Nellie Vladimirovna Kim is a retired Soviet and Belarusian gymnast of Sakhalin Korean and Tatar descent who won three gold medals and a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
31 Facts About Nellie Kim
2.
Nellie Kim was the second woman in Olympic history to earn a perfect 10 score and the first woman to score it on the vault and on the floor exercise, rivaling Nadia Comaneci, Ludmilla Tourischeva, and other strong competitors of the 1970s.
3.
Nellie Kim was born in Shurab, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union.
4.
Nellie Kim is the daughter of a Sakhalin Korean father, Vladimir Kim, and a Tatar mother, Alfiya Safina.
5.
Irina, whom Nellie Kim considered more talented than she, retired because of the demands of the frequent training sessions.
6.
Nellie Kim's trainers were Vladimir Baidin and his wife, Galina Barkova.
7.
Nellie Kim excelled and quickly became one of the best in Soviet gymnastics.
8.
Nellie Kim won the all-around title and two more gold medals at the All-Union Youth Sports Games, placed eighth in the all-around and first on the uneven bars at the USSR Cup; she won the prestigious Chunichi Cup in Japan.
9.
Nellie Kim became one of the main medal prospects for the upcoming Olympics and actual leader of the Soviet team after the 1975 Canadian Pre-Olympics Test competition.
10.
Larisa Latynina, who had already changed her opinion about Nellie Kim earlier, described her gymnastics style as sparkling and cheerful.
11.
Nellie Kim cited a comment by Canadian newspapers about Kim's performance: "There are moments, when a natural smile is more worth, than triumph".
12.
However, although Nellie Kim won the 1976 USSR Cup, beating famous compatriots such as Olga Korbut and Ludmilla Tourischeva, they were still considered leaders by the media.
13.
Nellie Kim won three gold medals, one in the team competition and two in the event finals: on the vault and floor exercise.
14.
Nellie Kim won a silver medal in the all-around, receiving the perfect 10 for the Tsukahara vault with the full twist, which was performed for the first time in Olympic history.
15.
Nellie Kim was praised for her feminine beauty and the flamboyant, graceful and intense style.
16.
Two years later Nellie Kim successfully competed at the World Championships.
17.
Nellie Kim won gold medals on the vault, floor exercise and in the team competition, and placed second in the all-around to Elena Mukhina, overcoming Nadia Comaneci.
18.
The greatest success came at the 1979 World Championships, where Nellie Kim became the all-around champion, beating Maxi Gnauck, Melita Ruhn and her teammate Maria Filatova.
19.
In 1980, Nellie Kim won the all-around title at the USSR Championships and successfully competed in the Moscow Olympics, her last competitive performance.
20.
Nellie Kim tied for the gold medal on the floor with Nadia Comaneci after scoring 9.95 in that event finals, and won gold in the team competition.
21.
Nellie Kim coached the South Korean, Italian and Belarus national teams.
22.
In 1984, Nellie Kim became an International Brevet Judge and judged numerous international competitions, including European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games.
23.
Nellie Kim met her second husband, Soviet cyclist Valery Movchan, at the 1980 Olympics, in which he had won a gold medal.
24.
In 1996, Nellie Kim was elected to the Women's Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation, and moved to the United States soon afterwards.
25.
In 1999, Nellie Kim was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
26.
At the FIG Congress of 22 October 2004 in Antalya, Nellie Kim was elected President of the Women's Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee.
27.
Nellie Kim helped draft the 2006 changes to the Code of Points, ending the use of the perfect 10 and introducing uncapped scoring for gymnasts.
28.
FIG officials, including Nellie Kim and Bruno Grandi, believed one of the ways to prevent such scandals in the future, and make clean execution and artistry the main priorities, was a radical overhaul of the old Code.
29.
In 2013, Nellie Kim was accused by Russian coaches of favoring American gymnasts, a view she vehemently refuted and criticized.
30.
Nellie Kim was the subject of a half-hour National Film Board of Canada documentary Nelli Nellie Kim, co-directed by Georges Dufaux and Pierre Bernier, which was filmed at the 1976 Summer Games and released in 1978.
31.
Nellie Kim has a total of seven eponymous skills in the Code of Points.