Nadia Comăneci – The First Gymnast To Achieve A “Perfect 10” At The Olympics

This is the incredible story of Nadia Comăneci, a young Romanian girl who changed the history of The Olympic Games. She did so despite the trials and tribulations that she faced.

Just A Kid

Nadia Comăneci was born on November 12th, 1961 in Onești, Romania. She was born to Gheorghe and Ștefania Comăneci, a Romanian Orthodox couple.

Full Of Energy

Her parents noted that Nadia had a lot of energy as a child. They felt they should find a way to utilize this energy in a positive way and enrolled Nadia Comăneci in a gymnastics school. That was the decision that would change their lives forever.

Driven Forward

She was a competitive girl who was driven to achieve greatness, she just didn’t know in what way. “I was driven towards something I wanted to be the best at, and I didn’t know exactly what it was, it happened to be gymnastics.”

An Eye For Talent

At the age of six, Nadia Comăneci was spotted by Béla Károlyi, a gymnastics coach and his wife, Márta, while Nadia was doing cartwheels in her kindergarten’s yard. The couple was scouting for talented youngsters whom they could train into stars. The pair made their way inside the grounds to find Nadia and even searched classroom by classroom to track her down. Eventually they found her and in less than a year, she was training with Béla.

Enter Béla Károlyi

Béla Károlyi was at first a junior boxing coach and even a hammer-throwing champion. He found his passion as a gymnastics coach largely because of his wife, Márta Károlyi. Together they became a dynamic pair of gymnastics teachers.

Practice Makes Perfect

Béla was very impressed with the young girl’s motivation and work ethic. The budding star trained a minimum of 2-3 hours every day with Béla. He also noted that despite falls and failures, Nadia refused to give up.

The First Win

During The Romanian National Junior Championship, she placed 13th and even though she was disappointed, she continued training under the watchful eyes of Béla Károlyi. The next year she competed in the same competition and made a successful comeback by coming in first place.

One Step At A Time

Comăneci really started to make waves when she was 13 years old. At the time she was already training 8 hours a day and 6 days a week with her beloved coach. His passion for gymnastics was rubbing off onto Nadia.

How Much Is Too Much?

Years later, long after Nadia had left the arena, she was asked whether she felt that she was over-trained by Béla or not. Her response revealed quite the contrary. When Béla would instruct her to do two exercises, she would do four. If he told her to do five, she would do seven. She was out to be the best.

Onward, Ever Upwards

During the 1975 European Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Skien, Norway, she brought home a collection of accomplishments. Comăneci received gold for every performance, except just one – the floor exercise for which she received silver.

Show The World

The time came for Nadia to travel across the world. Her first opportunity to show the whole world what she was capable of was The American Cup in 1976. The competition was a warm-up for the then upcoming Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Raise Your Cups

A memorable performance passed and it was time for her to receive her award. A silver cup was awarded to a male gymnast and another to a female gymnast. They didn’t know each-other, but their lives would intertwine more than they could ever have imagined.

Just A Kiss

As the two gymnasts posed for the flashes of the news photographers, an excited journalist shouted out to the American athlete: “Kiss for the cameras, please!” Comăneci, then 14 years old, and Bart Conner, 18 at the time, seemed to look quite cute together. Not wasting any time, Conner landed a peck on Nadia’s cheek. The photograph snapped at the opportune moment created a positive hype around the young Romanian in the hearts of Americans.

An Unbeatable Record

Only four months later, Nadia blew the judges away with her faultless performances at the Summer Olympics. In fact, she was so impressive that the judges awarded her with a perfect score of 10! And as if that wasn’t enough, she went on to receive another six perfect 10 scores! Nadia Comăneci became the first gymnast in history to receive such a score.

A Perfect 10

The crowd didn’t understand what had happened. They all read “1.00” as Nadia’s score, but they knew it couldn’t be right. The digital scoreboard wasn’t programmed to be able to display a perfect 10 score since it was thought to be impossible to achieve. Applause rocked the crowd when they realized the true result.

History In The Making

Years later in an interview with Nadia, she confessed that she didn’t realize the impact of her perfect score. “I didn’t know I was making history when I got the 10.” She didn’t like looking at the scoreboard after performances, she preferred feeling her performance within herself.

Seeing Isn’t Believing

Béla Károlyi was really angry at first when he saw the scoreboard. He believed that Nadia had received a record low score of 1.00. “I said ‘holy cow, they deducted something over here, there is a deduction, there is a penalty,’ I was on my way to the jury, then I heard, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, first time in the history of the sport, a perfect 10 in the Olympic Games.'”

