Random vid thread

[MaryClare]

Also, east Germany were strong both in gymnastics and in sports politics at the time. Ricna was a big player too

 

[RedBirdie]

The Czechoslovakians and Bulgarians were no.slouches, either.

 

[Puffin]

The USSR had Yurchenko, Mostepanova and Shushunova for vault, then there was Gnauck who was right up there.

On FX Mostepanova, Shushunova, Yurchenko, Gnauck, Ricna and Stoyanova were all big contenders.

 

[IratePanda]

Retton had a mistake on FX in EF, and her vaults weren't great. Szabo's vault gold was questionable because her positions in the air were so wonky. IIRC, she did a piked Tsuk-full and a tucked Cuervo, but it was nearly impossible to distinguish one from the other. Mostepanova and Yurchenko went 1-2 on V in Olomuoc, so perhaps they would have done the same in LA.

Mostepanova also won floor in Olomuoc--tied with Gnauck, ugh! (This is supposed to be my Yurchenko fantasy. East Germans begone!) I don't know how things might have played out in LA. Szabo and McNamara were both amazing.

Sadly, I don't think Stoyanova would have been a major factor in LA. She was injured in early '84 and still wasn't at full strength for the Alternate Games.

 

[rlayt]

If only. We’ve had to see way too much MLR because of the way it turned out.

 

[IratePanda]

If only. We’ve had to see way too much MLR because of the way it turned out.

We might've had to see too much of her anyway. If she'd snagged a silver or two in a sea of East Bloc gymnasts, that would have been a very big deal in 1984. I'm sure she still would have ended up on a Wheaties box. (For the record, I boycotted Wheaties for several years even though it was one of my favorite cereals. I stuck with Cheerios and Chex until her image was little more than a bad memory.)

 

[Seyonne]

I’m sure Retton would have won a vault medal for no other reason than it being a home Olympics.

 

[RichardL]

I’m sure Retton would have won a vault medal for no other reason than it being a home Olympics.

Looking back, I probably would've been happy with having a vault medal. And only that lol.

 

[Denn]

Retton was always going to be at a disadvantage in vault finals because — unless I am mistaken — her first vault, a piked barani, was only a 9.9. In the 1985 Code, it's 10.0, but the code in 1979 had it 9.9.

Meanwhile, the ugly tucked Cuervo that Szabo did was a 10.0. Tell me how that made any sense.

 

[Concorde]

Retton was always going to be at a disadvantage in vault finals because — unless I am mistaken — her first vault, a piked barani, was only a 9.9.

I don’t have a copy of the 1981 - 1984 COP, but you can see the S.V. for Retton’s first vault flash as 10.0:

 

[RedBirdie]

What strange technique on the handspring entry, tucking between the springboard and vault.

I know the code was very different back then, but a 9.8 for a vault with a clear knee bend in preflight, low chest on the landing, and two obvious steps backwards?

However, I will admit that tsuk full is impressive.

 

[RichardL]

What strange technique on the handspring entry, tucking between the springboard and vault.

I know the code was very different back then, but a 9.8 for a vault with a clear knee bend in preflight, low chest on the landing, and two obvious steps backwards?

However, I will admit that tsuk full is impressive.

Those two vaults would've been competitive in EFs up until ~1994. But yes, very weird pre-flight technique on the handspring vault.

 

[RAFIKI]

What strange technique on the handspring entry, tucking between the springboard and vault.

Even stranger that Rigby said there was no deduction for it. Strange if that was true and strange if Rigby just thought it was true.

 

[Aeris]

It was only one step on the landing and that 9.8 is an underscore compared to Szabo getting 9.95 on the same vault with separated legs in the air, imperfect chest position, and a hop back. Retton's landing is still more flawed and there was a bit less amplitude, but her air position was better.

I don't mind the tucking during pre-flight too much. Szabo had leg separation instead.

 

[eanda]

In the 1979 code, first flight had a .30 deduction for "Strong tuck or pike (not according to the nature of the vault)" and an up to .20 deduction for "Body position fault (trunk, legs). In the 1985 code, the first deduction was an "up to .30." I don't know if that was one of the changes before 1984, or if it came in 1985.

Edit: It may have been one of those deductions in the book, but not regularly taken. Two examples of generous scores with the same technique - although several years before - are Canary at 1978 Worlds and Comaneci at 1979 Euros.

 

[Denn]

I don’t have a copy of the 1981 - 1984 COP, but you can see the S.V. for Retton’s first vault flash as 10.0:

It says 302, and as she runs, it appears to change to 1000, but are you sure that is the SV? The images I posted are from that code, which was published in 1989 1979. Maybe they changed the value after 1979, though. It was an absurd value, and in 1985, it's in the code as a 10.0 (though the tucked cuervo is still a 10.0. Sigh.)

If they DID give it 10.0 by 1984, then her score of 9.8 is hilariously unfair compared to other scores in that final. Assuming what Cathy Rigby says about the leg bend on preflight is true, that vault has more amplitude than basically any other vault in the final. The landing should be the only deduction, and they were penalizing that kind of a hop 0.1 for other gymnasts.

 

[Denn]

Meanwhile, Szabo flashed 505, a piked Tsuk full.

NOT a piked Tsuk full.


That was a Piked Cuervo. It was wonky off the horse, had a form break at the end, and hopped. And it got 9.95.

 

[IratePanda]

Agache gave it away on the landings.

 

[tempest]

WOW DId the judges really want Szabo to win after MLR won the AA? Retton is by far the better vaulter comparing only the EF VTs

 

[RedBirdie]

Everything about Szabo's vaulting was wonky, starting with the run.

Laura Martinez's vault run was a tribute to Szabo.