Mary Lou will always be the best gymnast ever!! and may god give her the strength she needs to pull through this health situation and make a full recovery soon 🙏♥️
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 She wasn't even the best in 84. Yeah she probably deserved the AA gold, but Szabo without baldy messing up bars in team optionals easily wins that by a large margin, and Szabo won 4 golds and 5 medals overall, and 3 of the 4 event golds (vs Retton whose only gold was the AA). Add to that Mostepanova would have destroyed her had it not been for the boycott. Yeah she wasn't the best even in 84.
39 years ago, I’ll never forget this. Mary Lou Retton has been my hero ever since. Get well soon, Mary Lou. You’re loved. I’m praying for you daily. #GetWellMaryLou 🙏🏼
I have loved this girl since I saw her kick butt in 1984. I pray she will fully recover from this illness. I adore you Mary Lou, your the greatest gymnast of all time and one of the coolest people I've ever seen perform anything.
I’ve been watching gymnastics since the days of Olga Corbett and I’m watching this after hearing Marylou’s daughter report that her mother is in critical condition due to some health issues sending prayers to her for a full recovery ❤
Wow!!! I absolutely loved this!!! She overcame such an obstacle with her knee, and the excitement between her and Bella (not sure of the spelling) was awesome!! I love how he was there for her and fueled her, you just can't help but love it!! I love how he jumped the barrier to celebrate her victory, I can't just help but love it!!! Oh well, sometimes great joy overcomes barriers lol :) So sweet and love the joy! First time I watched it, I enjoyed it thoroughly!!! :)
The stars aligned for her. Soviet Boycott, the Olympics being on American soil and she had the right performance and mental toughness that night. She wont go down as one of the greatest but she certainly is a legend. And she survived the Karolys
I love that they used the narrator they did. He makes this all sound as serious as any other part of the cold war. Right up there with warheads and stealth bombers. Younger folks will never really get how the cold war played into the emotions surrounding these events.
I gotta say, I never thought I'd love a southern baptist, fundamentalist conservative (as a gay guy), but Mary Lou was so damn likable, joyous and wonderfully talented that, I, like everyone else, fell instantly in love with her. It was impossible not to get swept away by her care free charm. Thanks for the upload!!!
I was 14 and watched Mary Lou win the gold. Never forgot about her. My daughter takes boxing classes, a real powerhouse! Short but muscular. I would love for my daughter to meet Mary lou. Not the same sport but you still need a lot of heart! I know my daughter is going in the right direction. Her coach has to make her quit training sometimes. She loves physical activities. Please pray for her to anyone that reads this. I know she still could get hurt. Just Pray!!!
Mary Lou is responsible for the US Bomb of gymnastics now! Also Julie and Kathy don’t get enough credit…they were fantastic too!!! Continued health improvements for Mary Lou!!!
Take Detour but but but she only won because the fucked up American President made the Russians boycut the Olympics, had they been there she wouldn't have won.
The judges were giving away 10s like crazy in the '84 Olympics, also in '88. No visible errors, stuck landing, and the gymnast got a 10. This changed permanently at the '92 games when only 2-3 10s were awarded. We haven't seen one since. I sure do miss the old scoring system!
So the documentary stupidly fails to mention the Soviet boycott. Whatever. I don't see why everyone feels the need to downgrade Mary Lou's success with "If the there hadn't been a boycott..." because there was. Sure, she wasn't the greatest in the world, and sure, she is really overrated but she put up an amazing performance in LA (gymnast for gymnast, Szabo is better though0 . Why can't we appreciate that instead of moaning about what could have been?
The Magnificent seven made history. The SOVIETS WERE COMPETING IN 1996 OLYMPICS. They came in 2nd behind the US. I watched the Women's American GYMNASTCS team do an awesome job. So many people glued to their TV. They were an awesome team. Awesome enough to win gold
As for the boycott, it truly was out of any athlete's hands. It's a political decision and as athletes they had endure it, whether it meant staying home, not competing, or other countries staying home, lessening the depth of the field. Personally, I remember watching the '84 Olympics on TV (age 6) and thinking Mary Lou was the best of the best. In winning gold, she became a huge icon in America and really got the ball rolling for American gymnastics. Personally, she was my hero. At age 6, I hadn't heard of Mostepanova, and it wasn't until RUclips that I realized who she was and how many places the top gymnasts in '84 would have been bumped if the Soviets had competed. Still, though, Mary Lou achieved something that was not even dreamt about and deserves credit where credit is due. She won - over 3 competitions - team compulsories, team optional and all-around finals. She had the highest score of all athletes. Sure, Retton touched her hands on floor, Szabo fell on bars, but in the end, Retton came from behind and took gold, although the we'll forever be reminded of the Soviet boycott.
i saw it live. me and my cousin stayed up until about 12:30 a.m. it must have been a saturday night i think. and the last thing she did was the pummell? horse and she scored a 9.5 & won the gold medal. me & my cousin were 11 years old:) will never forget!
