Playing an injured player had happened in the past. When I watched the replay, I was so glad that Strug didn't suffer a career-ending injury, because that looked really bad. To some viewers, it felt like extreme nationalism got in the way of common sense. And since the Olympics were held in Atlanta that year, there was almost even more motivation not to lose to the Russians on home soil.
While the Soviet Union had broken up, many Americans still harbored (actually, still harbor as in present tense) negative sentiment toward the major component of the old nation, Russia. Some people viewed it as extreme greed to require Strug to guarantee the gold medal when it really wasn't needed.įinally, a few people felt that Team USA was a bit too motivated to defeat Team Russia. While it is true that Strug's winning vault performance might have demotivated Galiova, it is also true that Galiova really needed something special to give Team Russia the win, meaning it already was an extremely tall order to accomplish even if Strug didn't attempt the final vault.
In hindsight, people were even madder because Galiova ended up having a lackluster floor exercise routine. Is a gold medal really worth trading in the well-being of a human being? In many people's eyes, it was just so wrong to risk an athlete's future just to guarantee a win for the team. When an athlete is that injured, they risk not only their careers but also a subsequent injury that could haunt them for the rest of their lives if they continue to compete. While many people celebrated Strug's performance, others vehemently criticized the decision to even have her perform in the first place. It was revealed that she suffered a third-degree lateral sprain and tendon damage, and she had to pull out of the other final events she had qualified for.įor her performance, however, she was portrayed as a hero by the American public. However, she immediately collapsed to the ground afterward. Despite having a clear limp, Strug somehow managed to land a 9.712, which guaranteed Team USA the gold. Strug was very hesitant to get back out there, but coach Béla Károlyi told her that the team really needed her one more time. If Strug had not gone out for a second time, her original score of 9.162 points would have stood, and a fantastic performance by Galieva could have seen Russia overtake the US. Because of this, it mathematically came down to Strug's vault followed by Roza Galieva's performance on Team Russia's floor performance. Worse, however, was Kerri Strug's first vault performance, which caused her to roll her ankle. Dominique Moceanu, in particular, fell on both her attempts, earning her a very poor score. However, Team USA had a collectively poor performance on the vault which put them in a potentially precarious position. Going into the final stage (the vault for Team USA and the floor for Team Russia), Team USA looked poised to take gold.
Prior to 1996, Team USA had produced some very sporadic individual performances but was still looking for their first team all-around win. Team USA was in a heated race for the top with Team Russia, who in their Soviet Union incarnation dominated the world of gymnastics. Unfortunately, that win in some people's eyes is marred by what one gymnast had to sacrifice. The 1996 women's team all-around final was one for the ages and is sometimes regarded as a catalyst towards the current American dominance in women's gymnastics today.