Modesty By All Means

An official asked Nadia how she felt about her perfect score. A billion people across the world heard the young 14-year-old gymnast answer, “It’s okay. I’ve gotten 19 golds in other competitions.” Her naive response melted the hearts of millions.

A New Olympic Sweetheart

Things were shifting at the Olympic Games. Olga Korbut from the former Soviet Union was considered the “sweetheart” of the games after she stole the hearts of the crowd during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Her four golds and two silvers in Germany exposed her finesse and talent. Little did she know that her thunder would be stolen at the next Olympic competition.

A New Hero

After the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal ended, Nadia flew back to Bucharest with her team. She didn’t know anything about the reception she would receive when she disembarked from the plane. Approximately 10,000 people were waiting for her with signs and posters out on the tarmac. It was so overwhelming that Nadia even went back into the airplane. Romania had a new hero.

A Great Honor

Since it was the first time that a Romanian athlete had brought home such honor, Nicolae Ceaușescu’s administration awarded Comăneci with the “Sickle and Hammer Gold Medal”. She was also named a hero of “Socialist Labor”. Some believe that the Romanian government gave her family a brand new car and even a full month’s vacation.

This Is Your Song

In the fall of 1976, the rebirth of a 1971 song became known as Nadia’s theme song. Robert Riger, a cinematographer, compiled a video montage of Nadia performing along with the song originally titled “Cotton’s Dream” by composers Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr. When the song became a top-10 hit in 1976, the composers rightfully renamed the song as “Nadia’s Theme”.

Space On The Back-Burner

With space exploration still at the forefront of The Cold War, Nadia’s groundbreaking performance at the Olympics took the limelight. She made it onto the cover of Time Magazine where only a thumbnail was dedicated to new information about Mars.

More Exposure

Nadia’s international appearance flooded even further. She featured on the cover of Newsweek Magazine, where printed in full color, a picture with the bright yellow words reading, “A Star Is Born” caught the eye of the international community. BBC named her “Overseas Sports Personality of the Year”. The Associated Press dubbed her as “Female Athlete of the Year”.

Going Separate Ways

As Nadia was hitting a positive peak in her professional life, life at home was becoming complicated. Her parents decided to get divorced. This put Nadia and her brother in a difficult position.

Coach Changing

To make matters worse, Romanian sporting officials decided that it was best for her to get a new trainer; Béla Károlyi would no longer coach her. Losing Béla as her primary trainer was heartbreaking for the young star since they had been together since she was six years old. This would be the start of a turbulent and troubling time for Nadia Comăneci.

When The Going Gets Tough

Feeling alone and trapped, 15-year-old Nadia wanted time off from being in the gym. She had lost a pivotal person in her life. During this period, she landed up in hospital as a result of the overwhelming stress and disorder in her life.

Holding It All Inside

Many times, commentators and other gymnasts commented that Nadia seemed to have no emotions. Nadia defended herself by saying, “Nobody knows what was inside… I’m human.” Even Béla Károlyi, her coach, defended her by saying that “she kept everything inside.” Nadia had achieved such unbelievable greatness that the pressure of keeping up with herself was crippling.

Back To Basics

When Romanian officials worried about Nadia’s well-being and potential progress, they returned Károlyi to be her personal trainer once again. She was ecstatic to be back with the couple who introduced her to the world of gymnastics.

Her Handiwork

At the World Championships in 1979, Comăneci was hospitalized due to blood poisoning in her hand. This occurred when she cut her wrist on a metal grip buckle. Despite doctors instructing her to stay and rest, she defied them and returned to the games. She competed on the beam and scored an impressive 9.95. Her performance granted her country’s squad their first team gold.

The Lion’s Den

The Summer Olympics of 1980 in Moscow saw the Romanian gymnast walking into the ultra-communist country’s den. This was the first time that she made an international appearance since she got her coach back. A lot had changed for her. The Soviet government worried about Nadia Comăneci’s capabilities at the games.

“Fall Nadia, Fall!”

Even though she herself didn’t notice, many audience members reported hearing rowdy Russian soldiers in the crowd shouting, “Fall, Nadia! Fall!” in attempts to distract her. She nevertheless took home two gold and two silver medals.

Unfair Scoring

What followed her performance would change her career. Her lifelong coach, Bela Károlyi, felt that the scoring of his trainee was unfair and protested while being televised. His protests allegedly humiliated Romania’s honor and he began to worry for his safety. He knew that he needed to protect himself.

Respect From Peers

Despite the fiasco at the games in Moscow, Nadia still gained gold and even respect from fellow competitors. Nellie Kim from the Soviet Union congratulated Nadia on the podium in front of a huge crowd. Regardless of the rumors about Nadia’s lack of emotion, even Nellie Kim stood up for her, “She was psychologically prepared, not emotionless.”

