Nellie Kim
Though sometimes overlooked relative to Nadia Comaneci and Olga Korbut, Nellie Kim was one of the leading woman gymnasts of her time. Born in Russia of a Korean father and Tatar mother, Nellie became a leading member of the powerful Russian team in the 1970s, though she was more well-known for her artistry and style. In the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, Nellie was the first woman to earn a perfect ten on the vault and on the floor in Olympic competition. She won three gold medals (team, vault, floor) and a silver medal (all-around). In the 1980 Olympics held in her home country, she won two more gold medals (team and floor (tie with Nadia Comaneci)). After retiring from competition, Kim worked as a coach, judge, and President of the Women's Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee of IFG, She currently resides in Minnesota. Below is her gold medal-winning perfect performance (floor) at the 1976 Games.
