Nadia is still my fave of them all. I have her Beam, AB and FX from Montreal on tape as part of a Gynastics doco about Turisheva & Korbut vs Nadia that was aired a few years ago. The audience reaction during her AB routine (the first of her 10 routines) is priceless - you can quite clearly hear the collective gasps as she goes thru her elements (as an aside, Canadian audiences are always good value at a standout performance - the happy squeals of disbelief following Midori's 3T-3T during her FS @ Calgary always brings a smile to my face).
In this doco is Turisheva's famous AB routine from the very first World Cup in London in 1975 when the AB apparatus collapes around her during her dismount, (which she stuck) and she walked off without even a backward glance - what a competitor!!!! I never care much for Kim as a gymnast and as a judge, even less....
I also loved Szabo and Silivas and the exquisite, but almost forgotten Dobre. Does anyone remember Aurelia???
OwenEvans
If you ever get around to making a copy of that tape, I'd love to purchase one from you. I've always wanted a tape of Nadia's Olympic competition. I totally agree with your opinion of her.
I chose other, as Nadia is my favorite gymnast of all time, followed closely by Olga Korbut and Ludmilla T. (I'm not even going to attempt to spell her last name).
I basically like all gymnasts just for having the courage for trying their moves however I have to say that at the moment ,Mohini is probably my fave Plus it helps that pam anderson is her sponsor
Of the ones listed, my fave is Carly Patterson. Of the current crop of gymnasts, I also like Hollie Vise, Nastia Luiken, and Mohini Bhardwaj (who I've been a fan of for a LONG time and whose family still lives in my hometown). But I chose other on this list because my all time fave has got to be Lilia Podkepayeva. She had the tumbling, the elegant balletic dancing, and the beauty to really make a statement in gymnastics. She was wonderful! I am really glad to have her routines from Atlanta 1996 on tape but I would LOVE to have the 1995 Worlds as well when she won the womens' AA there. Anybody have that on tape?!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OwenEvans
I never care much for Kim as a gymnast and as a judge, even less....
I believe she was banned from judging for a period of time because of her blatant favoritism towards Russian gymnasts.
RG, I think you are right. Kim shafted Silivas during the 88 AA comp, allowing Shushunova to claim the gold by the smallest margin. However, IMO, the biggest "wuzrobbed" was Nadia at the 80 O's in Moscow. The AA came down to her final routine on BB, which she nailed except for the slightest balance check. She had previously scored at 9.95 and a 10 on the BB in the Qual and Team comps and only needed 9.9 to win, but, you guessed it, the judges argued/stalled for nearly 30 minutes, just to slow things down so everyone could see what Davydova scored on her final set and work out what was needed to put her in first. Nadia received a 9.85, thanks to 9.8s awarded by Russia and (I think) the GDR for the silver medal.....