is a male Chinese gymnast. He competed at 1984 Olympic Games, and won a silver medal in men's horizontal bar . He also helped Chinese men's gymnastics team to win a silver medal in team competition....
(4) - high bar in the individual, all-around, and team events; team rings - Koji GushikenKoji Gushikenwas an Olympic gymnast for Japan at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, where he won a total number of five medals, including two gold. Born November 12, 1956. He currently coaches other Olympic contenders.-References:* *...
(3) - individual and team high bar; all-around vault - Lou Yun (3) - individual vault; vault in both rounds of the team final
- Shinji MorisueShinji Morisueis a Japanese gymnast and Olympic champion. He hails from Okayama City.-Olympics:He received a gold medal in horizontal bar, a silver medal in vault, and a bronze medal in team combined exercises at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles....
(3) - high bar in the individual and both rounds of the team final - Peter VidmarPeter VidmarPeter Glen Vidmar is an American gymnast and Olympic medalist. He won gold medals in the men's all-around team competition and the pommel horse competition, as well as a silver medal in the men's all-around individual gymnastics competition at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He was...
(3) - all-around high bar; pommel horse in the individual and team finals - Bart ConnerBart ConnerBart Wayne Conner is a former American gymnast who, as a member of the gold medal-winning men's gymnastics team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games won an individual gold on the parallel bars...
(2) - parallel bars in both the team and individual events - Mitch GaylordMitch GaylordMitchell Jay Gaylord , is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist.Gaylord was born in Van Nuys, California, son of Fred and Linda Gaylord. While attending UCLA, he won the All-Around in the 1983 and 1984 U.S...
(2) - team parallel bars and rings - Tim DaggettTim DaggettTimothy P. Daggett is an American gymnast born in Springfield, Massachusetts and an Olympic gold medalist. He is a graduate of West Springfield High School and UCLA, who competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, along with Bart Conner, Peter Vidmar and Mitch Gaylord...
- team high bar - Li XiaopingLi XiaopingLi Xiaoping is a male Chinese gymnast. He competed at the 1984 Olympic Games, and won a silver medal in Men's Team. In the 1983 World Championships, he won a gold medal for Men's Team and a gold medal for pommel horse.-References:...
- team pommel horse - Xu ZhiqiangXu ZhiqiangXu Zhiqiang is a former male Chinese gymnast.Xu was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. He joined the People's Liberation Army in 1973, and enrolled in the army's gymnastics team. Later Xu was admitted into Chinese national team. Xu competed at 1984 Olympic Games, and helped China win a silver...
- team high bar
Women
- Julianne McNamaraJulianne McNamaraJulianne Lyn McNamara was an American artistic gymnast, who was born to Australian parents. She was the winner of the U.S. women's first individual event gold medal in Olympic history....
(5) - individual uneven bars and floor exercise; all-around uneven bars; team uneven bars and floor exercise - Ecaterina SzaboEcaterina SzaboEcaterina Szabo is an ethnic Hungarian former artistic gymnast from Romania who won 20 Olympic, world and continental medals...
(4) - floor exercise; all-around balance beam; team vault and floor exercise - Ma YanhongMa YanhongMa Yanhong is a retired Chinese Olympic athlete. She was the first Chinese gymnast, male or female, to win a gold medal at the World Gymnastics Championships and the Olympic Games....
(3) - individual, all-around, and team uneven bars - Mary Lou Retton (3) - floor exercise and vault in the all-around; vault in the team event
- Simona PăucăSimona PaucaSimona Pauca is a Romanian gymnast and Olympic champion.She competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where she tied for gold with her teammate Ecaterina Szabo on balance beam with an exceptionally difficult and innovative routine, received a gold medal in team combined exercises, and a...
- team balance beam
(Men's results; women's results)
Seoul, 1988Gymnastics at the 1988 Summer OlympicsAt the 1988 Summer Olympics, two different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. The artistic gymnastics events were held at the Olympic Gymnastics Hall in Seoul from September 18 through 25th...
Men
- Dmitry BilozerchevDmitry BilozerchevDmitry Vladimirovich Bilozerchev is a Soviet/Russian gymnast. One of the most accomplished gymnasts in history, he is a two-time World All-Around Champion and three-time Olympic Champion. He trained at the Armed Forces sports society in Moscow....
(4) - pommel horse; all-around pommel horse, rings, and vault - Vladimir ArtemovVladimir ArtemovVladimir Nikolaevich Artemov is a former Russian gymnast, Olympic champion and world champion who competed for the Soviet Union.He was born in Vladimir....
(2) - all-around parallel bars and high bar - Zsolt BorkaiZsolt BorkaiZsolt Borkai is a Hungarian gymnast, world champion and Olympic champion. He is also the mayor of Győr since 2006.He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, where he received a gold medal in pommel horse...
- pommel horse - Csaba Fajkusz - all-around high bar
- Gyorgy Guczoghy - all-around pommel horse
- Lubomir GeraskovLubomir GeraskovLubomir Geraskov is a Bulgarian gymnast and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul where he received a gold medal in pommel horse, shared with Dmitry Bilozerchev and Zsolt Borkai. He received two bronze medals at the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in...
- pommel horse - Sylvio Kroll - all-around pommel horse
- Valeri LiukinValeri LiukinValeri Viktorovich Liukin is a retired competitive artistic gymnast who competed for the former Soviet Union. Liukin is the 1988 Olympic Champion in the team competition and individually on the horizontal bar and Olympic silver medalist in the all-around and the parallel bars...
- all-around high bar
Women
- Yelena ShushunovaYelena ShushunovaYelena Lvovna Shushunova is a Russian gymnast, World, European, and Olympic Champion. Shushunova is renowned for her dynamic vaulting and tumbling skills as well as her longevity and exceptional consistency...
(4) - uneven bars and vault; all-around floor exercise and vault - Daniela SilivaşDaniela SilivasViorica Daniela Silivaş-Harper , best known as Daniela Silivaş, is a Romanian gymnast who is most famous for winning six medals in women's artistic gymnastics at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea...
(4) - both rounds of the individual uneven bars; all-around uneven bars and floor exercise - Dagmar KerstenDagmar KerstenDagmar Kersten is a former East German gymnast and competed for the SC Dynamo Berlin/ Sportvereinigung Dynamo. She is an Olympic medalist and has won many international competitions...
- uneven bars
(Men's results; women's results)
Barcelona, 1992Gymnastics at the 1992 Summer OlympicsAt the 1992 Summer Olympics, two different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. The artistic gymnastics events were held at the Palau Sant Jordi from July 26 through August 2...
- Lu LiLu LiLu Li is a Chinese gymnast.Lu made the Chinese national team in late 1991. However, liver illness almost prevented her from competing in the Olympics...
- uneven bars - Lavinia MiloşoviciLavinia MilosoviciLavinia Corina Miloşovici is a Romanian Olympic gymnast. An exceptionally successful athlete on the international competition circuit, Miloşovici, also known as "Milo" in the gymnastics community, is considered to be one of Romania's top gymnasts of the 1990s and one of the most prolific female...
- floor exercise
(Women's results)
World Championships
- Daniela Silivaş, 1985 World Gymnastics Championship
- Aurelia DobreAurelia DobreAurelia Dobre is a former artistic gymnast from Romania, who was the 1987 World Champion. She is still held in high esteem by many gymnastics fans today for her clean technique as well as balletic and artistic flair...
, 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship (five times)