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The 15 biggest moments for women in the Summer Olympics

Since 1900, when women first began competing in the Olympic Games, there have been many unforgettable moments. 

2. The first perfect 10

AP Photo
Romania's Nadia Comaneci shakes hands with Soviet gymnast Nelli Kim (back to camera) after both were presented with gold medals for women's gymnastics floor exercise in 1980 at the Moscow Olympics. Both women received scores of 9.95.

  • By Laura Edwins Contributor

At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first female gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect score of 10.  She was 14 years old.

Comaneci received her perfect score for her routine on the uneven bars. It was the first time in modern Olympic gymnastics history a 10 had been awarded, and the scoreboards were not even equipped to display it.

"The nature of competitive gymnastics has changed dramatically since 1960s towards more skill, strength, and power," Professor Markula says. "However, the size of gymnasts has diminished and while the actual performance requires great power, and the appearance of the gymnasts is quite muscular, their size leads them to be referred as 'little pixies' or little girls."

Comaneci earned six additional 10s at the Montreal Olympics, winning her three gold medals, including one for the All-Around title. She was the first Romanian gymnast ever to win the All-Around title at the Olympics.

Between 1976 and 1981 Comaneci had a sensational career as a gymnast, winning gold medals in the World Championships and European Championships. She also won two gold medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

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Mark Sappenfield
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