Unless someone is predicting that a soviet gymnast, some of whom Mary Lou had defeated in previous competitions, could have scored 3 10's on four events, I hardly think we can say Marl Lou was not a worthy champion.
+Greenwolfe Green Totally possible, in fact, much more possible than MLR beating all the Russian gymnasts, & I'd love to know which one she beat in a previous competition, lol. I'll google that for you.
This is an updated version of the interview that I remember. The competition footage and the voice over is exactly the same, but it was Mary Lou being interviewed in the 1990's. About her knee surgery recovery, the doctor said, "No way Mary Lou. Just wait until the next Olympics." Mary Lou, "Talk about frustration. I'm in the best shape of my life and I'm learning to walk again."
I'm tired of people making comments that aren't relevant. Marl Lou had already defeated all the best Russian gymnasts in previous competitions. All the international judges knew she was the best vaulter + floor exercise gymnast in the world. Szabo was the reigning world champion and was better on the beam and uneven bars, So this was a straight up, one on one competition between the two best in the world. No one can say otherwise and be truthful. Judging is what it is. You take your chance.
What caused a lot of it was that an exercise (or a vault introduced during a quad, i.e. between Code revisions) could be valued higher than a 10- an FTY (Mary Lou's vault) was valued out of 10.2 in 1984, if I remember correctly. The highest score a gymnast could actually receive was still a 10, but a few tenths in deductions could be absorbed.
You know everyone is complaining about The Soviet Union boycott and how it would have affected the final scores. Yeah, they were a tangible push for the medals. However, Mary Lou was ranked as high or higher than any athlete on the Russian roster. The US team (and Bella) knew that the strongest challenges was going to be the Romainians. Especially Zabo.
This is awesome. Other awesome documentary with better MUCH more dramatic narrator is 16 days of glory 1984 mary lou retton! But this has more background story footage
I actually preferred this one as the gymnastics themselves provide the drama and the suspense and excitement. If every aspect of the video is UP UP UP it can be a little overbearing and hard to watch, like having to sit through a Wiggles video in the doctor's office waiting room for 45 minutes until you want to take off your shoe and smash the TV screen with it. I'm just saying.
I' was born in Fairmont WV go get well mercy lou I weighed 1 lb 10oz when I was born in 1949 old as I am im still a fighter I've lost my parents recently my only son my home autos but I'm still here living in ga which I hate want to go home have only my brother left here in ga but I'm a West Virginia forever love you even though we have never met God bless you your family
Retton won all the competitions leading up to the Olympics in which she faced Soviet Athletes. If their best weren't there, there was a reason for it. It was Mary Lou. No one could do a double layout on the floor at the time and she was the best vaulter because of her distance.
Every time I see Mary Lou Retton when she was a gymnast on the floor about to compete (mainly in the vault that she gets injured & still wins) she reminds me of a female version of Daniel Larusso from the movie Karate Kid when he's about to start the competition because she looks like him and because of the challenge she faced. Coincidentally they both win with a limp & both have foreign coaches but a lot of people say nothing is a coincidence I wonder why though?
I believe you are right about Szabo having a fall on UB! I had actually forgotten about that....interesting. And I agree.....I adore MLR and what she has brought to gymnastics, especially in the USA. But the presence of the Soviets would have made this a different competition, indeed.
Not so. Szabo fell in team optionals, and back then they counted your individual team total along with the AA. If Szabo hadn't fallen and scored a 9.3 during finals, she would have won easily.
How do you get a perfect 10 when you don't stick the landing? I heard these gymnastics judges were taking bribes like in the winter games with ise skating.
Yes, Natalia Yurchenko was the reigning All-Around World Champion (Szabo was the World bronze medalist in AA). However, Szabo was the reigning Floor Exercise World Champion, so Karolyi may have misremembered the circumstances.
It definitely had its appeal. Now the whole thing is much harder to follow, with the start-values and the various deductions, a lot of which are pretty technical.
