Exhibition Lets Fans Be the Judge : Gymnastics: At Anaheim event, Olympic medalists that include Shannon Miller and Nadia Comaneci perform--but don’t compete--for the crowd.

There were no gold medals awarded at the Anaheim Convention Center on Saturday, but for the 5,000 cheering fans who came to see their favorite gymnasts perform, the afternoon scored a perfect 10.

Barcelona Olympic medalists Shannon Miller and Kim Zmeskal were the overwhelming crowd favorites during the Gymnastics Spectacular, a two-hour event that featured several other 1992 Olympic stars. There were also a host of gold medalists from Olympics past, among them Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner, Peter Vidmar and Mitch Gaylord.

“Most people are used to seeing a tense gymnastics competition on television where a fraction of an inch can lose a gold medal,” said Rich Kenney of the U.S. Gymnastics Federation. “Shows like this don’t have judges, and the gymnasts just get to perform for the crowd.”

With rock music blaring and spotlights flashing, the gymnasts executed flips, tumbles and jumps that led them to athletic glory.

The exhibition was sponsored in part by the U.S. Postal Service to introduce a new line of stamps commemorating the Summer Games.

During intermission, 11-year-old Amelia Paredez peered through binoculars trying for a close-up look at her idol, Zmeskal.

“She’s the best gymnast in the whole world,” Paredez said of the 1991 world champion.

While the youngsters in the crowd seemed to most interested in Zmeskal and Miller, many adults said they had come to see Comaneci, the star of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

“It’s really nice to see Nadia out there again,” said Irvine resident Jason McGaffey, 30. “She’s the only reason I’m here.”

Vidmar, who won two gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, performed on the pommel horse before an appreciative crowd. Although he no longer competes, he still likes to keep in shape.

“I love the sport and I love staying involved,” Vidmar said before the start. “These shows help give young kids further exposure to the sport by seeing the best in person.”