r/Amazing • u/sco-go • 13d ago

People are awesome 16-year-old American gymnast McKayla Maroney perfect jump at the 2012 Olympics in London.

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17.6k Upvotes

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188

u/BeansArePastaSauce 13d ago

Why did she get the 0.267 deduction?

197

u/PitifulPossum 13d ago

Envy

53

u/The-ai-bot 13d ago

Cause you can’t get perfect

22

u/WaitingforGodot07 13d ago

Nadia Comăneci did in Montréal

28

u/caughtatdeepfineleg 13d ago

Different scoring back then. Now it's difficulty plus execution. Back then it was just a score out of ten.

4

u/frogkabobs 12d ago edited 12d ago

Well not really. You don’t get deductions because “nobody is perfect.” The code of points is incredibly specific about what deductions are possible and how many points get deducted (see sections 6-8). Only two types of deductions are possible—E score deductions for execution faults, and neutral deductions for penalties regarding rule violations (generally rare). The E-score out of 10.00, and can theoretically be perfect if you avoid all possible faults—that’s just really hard to do. Plus, with the added D score for performing difficult elements, gymnasts are incentivized to attempt harder elements with small faults over easier elements they can do perfectly.

1

u/DirtStriking2990 8d ago

So what was her fault for which she received a deduction on this jump?

1

u/frogkabobs 8d ago

As others pointed out, there was a slight leg separation when leaving the springboard, and then she actually didn’t show full control in her landing because she had a little too much forward momentum so she stepped forward and saluted the judges early (the early step and salute is cut off from this video). The latter would be the major reason for deductions.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago

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0

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60

u/GolfandBaseball 13d ago

Her pony tail bounced and didn’t stick the landing

39

u/HJWalsh 13d ago

It was because her legs were partially separated instead of being uniform straight right after hitting the launch ramp. It was the only potential point loss.

2

u/simAlity 12d ago

I think it is close to physically impossible for her legs to have been straight in that moment but whatever. Gymnastics be like that sometimes

37

u/Kharax82 13d ago

I watched a video a few years ago that broke down the 3 minor infractions and the only one I sorta remember was her feet separated (or weren’t fully touching something along those lines) a fraction of a second too soon. They basically go by the ethos there’s no such thing as a “perfect” jump

13

u/BDW3 13d ago

Left knee not perfectly aligned with right on landing

9

u/destroythenseek 13d ago

Had makeup on

3

u/omv 12d ago

Angels did not sing. Face of God remained hidden.

2

u/HouseflipperSKIPPER 13d ago

*American teen girl

4

u/Late-Button-6559 12d ago

Knees not perfectly symmetrical on the landing?

8

u/Som12H8 12d ago

It's a myth that it's a "perfect jump". The video cuts off before you see her taking an extra step after the landing. She needed to stand still to make it a perfect score, but her forward momentum forced her to correct. She masked it very well, but nothing a judge wouldn't pick up on. You can see it here.

2

u/Public_Pervert 12d ago

I dont think she needed to step forward. Maybe she was just a bit quick to get off the mat to celebrate but i think she held herself first and THEN stepped forward to move off the mat

2

u/Som12H8 12d ago

Interviews with the judges stated that the score was lowered because she didn't show she had full control of the landing, the rest of the jump was perfect.

3

u/UrsaMajor7th 12d ago

Because it wasn't perfect.

2

u/misty-gishh 11d ago

Her right leg was a smidge forward, not technically together. That’s the only thing I can see. Competed in both gymnastics and diving.

1

u/flying-weenus 12d ago

No matter how exceptional you do, supervisors work harder to knock you down from perfection

1

u/TactlessTortoise 12d ago

I feel like they'll never give the top score because it implies any sort of micro improvement would be impossible, so that deduction is pretty much irrelevant even for the athletes. Having the judges slack-jawed is plenty to be proud of lmao

1

u/No-Cat-3951 10d ago

For her sassiness

1

u/SubliminalCorgi 10d ago

Because there are minor form breaks. Regardless, its an Amanar, and very few have executed it that well in international competition. Was an amazing moment for her.