(29 July 1996; Day 10)
Over half a million spectators attended the artistic gymnastics events over eight days of competition and two days of podium training at the Georgia Dome. All were treated to the drama, artistry and competition that have become the trademark of this sport.
The spectators witnessed the Olympic arrival of 19-year-old Alexei NEMOV of the Russian Federation who led his team to the gold medal on 22 July, then proceeded to win five more medals, making him the most decorated gymnast of the Centennial Olympic Games. He earned a gold medal on the vault, a silver medal in the individual all-around and bronze medals in the floor exercise, pommel horse and horizontal bar. NEMOV accomplished all this with an injured left shoulder.
"The team medal was the most rewarding," said NEMOV, "because it not only depended on me but also the other guys. Our main goal was the team medal. We set out to get it, and we got it. My shoulder did make competing more complex, but the Olympics come only once every four years, so you don't feel anything when you're performing."
Then there was the well-recorded story of Kerri STRUG of the United States who landed the vault that secured the gold medal for the U.S. team, despite having sprained her ankle on a previous vault. Unable to compete in the individual events because of the injury, STRUG's team gold becomes all the more important. The images of her on the medal podium will be among the most enduring of the 1996 Olympic Games.
"I've been through a lot of pain in the past and I knew I could do this vault," said STRUG, who defended both her decision to do the vault and to join her team for the gold medal ceremony. "It was my decision to go with the vault. It was a matter of pride. I didn't want to be remembered for falling on my rear end. I knew I had done this vault thousands of times. This has been my lifelong dream and I had to be a part of the medal ceremony."
The breadth of the stories from the gymnastics competition is amazing. Vitaly SCHERBO, who won a record six gold medals in Barcelona in 1992, won four bronze medals here in 1996. Although he was to take issue with the judging afterward, while on the competition floor he carried himself like a champion despite his disappointment.
Lilia PODKOPAYEVA of the Ukraine was graceful in victory, taking gold medals in both the individual all-around and the floor exercise. Her all-around title came after withstanding a challenge from the three Romanian gymnastics in the competition, Gina GOGEAN, who won the silver medal, and Simona AMANAR and Lavinia MILOSOVICI, the pair that tied for the bronze.
More stories will be told and re-told about these Olympic Games. China's masterful LI Xiaoshuang won the men's all-around in near-perfect style. Ioannis MELISSANIDIS of Greece will take a gold medal from the floor exercise back to his country. Donghua LI waited five years to become a citizen of Switzerland so he could compete for the Swiss in this competition; he won a gold medal on the pommel horse. Svetlana CHORKINA of the Russian Federation used her height to perform with elegance and grace in winning the uneven bars, rather than letting her relative height be a disadvantage. Shannon MILLER of the United States won a team gold medal, then earned her individual gold medal on the balance beam after waiting since Barcelona for a gold medal. Veteran champion Svetlana BOGUINSKAIA of Belarus performed crowd-pleasing routines in her Olympic farewell.
The medals from this competition will be scattered all over the world. Thirteen nations won medals, including 10 different countries taking gold medals. The Russian Federation won three gold, two silver and three bronze; Romania won one gold, four silver and five bronze.
Gymnastics, as much a performance as an athletic track and field competition, will showcase its champions in a unique gymnastics gala on 30 July. Many of the medalists will participate in a fast-moving, uninterrupted exhibition format, with music, lighting and special group performances.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Theresa Kelly Gegen.
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| Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium. |