| 1978 Strasbourg World Championships | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
City |
Strasbourg, France |
|
Team Gold Medalist |
USSR
|
|
All-Around Gold Medalist |
Elena Mukhina (USSR) |
|
Vault Gold Medalist |
Nellie Kim (USSR) |
|
Uneven Bars Gold Medalist |
Marcia Frederick (USA) |
|
Balance Beam Gold Medalist |
Nadia Comăneci (ROU) |
|
Floor Exercise Gold Medalist |
Nellie Kim (USSR) |
|
Preceded by |
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Succeeded by |
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The 19th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Strasbourg, France, in 1978 from October 23 to October 29.
A video control system was installed near each apparatus to help judges in disputable situations. For the first time it was used at the 1977 European Championships.
Format of Competition[]
The gymnastics competition was carried out in three stages:
- Competition I - The team competition/qualification round in which all gymnasts, including those who were not part of a team, performed both compulsory and optional exercises. The combined scores of all team members determined the final score of the team. The thirty-six highest scoring gymnasts in the all-around qualified to the individual all-around competition. The six highest scoring gymnasts on each apparatus qualified to the final for that apparatus.
- Competition II - The individual all-around competition, in which those who qualified from Competition I performed exercises on each apparatus. The final score of each gymnast was composed of half the points earned by that gymnast during Competition I and all of the points earned by him or her in Competition II.
- Competition III - The apparatus finals, in which those who qualified during Competition I performed an exercise on the individual apparatus on which he or she had qualified. The final score of each gymnast was composed of half the points earned by that gymnast on that particular apparatus during Competition I and all of the points earned by him or her on that particular apparatus in Competition III.
For the first time in World competition, countries were limited to having three gymnasts in the all-around competition and two-gymnasts in each apparatus final. This was a controversial decision, which prevented many gymnasts of strong teams (like the USSR) from competing in the finals. In addition, for the first time, eight gymnasts were allowed to compete in each of the apparatus finals.
Results[]
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team |  USSR
Maria Filatova |
 Romania
Nadia Comăneci |
 East Germany
Steffi Kraker |
| All-Around | Elena Mukhina Soviet Union (USSR) |
Nellie Kim Soviet Union (USSR) |
Natalia Shaposhnikova Soviet Union (USSR) |
| Vault | Nellie Kim Soviet Union (USSR) |
Nadia Comăneci Romania (ROU) |
Steffi Kraker East Germany (GDR) |
| Uneven Bars |  Marcia FrederickUnited States of America (USA) |
Elena Mukhina Soviet Union (USSR) |
Emilia Eberle Romania (ROU) |
| Balance Beam | Nadia Comăneci Romania (ROU) |
Elena Mukhina Soviet Union (USSR) |
Emilia Eberle Romania (ROU) |
| Floor Exercise | Nellie Kim Soviet Union (USSR)
|
N/A | Emilia Eberle Romania (ROU)
|
Notable Moments[]
- Marcia Frederick became the first American World Champion.
Medal Count[]
| Rank | Country | 
|
|
|
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USSR
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | Romania
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | USA
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | East Germany
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |