Without a '10,' perfection is a tough task in gymnastics

(Photo: The Associated Press)RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Without it, Nadia Comaneci is just another gold-medal winning gymnast from Eastern Europe.

The Perfect 10 made the Romanian superstar more than a champion. It made her a legend.

Yet four decades after her barrier-shattering uneven bars routine in Montreal — the one that ended with Comaneci and coach Bela Karolyi initially staring at the scoreboard in confusion when it read 1.00 because it wasn't outfitted to put up the first 10.0 in Olympic history — perfection is harder to achieve.

The International Gymnastics Federation abandoned the 10-based system a decade ago in favor of a more complicated formula designed to better separate the best in…