Sport

Comaneci = Perfect 10

Nadia Comaneci arrived far ahead of time at Montreal 1976.

After she had twirled and arched her supple body on the uneven bars, the first event in women’s gymnastics and completed the act with a soft landing and a bow, the scoreboard flashed ‘1.00’ to show the judges had given her ‘10& #8217;, the first perfect score in gymnastics history.

The crowd at the Montreal Forum, waiting in silent anticipation for the verdict to appear, heard the clicking of cameras first and then exploded into cheers when the announcer explained the reason for the scoreline.

Romania’s little girl went through her routine with such technical and physical skill that the judges were dazzled into rewarding perfection.

The equipment was not programmed to display four digits of 10.00, the maximum being 9.99 and the 1.00 flashed for Comaneci.

She recorded a total of seven perfect scores and won three gold medals — in the all-round competition, uneven bars and balance beam.

The silver came in the team event and a bronze in floor exercises. Soviet Union’s Nellie Kim got two 10s for the vault and floor exercises.

The youngest all-round champion at 14 and the first from her nation to win that title, Comaneci’s four out of seven 10s came on the uneven bars.

Television beamed images of the 86-pound, long-haired, white leotard-clad coming up with amazing performances on the balance beam, considered one of the most difficult events.

The nervous energy waiting for the event to begin would dissipate once she swung her body into action, performing a ballet in the air.

The routines were riveting in every way, leaving an audience of sporting enthusiasts transfixed.

The Romanian, by now a living legend, returned four year later at 1980 Moscow, winning two more Olympic golds at 18 years, four inches taller and heavier, but full of poise.

Beijing 2008 will not see perfect 10s, following a change in the scoring system by the International Gymnastics Federation from 2006.

A gymnast’s total is now a combination of two parts — one for difficulty and one for execution of the routine.

And so instead of being restricted to a maximum 10, new scores are flexible. The 2007 World Championships, ranged from 15.250 to 16.350 for women in four events.

Nadia Comaneci remains the template for perfection.

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