McKayla Maroney Vault a Perfect 10? Hear Maroney's Opinion (VIDEO)
McKayla Maroney managed a near perfect vault on Tuesday during the U.S. gymnastics team effort for gold; she did not however receive a perfect score.
The "Fab Five" gymnastics team competed as a team on Tuesday in order to take home the overall gold. One of the most acclaimed performances came from McKayla Maroney, who completed a nearly perfect vault. While many believed that the young gymnast had earned a perfect score, the judges did not agree.
NBC Announcer Tim Dagget called Maroney's vault a "Perfect 10" and guestimated that she would get a the full amount of points before a score was announced. Out of 16.5, Maroney scored a 16.233. Many seemed a bit perplexed, as it was tough to find an error. Maroney had just finished an Amanar- considered to be the most difficult vault to be attempted in the women's division this year- and landed it without slightest hint of a skip.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"All the Americans can hit Amanars, which are considered the most difficult and dangerous vaults in the world," Emily Bayci explained to Bleacher Report. "It consists of a round-off onto the board, then a back handspring onto the table and 2.5 twisting somersaults before the landing. Its start value is a 6.5, which is more than .5 points better than the other gymnasts."
Was Maroney's vault actually perfect, some ask? While the judge's personal opinions will likely never be revealed, most of Maroney's fans still tend to think so. Perfect or not, the high score didn't stand alone, and was enough to bring the U.S. Olympic Girl's Gymnastic Team the highest prize- a gold medal.
Oddly enough, Maroney even described what her perfect vault would look like if she envisioned it. Care to compare?
Maroney's description: HERE
Maroney's Olympic Vault Below:
