If you were watching television on July 18, 1976, you know exactly where this story is going. And if you saw it live, you probably still get chills.
That was the night Nadia Comăneci stepped onto the uneven bars at the Montreal Summer Olympics and did something nobody had ever done before. She was 14 years old, and she was perfect.
The judges gave her a 10.00. The first perfect score in Olympic gymnastics history. The scoreboard, which had never been built to handle four digits, could only flash a confused “1.00.” Even the technology did not know what to do with her.
She was not done. By the time the competition ended, Comăneci had earned seven perfect 10s and walked away with three gold medals, in the all-around, the uneven bars, and the balance beam, plus one silver and one bronze.
All that, and she later said the score was never on her mind. According to Olympics.com, she recalled thinking: “I was more into not making a mistake because the Olympics are every four years, just trying to concentrate on what I have to deliver in that minute and 20 seconds.”
That kind of focus, at 14. It is still hard to believe.
At the Montreal Games, Comăneci also became the youngest gymnast ever to win the Olympic all-around title. That record still stands today because of age-rule changes put in place after her era.
A few other Olympic gymnasts went on to earn perfect 10s of their own: Mary Lou Retton, Julianne McNamara, and Daniela Silivas among them. But in 2006, the International Gymnastics Federation retired the 10.00 scoring system entirely, replacing it with an open-ended scale. A perfect score is no longer possible under today’s rules.
Now 64, Comăneci is marking the 50th anniversary of that iconic night with a new line of gymnastics wear called “The First 10.” She shared a video on Instagram modeling several leotards from the collection, all bearing the “Nadia” name. There was a lavender one-piece with rhinestones and strappy back detailing. A hot-pink leotard. A few more looks, each with a little footwork and a twirl.
She looks absolutely ageless.
Looking back at what she did that night, even Comăneci seems amazed by her younger self. “I’m thinking that the 14-year-old, the courage, the craziness and determination,” she said. “I look at that 14-year-old like it’s not me.”
Fifty years later, The First 10 still sparkles. And so does she.