I want to say to those who don't know, that those who think Mary Lou only won because the USSR wasn't there. ARE WRONG. Mary Lou had already beaten the best the USSR gymnasts in international competitions prior to the olympics. Mary Lou was the best at both the vault and the floor at the time no gymnast was her equal in those events. Szabo was the world champion. Retton won because she did a great beam routine, that was her weakest event. So now, lets not hear any more along this line.
I've been choreographer of amazing Daniela Silivas, Aurelia Dobre, Camelia Voinea, Lavinia Milosovici, Ecaterina Szabo, Eugenia Golea, Lavinia Agache, Cristina Bontas, Gabriela Potorac, Maria Olaru, Popa Celestina, Cristina Grigoras, Simona Pauca & other great gym at Olympic Gym Romanian Team. Also together with Ms. Mirela Dicu I was coach of Lavinia Milosovici & other great gymnasts. Thank you very much for your comments about the Romanians. With friendly thoughts of gratitude, Leo Cosma
Retton was exceptional in the optionals and probably was considered one of or the best during 1984, however, her compulsories were not exceptional (flexibility issues); so that placed her at a disadvantage when scores were aggregated during that time to decide the overall champion. Who's to say how the Soviets would have performed her, but they were superior in compulsories.
From what I've heard, the two Soviets that had beaten Szabo before beat her by a close margin. So while it's reasonable to say she might have lost had the Soviets attended, it's also reasonable to say that since Mary Lou beat Szabo, she could have very well beaten the Soviets based on the fact they hadn't trounced Szabo previously. Had they, then Mary Lou most likely have been crushed, but that's not the case here.
How I would have loved him to coach me ! I lived and breathed gymnastics but my mother would never let me do anything apart from go to school and even then no after school clubs.. no exaggeration .
When Mary Lou competed, she looked a lot like actor Erik Estrada from CHIPs tv show. They could have been twins. I'll bet many of you never thought about that similarity.
Let's be clear on the World Champion status of Szabo at the time. She was the reigning World Champion on the Floor Exercise, not the individual all around (which is in question here). As much I like Retton, I can't honestly say she would've won the all around if the Soviets were there. Her compulsories were not great and all scores were aggregated during that time. If I can recall, Szabo fell on the uneven bars in the team competition which opened the door for Retton.
@KarenHunterShow Still amazing athletes trailblazers humanitarians and so back in the day. #MaryLouRetton #Legend #TeamUSA #WomenEmpowerment #Gymnastics
In the 1983 World Championships the Top 3 finishers in the All Around Women's gymnastics competition were: 1st Natalia Yurchenko (URS), 2nd Olga Mostepanova (URS) and 3rd Ecaterina Szabo. Retton beat Szabo for the Gold medal in 1984. While it is certain that Mary Lou would have had stiffer competition had the Boycott not taken place - it is highly specious (or rather, total hogwash) to say that "the eastern block countries would have trounced Mary Lou." Quite the contrary. If only two other gymnasts in the world could beat Szabo in '83... QED Mary Lou Retton was ARGUABLY the 3rd best female gymnast in the world (due to the '84 Gold over Szabo); ASSUMING that you can attribute the clear cut superiority of the 1983 World Championships OVER the 1984 Olympics. And, that's a reasonable assertion. Judging at both the '83 and '84 event were dissimilar, but, either way Mary Lou's exceeding Szabo (Olympics) still puts here in the same category as the two Soviets (who barely beat Szabo) . Certainly there is enough proximity to declare that ALL FOUR women were within striking distance of each other. And, if a slight "step backward" cost Szabo the Gold Medal in 1984... then it is entirely plausible that Yurchenko and Mostepanova could have (and probably would have) NOT scored perfectly on all four events within the individual competition. However, The Soviets competitors were utterly capable of scoring "10.0" in every event. And, given that - while EXTREMELY RARE - multiple ten scores are quite achievable can anyone say for certain that ANY OUTCOME "WOULD HAVE" happened? No. Of course not. But, it is also interesting to note: there are three women in history who have each earned 7 separate scores of 10.0 (across both individual and team competition). These all happened at the Olympic. The competitors are: Nadia Comaneci (seven 10.0's in 1976), Daniela Silivas (seven 10.0's in 1988), and Yelena Shushunova (seven 10.0's in 1988). CONCLUSION: Mary Lou beat Szabo who was demonstrably equivalent to the best Soviet competitors who had just beaten the best of the other "boycott countries" at the immediately preceding World Championships (just before the 1984 Olympics) - and therefore Retton would absolutely have been in the running for individual gold. Obviously, we'll never know what would have happened in 1984 due to the boycott. But, I feel Mary Lou would have pushed the others very hard. And, it would have been amazing and thrilling to watch! I saw Mary Lou compete live. The one thing she had that none of the other had: personality. Mary Lou lit the 1984 Olympics up like a Christmas Tree. And, for that she will always be my favorite gymnast - ever.