Looking For A Way Out

Looking to promote Nadia again, her coach initiated a “Nadia Tour” which took the Romanian star across America to 11 cities. During this time, Bela Károlyi, her coach, defected to the United States. He was genuinely concerned about his safety after the incident which took place the year before at The Olympic Games in Moscow. Understandably, this once again had a heavy effect on Nadia.

Lockdown

After her life-long trainer left for The United States, Romanian officials kept a close watch over her. They felt certain that she would attempt to escape to the western country. Nadia felt distressed, and she sorely missed her mentor and teacher. The Romanian government banned her from flying outside of the country. Additionally, her phone calls were tapped and her letters were checked.

A Chance Meeting

At a party in 1987, Nadia met a man named Constantin Panait. He was a man that would influence Nadia’s life in more ways than one, for better and for worse.

The Only Way Out

Panait told her that he had managed to escape Russia and had acquired American citizenship. He offered to help her get out secretly. Naturally, she was interested in his proposition. It took until 1989 for their plan to actually happen. Ironically though, none of them knew that their escape happened just months before the “Romanian Revolution”, which would change everything.

Breaking The News

Although Nadia knew that she had to defect to America, it broke her heart. She worried that her mother might have a heart attack when she broke the news to her. When she told her younger brother, he told her that she needed to do what was best for the rest of her life.

Miracle In The Snow

During their tiring trek to safety, the group of 7 people saw a police border patrol near the Hungarian border. It turned out that the Hungarian border patrolmen recognized Nadia Comăneci and allowed the group to continue on their way. This was a good omen for the rest of her journey.

Different Fame

When Nadia eventually made it to America after travelling through deadly cold and other difficult conditions, she was greeted with mixed reactions. Some Americans were excited to have the Romanian star come to their country, whereas others who believed negative rumors about her, felt otherwise.

Lost Contacts

Hearing of her arrival in America, her former coach, Béla Károlyi, tried to contact her but he couldn’t. Károlyi couldn’t understand why she wasn’t returning his calls. But what her coach didn’t know, was that Constantin Panait was filtering out her incoming calls.

The Secret

The public started to notice that something was strange about Nadia Comăneci and Constantin Panait. They were always staying at motels and roadhouses together. When the press asked her about their relationship, she stuck out her tongue and said, “It’s a secret.” This was especially weird as Panait was married.

The Truth Comes Out

A close friend of hers, Alexandru Stefu, approached Nadia and asked about their relationship. She confessed that Panait was actually holding her hostage. This alarmed Stefu and he immediately set up a confrontation. The meeting caused Panait to flee the country, but not without taking a large sum of the athlete’s money.

The Showdown

Before the confrontation of Constantin Panait, Nadia was invited onto the Pat Sajak Show. Hearing of her appearance, Bart Conner decided to surprise the retired gymnast when she least expected it.

A Fond Flashback

With an extravagant bouquet of flowers in hand, Bart Conner once again kissed Nadia Comăneci, only this time he kissed both her cheeks. She remembered him from all those years ago. The crowd applauded as the two reconnected. This connection would extend further than just a one-night interview together.

Just Friends

Originally, Nadia was suspicious of Bart’s intentions. Then she believed that he was just a nice guy with no other aims. Their reuniting could grow into a friendship. Only Conner fancied Nadia a little more than she had thought.

Save The Date

It took them some time before they found themselves hitting it off as more than just friends. Their relationship bloomed and Bart prepared for a proposal. It took four years until they were engaged.

“We Do!”

The couple flew across The Atlantic to get married in Romania. Their wedding was held in 1996 in Bucharest. This was especially emotional for Nadia. She felt that she had turned her back on her motherland, only to come back and find that they supported and loved her.

A National Holiday

In order to pay tribute to the retired star, the day of their wedding was named a national holiday. Tens of thousands of people filled the streets to honor Nadia. The government even provided the former presidential palace as the venue for their prestigious wedding ceremony. The whole event was televised. Many people called it “the royal wedding of sport”.

An American Life

Bart and Nadia celebrated the birth of their son, Dylan Paul, in 2006. It was a monumental moment for Nadia and Bart because it solidified their family dream in the U.S. When asked in an interview by Isabelle Kumar if she felt more American or more Romanian, she proudly declared that she feels more Romanian, but that she is adopted by America.

Famous In The Family?

As young Dylan started growing up and he attended kindergarten, his parents decided not to tell him about their Olympic statuses. One day when Dylan came home at age four, he naively asked his mom, “Do you know that you’re famous?” To which Nadia replied “yes”. She then took out old pictures of his parents to show him.

