See the Greatest Scrunchies in Olympic History

By Marianne Mychaskiw / InStyle.com
Updated: March 07, 2017

This story originally appeared on instyle.com. 

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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/Getty Images

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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Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992

David Madison

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

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Nancy Kerrigan, 1992

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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

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

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Nancy Kerrigan, 1994

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

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Shannon Miller, 1996

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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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