I like your analysis and I completely agree! Even if the opposite were true, Mary Lou had a huge impact in American gymnastics regardless of whether the 1984 Olympics were boycotted or not.
oh those hops here and there will be debated forever. The biggest point of contention is MLR's super low landing in the final double back summie on her floor routine, she even stumbles out of it but dresses it up with choreography. they gave her a ten anyway. I feel sometimes badly for mlr because she always and forever defending her gold. It just was such a hard situation with the russians not being there. Add Mostepanova to the equation=things get even crazier
I wondered if bela felt bad when he saw his former pupils like ekateria going against the people he was currently training at the time like mary. Ive always wondered why he left romania and if the romanians looked at him like a trader because he is the best of the best, God bless Bela !!!
Спорт
Praying she overcomes the pneumonia. What an inspiration she is❤
Me too! She was my childhood idol! Sadly Yelena Sushanova (sp) the 1988 Olympic gold medalist passed from pneumonia too 😢 Praying ML pulls through
It appears from previous news she has shown some signs of improvement. Wishing her and her family well.
Probably got the jab.
@@ThePerchance Sorry? IIRC Ms. Retton isn't a supporter. I got it and didn't get pneumonia.
@@janetmiller2980z
Watching Mary Lou in 1984 was just magical for me. She was a trailblazer for US gymnastics.
Me too! I was a tiny kid. She was my idol! Mary Lou is responsible for the gymnastics boom in USA
Mary Lou Retton will forever go down in history. The US was so grateful to have her. She forever changed the gymnastic path for the United States
Mary Lou will always be the best gymnast ever!! and may god give her the strength she needs to pull through this health situation and make a full recovery soon 🙏♥️
Best in 84 but not best ever.
@@jeffreykaufmann2867 She wasn't even the best in 84. Yeah she probably deserved the AA gold, but Szabo without baldy messing up bars in team optionals easily wins that by a large margin, and Szabo won 4 golds and 5 medals overall, and 3 of the 4 event golds (vs Retton whose only gold was the AA). Add to that Mostepanova would have destroyed her had it not been for the boycott. Yeah she wasn't the best even in 84.
@@carolebrown2621 She was the cutest one!
Not by a long shot. She's cute but not nearly the best ever
@@primalcritters Name another gymnst that scored a 10 back-to-back, I'll Wait....
39 years ago, I’ll never forget this. Mary Lou Retton has been my hero ever since. Get well soon, Mary Lou. You’re loved. I’m praying for you daily.
#GetWellMaryLou 🙏🏼
I have loved this girl since I saw her kick butt in 1984. I pray she will fully recover from this illness. I adore you Mary Lou, your the greatest gymnast of all time and one of the coolest people I've ever seen perform anything.
Get well soon Mary Lou! You were my daughters favorite when she was little.. you mean alot to so many. God bless and heal you!!
We all love you Mary Lou and we're so glad you ate home and on the road to recovery!!❤❤❤
I’ve been watching gymnastics since the days of Olga Corbett and I’m watching this after hearing Marylou’s daughter report that her mother is in critical condition due to some health issues sending prayers to her for a full recovery ❤
Korbut*
She's still cute as ever. She represented the U.S. with class.
Just wish she had done it in a non-boycotted Olympics
SuperBigblue19 True but out of her control
I love this lady’s spunk and spirit!!!❤️
Mary Lou has always been my favorite gymnast and is the best. She has a sweet spirit. I pray for complete healing for her.
I love you Mary Lou. I watched you back then as a kid and it was very inspirational. I watch it now to remind me. thank you for the best memories.
We will always love you Mary Lou! ❤
Wow!!! I absolutely loved this!!! She overcame such an obstacle with her knee, and the excitement between her and Bella (not sure of the spelling) was awesome!! I love how he was there for her and fueled her, you just can't help but love it!! I love how he jumped the barrier to celebrate her victory, I can't just help but love it!!! Oh well, sometimes great joy overcomes barriers lol :) So sweet and love the joy! First time I watched it, I enjoyed it thoroughly!!! :)
The stars aligned for her. Soviet Boycott, the Olympics being on American soil and she had the right performance and mental toughness that night. She wont go down as one of the greatest but she certainly is a legend. And she survived the Karolys
She and I were born on the same day, same year. 1/23/1968. Love her!!
