A video of two Indian children doing gymnastics in their school uniforms went viral on the internet after a legendary gymnast, Nadia Comaneci of Romania, tweeted about them on 29 August.
In the TikTok video which has been viewed over 5 lakh times on Twitter, the two kids – later identified as 12-year-old Jashika Khan and 13-year-old Mohammad Eizazuddin from Kolkata – could be seen performing somersaults and cartwheels on the streets.
With the Indian media picking up on the news of Nadia’s tweet, the video even reached the Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, who took note of Comaneci's praise for the duo.
"I'm happy that Nadia Comaneci tweeted it! As first gymnast who scored perfect 10.0 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and then, received six more perfect 10s to win three gold medals, it becomes very special. I've urged to introduce these kids to me," he added.
Who is Nadia Comaneci?
Nadia Comaneci is a nine-time Olympic medallist gymnast from Romania. She achieved the feat of becoming the first gymnast to record a perfect 10 score at the Olympics – earning it in the uneven bars at the 1976 Games in Montreal.
Back then, the scoreboard manufacturer did not support displaying the perfect 10 score, as it believed that it was impossible to achieve. And hence, when Comaneci was awarded a 10, it appeared as ‘1.00’.
At those 1976 Games, a 14-year-old Comaneci earned another six perfect 10 scores and bagged three gold medals (in individual all-around, balance beam and uneven bars), a silver as part of the team all-around, and a bronze for the floor exercise.
Comaneci, who is married to American Olympic gold medal gymnast Bart Conner, also bagged two golds and a silver at the 1979 World Cup as well as two golds and two silvers at the 1980 Olympics.
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