Coming Full Circle

At ten years old, Dylan brought a tear to fans’ eyes when Nadia posted a photo on Twitter of her son standing next to Martha Károlyi, wife of Béla Károlyi – the couple who first found Nadia and trained her to the success she became.

Nadia Comăneci and The Obamas

In December 2014, Nadia and Bart were welcomed at the White House in Washington D.C. by then-president Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Their intimate meeting was widely publicized as it was leading up to the Special Olympics of 2015.

The Special Olympics

Both Bart and Nadia have found a special place in their hearts for the Special Olympics. Not only do they devote their time to helping these unique olympians achieve success during the games, they strive to promote awareness and support for these athletes. They have made it their mission to travel around the world to change perceptions and to garner support.

Paving The Road

In 1999, ABC News listed her as one of the ‘100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century’. She was listed among the ‘25 Outstanding Sports People of the 20th Century’ in 1999 by the International Association of Sports Writers. The list goes on and on. Her social and sport impact lives on.

Her Own Projects

Nadia is active in many charity funds and even opened “Nadia Comăneci Children’s Clinic” in Bucharest which offers free and economical medical and social services to Romanian children. She is also a founding member of the Laureus Academy which aims to use sport as an enabling tool for social change.

Giving Back

It must be noted that Nadia isn’t alone on many of her projects, her husband Bart Conner stands alongside her and is fully active as well. The couple works as volunteers for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. MDA provides research and services for those affected by neuromuscular disease.

Nadia Comăneci And Caitlyn Jenner

Even though both Caitlyn Jenner and Nadia found fame during the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, 2016 was the first time that the two gold medalists actually met. Jenner said, “Gymnastics finished before Track and Field started, so I was already gone by the time she competed.” They took the time to catch up on their sport successes and exchanged details to organize another meet-up.

Eternal Princess

In order to pay tribute to the incredible Nadia Comăneci, Hollywood actress Katie Holmes, directed a movie called, Eternal Princess. The movie documented the life and journey of Nadia.

More Than Meets The Eye

The two women found that they had more in common than they had thought. They both became starts at a young age and passed the through the ups and downs of great success and great failure. Additionally, they both suffered in relationships run by controlling partners.

“I’ll Be Back”

Katie Holmes wasn’t the only Hollywood celebrity who was excited to collaborate with Nadia Comăneci. While training at his local gym, Arnold Schwarzenegger noticed the Romanian champion. He asked Nadia for training tips for his session. “It is fantastic to get to the gym early and have an Olympic champion as your trainer – thanks Nadia Comaneci! 10 reps to honor the first perfect 10 score in the Olympics.”

Winning

In 2016, director Jacqueline Joseph brought together some of the greatest sports figures of our time to create “Winning” – a documentary. Tennis star Martina Navratilova, golf legend Jack Nicklaus, track and field great Edwin Moses, Dutch Paralympian Esther Vergeer and Nadia Comaneci shared the troubles and triumphs of their sporting careers.

Keeping Flexible

Nadia spends a lot of time on the road, but despite this, she sets time aside for working out. Her favored form of exercise is high intensity interval workouts which never exceed half an hour. She firmly believes that doing exercise once a day is the key to healthy living.

Ten For Ten

The number “10” seems to be a number especially relevant to Nadia. Her net worth is approximately $10 million! This is largely because of her post-gymnastic business ventures. She has partnered with her husband to open one of the largest gymnastic centers in the US.

Fresh Moves

Nadia is held in high respect as a gymnast who has not only mastered old moves, but one who has created new moves too. When asked about the moves that she created, she answered that a gymnast doesn’t plan to make something new, it just happens during a routine or practice.

Connecting The Dots

In an interview, Nadia was asked what she would change about her past if she was able to. She simply answered that there was nothing she desired to change about her life. Even with the difficulties that she had faced, she believed that it all brought her to become the person that she is. She calls it “connecting the dots”.

For Kids

It is one of Nadia’s greatest beliefs that sport is important for children. “It gives them structure”, she explained. After all it was the same structure that navigated her to become the successful figure she is today.

Is It A Fairytale?

When Isabelle Kumar asked Nadia if she felt that her life was a fairytale, she answered “I don’t want my life to be scripted, it becomes too cheesy. I brought motivation to my generation and the generation after me. You should never give up when it gets hard.”

Inspiration To All

Nadia Comăneci continues to be an inspiration to young and budding gymnasts as well as to all athletes across all boards. Her motivation and commitment even during the hardest times, teaches us that we can do anything we put our minds to. Difficult times are the springboard to getting further than we’ve ever gone before. Nadia Comăneci is living proof of that.