I was born in February 1968.
❤Aquarius ♒️ same lucky number here 123
I love that they used the narrator they did. He makes this all sound as serious as any other part of the cold war. Right up there with warheads and stealth bombers. Younger folks will never really get how the cold war played into the emotions surrounding these events.
Me too!!
Don't remember his name but his legendary narration is on many documentaries from the past.
I gotta say, I never thought I'd love a southern baptist, fundamentalist conservative (as a gay guy), but Mary Lou was so damn likable, joyous and wonderfully talented that, I, like everyone else, fell instantly in love with her. It was impossible not to get swept away by her care free charm. Thanks for the upload!!!
Same! It's nice when you find people who can make you "cross the aisle"
Thanks for sharing. In my 27 years of being a huge fan of Mary Lou, I had never seen this interview. Thanks so much!
Mary Lou has the greatest smile.
Her and Simone have dazzling smiles
The Magnificent Seven I definitely remember. I was glued to the TV. They made history. It was an exciting event
Mary Lou Retten the best! Phenomenal athlete. ❤
Like Mary Lou I will NEVER forget that day!!!! Seeing this video just brings back some Great memories!!!
I was 14 and watched Mary Lou win the gold. Never forgot about her. My daughter takes boxing classes, a real powerhouse! Short but muscular. I would love for my daughter to meet Mary lou. Not the same sport but you still need a lot of heart! I know my daughter is going in the right direction. Her coach has to make her quit training sometimes. She loves physical activities. Please pray for her to anyone that reads this. I know she still could get hurt. Just Pray!!!
🙏 for the 1st little powerhouse gymnast‼️ She's an amazing person, all around❣️✌️🇺🇸
I pray Mary Lou gets well. We cannot forget our US heroes of all kinds.
Simply the best of the best.. I will never forget her..
ME2 !!
An amazing inspiration 🎉❤! Bella is outstanding as a coach!
I remember watching those Olympics as a kid. Mary Lou was awesome!
Wow, that’s going to look amazing, Rachel. What a beautiful place you have there. So nice. ❤️
Ciurage, determination and never give up attitude. what a great motivational video.
I agree:)
Get well soon Mary Lou Retton
Agreed. To this day, I think this one of the best vaults in gymnastics history
Mary Lou is responsible for the US Bomb of gymnastics now! Also Julie and Kathy don’t get enough credit…they were fantastic too!!! Continued health improvements for Mary Lou!!!
A priceless smile! :)
She was so great!
Take Detour but but but she only won because the fucked up American President made the Russians boycut the Olympics, had they been there she wouldn't have won.
Funkmaster K This was from 1976. We boycotted the 1980 Olympics.
+Take Detour This was 1984
chany85 I do stand corrected.
+Take Detour She's a wonderful person too. She won the AA cause her V and FX were spectacular. Szabo was a more complete gymnast though.
Great video quality. LOVE IT. THANKS!!!
She was Awesome thats forsure
i LOVE LOVE LOVE MARY LOU RETTON SHE IS MY HERO AND INSPIRES ME THANK YOU MARY LOU RETTON!!!!!!!!!!!
The judges were giving away 10s like crazy in the '84 Olympics, also in '88. No visible errors, stuck landing, and the gymnast got a 10. This changed permanently at the '92 games when only 2-3 10s were awarded. We haven't seen one since. I sure do miss the old scoring system!
I absolutely LOVE Mary Lou!
So the documentary stupidly fails to mention the Soviet boycott. Whatever. I don't see why everyone feels the need to downgrade Mary Lou's success with "If the there hadn't been a boycott..." because there was. Sure, she wasn't the greatest in the world, and sure, she is really overrated but she put up an amazing performance in LA (gymnast for gymnast, Szabo is better though0 . Why can't we appreciate that instead of moaning about what could have been?
The Magnificent seven made history. The SOVIETS WERE COMPETING IN 1996 OLYMPICS. They came in 2nd behind the US. I watched the Women's American GYMNASTCS team do an awesome job. So many people glued to their TV. They were an awesome team. Awesome enough to win gold
How are you gonna say she's overrated? She did a lot for the USA and put American gymnastics on the map .
