Skating & Gymnastics (Offshoot from Yuna/Orser coaching breakup thread)
To help keep the Yuna/Orser thread more on topic, here are a bunch of OT posts from that thread (but relevant to this one )
To help keep the Yuna/Orser thread more on topic, here are a bunch of OT posts from that thread (but relevant to this one )
Do you mean Lilia P., who won the Gymnastics all-around gold? She certainly sparkled. I felt the same reaction to Nastia Liukin in 2008, and Gutsu in--now I can't remember; it had to be 1992, the last year of the Unified Team. You're right. Achievements like that stand out no matter where the athlete comes from. I'm old enough to remember Nadia Comaneci in the Montreal Games, and I was ready to swear that the kid could defy gravity.
Skating's the same. Competitors like Gordeyeva/Grinkov, John Curry, Torvill/Dean, and others made us all citizens of the world as we watched. It's what we share as skate fans. Of course one feels patriotic about a champion from one's own country, but there's room for "dual citizenship" in the heart of every fan.
You are right.
Nadia is another outstanding athlete who was globally admired regardless of nationality.
There was no video recorder available...I couldn't record her performance.
she could have won the beam as well...not to arguement anyway
She got injured after Olympics until she retired, it is not like she lost steam
She and Moceanu were my favs of these Olympics.
argument....
Nobody was going to beat Shannon on the balance beam in '96. She was the best and steady as a rock.
But I remember you know more about this than I do - so I will use the old "patriotism" excuse.
Shannon is still the best gymnast ever produced by the USA.
http://shannonmiller.com/shannon-miller.php