How teen athlete became the world’s first gymnast to get a perfect 10 at Olympics – & why result ‘BROKE’ the scoreboard

A ROMANIAN prodigy once stunned the world by becoming the first gymnast ever to get a perfect 10 at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

With a red ribbon tied in her hair and a face full of grace, the then 14-year-old Nadia Comaneca stole the show at the Montreal Games after achieving perfection.

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Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci made history by winning the first perfect 10 score in Olympic gymnastics at the 1976 Montreal Summer Games[/caption]

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Nadia competes in the balance beam during the Chunichi Cup International Invitational Artistic Gymnastics Championships[/caption]

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Nadia Comaneci of Romania in action on the balance beam[/caption]

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The teen athlete executed her routine with the utmost precision[/caption]

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Nadia Comaneci now lives in the US with her husband[/caption]

The teen athlete executed her routine with the utmost precision – so much so that she performed flawlessly even on uneven bars, forcing judges to give her an unprecedented score.

But even the Olympics itself was not prepared to witness a gymnastics routine that was out-and-out the best.

When the judges gave her a perfect 10.00, the Olympics scoreboard broke down and displayed 1.00 instead because there was no way to flash the four-digit score.

Nobody ever thought anyone could score a perfect 10.00 – so the board only had three digits to show scores such as 9.50 or 9.85.

However, Nadia achieved what was once deemed impossible.

She ended up getting a staggering seven perfect scores that summer – and won three gold medals and five medals overall.

The Romanian teen’s triumph in Montreal set new standards – and records – in the field of gymnastics.

She also helped Romania win silver in the team competition and got a bronze medal in the floor exercise event.

The only event where Nadia could not score and win a medal was the vault – lacking just 0.175 points from gold – and was placed fourth.

Nadia, who was selected as the Global Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in 1976, told Times of India: “I am not sure what was the definition of perfection and whatever that meant.

“I think people did not expect a 10 probably, or they did not expect history to be made.

“My goal was not to make a major mistake and hit the ground.”

Her success continued in the Summer Games of Moscow in 1980, where she won two more gold medals and achieved two additional perfect scores.

She ended her Olympic career with a total of nine medals, including five gold.

However, things for a star gymnast got tough after the Moscow Olympics in 1980 especially after she retired from the sport.

She was severely restricted from leaving Romania, although she returned to the 1984 Los Angeles games as a judge.

Five years later, Nadia moved to the US and started working as a coach and a businesswoman.

The star athlete now serves as the honorary president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the honorary president of the Romanian Olympic Committee, and is a member of the International Gymnastics Federation Foundation.

Nadia, along with her husband Bart Conner, also co-founded Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy for young, rising athletes – and has been actively engaged in philanthropy.

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Nadia was seen leaving the Olympic Games Paris 2024 gymnastics fina[/caption]

Nadia Comaneci with coach Bela Karolyi in the 1970sRex