MARY LOU RETTON IS THE QUEEN OF GYMNASTICS!!!!
I still have my Mary Lou Wheeties box. ❤❤
Mary Lou is a class Act.Not her faught the USSR didn't compeat.
As for the boycott, it truly was out of any athlete's hands. It's a political decision and as athletes they had endure it, whether it meant staying home, not competing, or other countries staying home, lessening the depth of the field.
Personally, I remember watching the '84 Olympics on TV (age 6) and thinking Mary Lou was the best of the best. In winning gold, she became a huge icon in America and really got the ball rolling for American gymnastics. Personally, she was my hero.
At age 6, I hadn't heard of Mostepanova, and it wasn't until RUclips that I realized who she was and how many places the top gymnasts in '84 would have been bumped if the Soviets had competed.
Still, though, Mary Lou achieved something that was not even dreamt about and deserves credit where credit is due. She won - over 3 competitions - team compulsories, team optional and all-around finals. She had the highest score of all athletes. Sure, Retton touched her hands on floor, Szabo fell on bars, but in the end, Retton came from behind and took gold, although the we'll forever be reminded of the Soviet boycott.
i saw it live. me and my cousin stayed up until about 12:30 a.m. it must have been a saturday night i think. and the last thing she did was the pummell? horse and she scored a 9.5 & won the gold medal. me & my cousin were 11 years old:) will never forget!
Unless someone is predicting that a soviet gymnast, some of whom Mary Lou had defeated in previous competitions, could have scored 3 10's on four events, I hardly think we can say Marl Lou was not a worthy champion.
+Greenwolfe Green Totally possible, in fact, much more possible than MLR beating all the Russian gymnasts, & I'd love to know which one she beat in a previous competition, lol. I'll google that for you.
This is an updated version of the interview that I remember. The competition footage and the voice over is exactly the same, but it was Mary Lou being interviewed in the 1990's. About her knee surgery recovery, the doctor said, "No way Mary Lou. Just wait until the next Olympics." Mary Lou, "Talk about frustration. I'm in the best shape of my life and I'm learning to walk again."
I LOVE YOU MARY LOU!!!
How did Szabo get a perfect 10 without sticking the balance beam dismount?
Love marylou
I'm tired of people making comments that aren't relevant. Marl Lou had already defeated all the best Russian gymnasts in previous competitions. All the international judges knew she was the best vaulter + floor exercise gymnast in the world. Szabo was the reigning world champion and was better on the beam and uneven bars, So this was a straight up, one on one competition between the two best in the world. No one can say otherwise and be truthful. Judging is what it is. You take your chance.
I agree with you but how do you explain Natalia Yurchenko?
What caused a lot of it was that an exercise (or a vault introduced during a quad, i.e. between Code revisions) could be valued higher than a 10- an FTY (Mary Lou's vault) was valued out of 10.2 in 1984, if I remember correctly. The highest score a gymnast could actually receive was still a 10, but a few tenths in deductions could be absorbed.
You know everyone is complaining about The Soviet Union boycott and how it would have affected the final scores. Yeah, they were a tangible push for the medals. However, Mary Lou was ranked as high or higher than any athlete on the Russian roster. The US team (and Bella) knew that the strongest challenges was going to be the Romainians. Especially Zabo.
6:49 how’d she get a 10 with a hop on her landing? In the 90’s you couldn’t win an event if you did t stick your landing.
This is awesome. Other awesome documentary with better MUCH more dramatic narrator is 16 days of glory 1984 mary lou retton! But this has more background story footage
I actually preferred this one as the gymnastics themselves provide the drama and the suspense and excitement. If every aspect of the video is UP UP UP it can be a little overbearing and hard to watch, like having to sit through a Wiggles video in the doctor's office waiting room for 45 minutes until you want to take off your shoe and smash the TV screen with it. I'm just saying.
Me too in 84 Mary Lou and I were the same age
I' was born in Fairmont WV go get well mercy lou I weighed 1 lb 10oz when I was born in 1949 old as I am im still a fighter I've lost my parents recently my only son my home autos but I'm still here living in ga which I hate want to go home have only my brother left here in ga but I'm a West Virginia forever love you even though we have never met God bless you your family
amazing
Retton won all the competitions leading up to the Olympics in which she faced Soviet Athletes. If their best weren't there, there was a reason for it. It was Mary Lou. No one could do a double layout on the floor at the time and she was the best vaulter because of her distance.
