See the Greatest Scrunchies in Olympic History

By Marianne Mychaskiw
Updated Aug 10, 2016 @ 5:00 pm
BenStansall/AFP

All hail the mighty scrunchie! Whether worn in your middle school picture or ironically for a '90s throwback party, there's no denying its power, and the Olympic Games every few years only drive that point home. The scrunchie is a popular among the gymnastic and figure skating circles in particular, and with good reason—aside from keeping hair out of the way, it's easy to coordinate with both leotards and glitter-flecked skating costumes alike. We took a retrospective look at Olympic ceremonies of years past and rounded up the most-memorable scrunchies from 1976 to today. Scroll down to see the greatest scrunchie moments from the Olympic Games, spanning a timeline of almost 30 years.

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Debbie Wilcox, 1976

ABC Photo Archives

The very first scrunchie sighting at the Olympics was back in 1976, when U.S. gymnast Debbie Wilcox wore a massive white version to the Montreal event.

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Tracy Wilson, 1988

Bob Thomas/Getty

Wilson's gigantic, ribbon-adorned scrunchie was a definitive look of the decade.

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Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992

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At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, Yamaguchi complemented her metallic ensemble with a gold ribbon scrunchie.

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Dominique Dawes, 1992

Tony Duffy/Allsport

U.S. gymnast Dominique Dawes donned a white scrunchie just before taking the balance beam.

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Nancy Kerrigan, 1992

Sal Veder/AP Images

All white everything! A white scrunchie was the final element in Kerrigan's crisp, jewel-adorned skating uniform.

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Tonya Harding, 1994

Chris Cole/Allsport

Harding tied off her French braid with a sizeable red scrunchie.

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Nancy Kerrigan, 1994

Pascal Rondeau/Allsport

At the '94 Games, Kerrigan complemented another all-white getup with a matching scrunchie. 

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Shannon Miller, 1996

Jim Davis/The Boston Globe

Though U.S. gymnast Shannon Miller wasn't pleased with her first vault, her white ruffled scrunchie was a total win.

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Dominique Dawes, 1996

Ed Reinke/AP Photo

Dawes mirrored the effect of her red, star-spangled leotard with a coordinating scrunchie.

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Shannon Miller, 1996

Jim Davis/The Boston Globe

Miller's oversized white scrunchie makes a second appearance at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

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Tara Lipinski, 1998

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In true 1998 fashion, Tara Lipinski matched her blue skating outfit to a sparkly blue scrunchie at the Nagano Olympics.

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Jie Ling, 2000

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Most decorated scrunchie ever? Chinese gymnast Jie Ling rocked a feathered accessory while competing at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. 

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Annia Hatch, 2004

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A bold red scrunchie (and some well-placed blue eyeshadow) topped off Hatch's patriotic getup.

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Viktoria Pavuk, 2006

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A muted orange scrunchie kept Hungarian skater Viktoria Pavuk's ponytail anchored, spin after spin.

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Yang Yilin, 2008

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A set of star-shaped hair clips and glitter hair gel complemented Yilin's bold red scrunchie. 

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Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, 2008

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It's a coup d'scrunchie! While Liukin opted to continue the hot pink color scheme into her updo, her teammate Johnson went for a thinner gold scrunchie.

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Gabby Douglas, 2012

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Douglas swept her layers back using a metallic purple scrunchie at the 2012 games in London.

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McKayla Maroney, 2012

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What's more memorable: Maroney's signature smirk, or her large white scrunchie? We'd say it's about even.

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Elizaveta Ukolova, 2014

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Scrunchies seemed to take a hiatus at the Sochi Olympics back in 2014—save for the updo worn by Czech Republic skater Elizaveta Ukolova, who contrasted her navy getup with a red accessory.

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Laurie Hernandez, 2016

BenStansall/AFP

The scrunchie powered on strong through the 2016 Rio Olympics, as demonstrated by gymnast Laurie Hernandez.

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