Every time I see Mary Lou Retton when she was a gymnast on the floor about to compete (mainly in the vault that she gets injured & still wins) she reminds me of a female version of Daniel Larusso from the movie Karate Kid when he's about to start the competition because she looks like him and because of the challenge she faced. Coincidentally they both win with a limp & both have foreign coaches but a lot of people say nothing is a coincidence I wonder why though?
I believe you are right about Szabo having a fall on UB! I had actually forgotten about that....interesting.
And I agree.....I adore MLR and what she has brought to gymnastics, especially in the USA. But the presence of the Soviets would have made this a different competition, indeed.
My gymnast inspiration
she is beautiful
Thanks for the clarification:) Good to know.
Exactly what happened to me only more severely. I was 15 and I cried. I was told no surgery would work.
my mom and i loved her so much. my hair was cut exactly like hers after the olympics! i'll never forget it! haha XD
Szabo FOREVER 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I had her poster in my room as a kid! ❤❤❤
@purplegirl353 That is Vera Caslavska (from the former Czechoslovakia). She won the All Around competition at the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games.
ecaterina szabo was the real olimpic champion, she was clearly underrated in order to favor mary lou retton.
Not so. Szabo fell in team optionals, and back then they counted your individual team total along with the AA. If Szabo hadn't fallen and scored a 9.3 during finals, she would have won easily.
she was vero strong mentholly.....I love d way bela speaks
How do you get a perfect 10 when you don't stick the landing? I heard these gymnastics judges were taking bribes like in the winter games with ise skating.
Maybe they didn't judge the landing as harshly as they do now.
SuperBigblue19
The scoring system changed in 2006...
@KimZfan i love that you know the history.
CORRECTION: Natalia Yurchenko is the reigning World Champion not Ecaterina Szabo 4:45
Yes, Natalia Yurchenko was the reigning All-Around World Champion (Szabo was the World bronze medalist in AA). However, Szabo was the reigning Floor Exercise World Champion, so Karolyi may have misremembered the circumstances.
keep up the good work
right on
It definitely had its appeal. Now the whole thing is much harder to follow, with the start-values and the various deductions, a lot of which are pretty technical.
you are amazing!😇😊☺
I want to be like her. She's awesome!!
I want to say to those who don't know, that those who think Mary Lou only won because the USSR wasn't there. ARE WRONG. Mary Lou had already beaten the best the USSR gymnasts in international competitions prior to the olympics. Mary Lou was the best at both the vault and the floor at the time no gymnast was her equal in those events. Szabo was the world champion. Retton won because she did a great beam routine, that was her weakest event. So now, lets not hear any more along this line.
correction the vault. it was the vault. memories:) a big congrats to Gabby Douglas! you go girl!
excelente tiempos y gimnasia eso es fruto del apoyo y dedicación félicidades
I've been choreographer of amazing Daniela Silivas, Aurelia Dobre, Camelia Voinea, Lavinia Milosovici, Ecaterina Szabo, Eugenia Golea, Lavinia Agache, Cristina Bontas, Gabriela Potorac, Maria Olaru, Popa Celestina, Cristina Grigoras, Simona Pauca & other great gym at Olympic Gym Romanian Team. Also together with Ms. Mirela Dicu I was coach of Lavinia Milosovici & other great gymnasts. Thank you very much for your comments about the Romanians. With friendly thoughts of gratitude, Leo Cosma
Retton was exceptional in the optionals and probably was considered one of or the best during 1984, however, her compulsories were not exceptional (flexibility issues); so that placed her at a disadvantage when scores were aggregated during that time to decide the overall champion. Who's to say how the Soviets would have performed her, but they were superior in compulsories.
From what I've heard, the two Soviets that had beaten Szabo before beat her by a close margin. So while it's reasonable to say she might have lost had the Soviets attended, it's also reasonable to say that since Mary Lou beat Szabo, she could have very well beaten the Soviets based on the fact they hadn't trounced Szabo previously. Had they, then Mary Lou most likely have been crushed, but that's not the case here.
How I would have loved him to coach me ! I lived and breathed gymnastics but my mother would never let me do anything apart from go to school and even then no after school clubs.. no exaggeration .
When Mary Lou competed, she looked a lot like actor Erik Estrada from CHIPs tv show. They could have been twins. I'll bet many of you never thought about that similarity.
Lol!! They both had great big smiles!
Let's be clear on the World Champion status of Szabo at the time. She was the reigning World Champion on the Floor Exercise, not the individual all around (which is in question here). As much I like Retton, I can't honestly say she would've won the all around if the Soviets were there. Her compulsories were not great and all scores were aggregated during that time. If I can recall, Szabo fell on the uneven bars in the team competition which opened the door for Retton.
@KarenHunterShow Still amazing athletes trailblazers humanitarians and so back in the day. #MaryLouRetton #Legend #TeamUSA #WomenEmpowerment #Gymnastics
I was in love with her at that time, hahaha, i dont think I was the only one, she was so cute (",)
I totally agree with you. I was madly in love with this extremely cute girl named Mary Lou. ❤
In the 1983 World Championships the Top 3 finishers in the All Around Women's gymnastics competition were: 1st Natalia Yurchenko (URS), 2nd Olga Mostepanova (URS) and 3rd Ecaterina Szabo. Retton beat Szabo for the Gold medal in 1984. While it is certain that Mary Lou would have had stiffer competition had the Boycott not taken place - it is highly specious (or rather, total hogwash) to say that "the eastern block countries would have trounced Mary Lou." Quite the contrary. If only two other gymnasts in the world could beat Szabo in '83... QED Mary Lou Retton was ARGUABLY the 3rd best female gymnast in the world (due to the '84 Gold over Szabo); ASSUMING that you can attribute the clear cut superiority of the 1983 World Championships OVER the 1984 Olympics. And, that's a reasonable assertion. Judging at both the '83 and '84 event were dissimilar, but, either way Mary Lou's exceeding Szabo (Olympics) still puts here in the same category as the two Soviets (who barely beat Szabo) . Certainly there is enough proximity to declare that ALL FOUR women were within striking distance of each other. And, if a slight "step backward" cost Szabo the Gold Medal in 1984... then it is entirely plausible that Yurchenko and Mostepanova could have (and probably would have) NOT scored perfectly on all four events within the individual competition. However, The Soviets competitors were utterly capable of scoring "10.0" in every event. And, given that - while EXTREMELY RARE - multiple ten scores are quite achievable can anyone say for certain that ANY OUTCOME "WOULD HAVE" happened? No. Of course not. But, it is also interesting to note: there are three women in history who have each earned 7 separate scores of 10.0 (across both individual and team competition). These all happened at the Olympic. The competitors are: Nadia Comaneci (seven 10.0's in 1976), Daniela Silivas (seven 10.0's in 1988), and Yelena Shushunova (seven 10.0's in 1988). CONCLUSION: Mary Lou beat Szabo who was demonstrably equivalent to the best Soviet competitors who had just beaten the best of the other "boycott countries" at the immediately preceding World Championships (just before the 1984 Olympics) - and therefore Retton would absolutely have been in the running for individual gold. Obviously, we'll never know what would have happened in 1984 due to the boycott. But, I feel Mary Lou would have pushed the others very hard. And, it would have been amazing and thrilling to watch! I saw Mary Lou compete live. The one thing she had that none of the other had: personality. Mary Lou lit the 1984 Olympics up like a Christmas Tree. And, for that she will always be my favorite gymnast - ever.
I like your analysis and I completely agree! Even if the opposite were true, Mary Lou had a huge impact in American gymnastics regardless of whether the 1984 Olympics were boycotted or not.
This is the bet youtube comment ever
A huge impact in USA is wonderful. But a huge impact across the globe would have been enhanced if....
I had so many of her hair styles 😮
The 10 on floor for Mary Lou was a joke
I absolutely love Mary Lou Retton. i wish the judges today could learn from this. the judges for gymnastics are horrible.
oh those hops here and there will be debated forever. The biggest point of contention is MLR's super low landing in the final double back summie on her floor routine, she even stumbles out of it but dresses it up with choreography. they gave her a ten anyway. I feel sometimes badly for mlr because she always and forever defending her gold. It just was such a hard situation with the russians not being there. Add Mostepanova to the equation=things get even crazier
Is there a part 2? Love part 1, by the way!!
There was a Part 2 up until a few days ago, when it was blocked by the IOC.
+KimZfan what's the IOC?
IOC = International Olympic Committee
Do you know why? I don't remember any strange thing or comment there.
Nadia is the best ❤
I wondered if bela felt bad when he saw his former pupils like ekateria going against the people he was currently training at the time like mary. Ive always wondered why he left romania and if the romanians looked at him like a trader because he is the best of the best, God bless Bela !!!