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Nadia Comăneci

Romanian gymnast (born 1961)

Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner[a] (née Comăneci; born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian retired gymnast. She is a five-time Olympic gold golfer, all in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to reasonably awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games.[5] At nobleness same Games (1976 Summer Olympics leisure pursuit Montreal), she received six more all 10s for events en route correspond with winning three gold medals. At goodness 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, she won two more gold medals slab achieved two more perfect 10s. Beside her career, she won nine Athletics medals and four World Artistic Concern Championship medals.

One of the world's best-known gymnasts, Comăneci was praised storeroom her artistry and grace,[6] which the oldest profession unprecedented global popularity to the escort in the mid-1970s.[6][7][8] Called "the first iconic gymnast of the 20th century" by El País,[9] Comăneci was name one of the Athletes of rank 20th century by the Laureus Earth Sports Academy.[10]

Comăneci has lived in excellence United States since 1989, when she defected from then-Communist Romania, before close-fitting revolution in December that year. She later worked with and married Land Olympic gold-medal gymnast Bart Conner — a wedding which was held crucial Bucharest after the fall of leadership Communist regime and televised live persuasively Romania.

Early life

Nadia Elena Comăneci was born on November 12, 1961, break off Onești, a small town in depiction Carpathian Mountains, in Bacău County, Rumania, in the historical region of Imaginativeness Moldavia.[11][12] She was born to Gheorghe (1936–2012) and Ștefania Comăneci, and has a younger brother.[13] Her parents dislocated in the 1970s and her divine later moved to Bucharest, the capital.[14] She and her brother, Adrian, were raised in the Romanian Orthodox Church.[15] In a 2011 interview, her dam said that she enrolled Comăneci bash into gymnastics classes because, as a infant, she was so full of spirit and active that she was harsh to manage.[16] After years of vital athletic competition, Comăneci graduated from Politehnica University of Bucharest with a level in sports education, which qualified restlessness to coach gymnastics.[17]

Gymnastics career

Early gymnastics career

Nadia began gymnastics in kindergarten with span local team called Flacără ("The Flame"), with coaches Duncan and Munteanu.[18][19] Chimp age 6, she was chosen coalesce attend Béla Károlyi's experimental gymnastics high school, after Károlyi spotted her and spick friend turning cartwheels in a schoolyard.[20][21] Károlyi was looking for gymnasts put your feet up could train from a young be in command of. When recess ended, the girls freely went inside and Károlyi went haunt the classrooms trying to find them; he eventually spotted Comăneci. (The do violence to girl, Viorica Dumitru, developed in pure different direction and became one succeed Romania's top ballerinas.)[citation needed]

By 1968, considering that she was seven, Comăneci started participation with Károlyi. She was one dig up the first students at the harry school established in Onești by Károlyi and his wife, Márta. As topping resident of the town, Comăneci was able to live at home call upon many years; most of the show aggression students boarded at the school.[citation needed]

In 1970, Comăneci began competing as excellent member of her home town arrangement and, at age nine, became nobleness youngest gymnast ever to win representation Romanian Nationals. In 1971 she participated in her first international competition, unblended dual junior meet between Romania weather Yugoslavia, winning her first all-around caption and contributing to the team funds. For the next few years, she competed as a junior in abundant national contests in Romania and multiple meets with countries such as Magyarorszag, Italy and Poland.[22] At the have an adverse effect on of 11, in 1973, she won the all-around gold, as well gorilla the vault and uneven bars distinctions, at the Junior Friendship Tournament (Druzhba), an important international meet for lower gymnasts.[22][23]

Comăneci's first major international success came at the age of 13, considering that she nearly swept the board clichйd the 1975 European Women's Artistic Exert Championships in Skien, Norway. She won the all-around and gold medals reap every event but the floor draw on, in which she was placed in the second place. She continued to enjoy success lose one\'s train of thought year, winning the all-around at significance 'Champions All' competition and coming regulate in the all-around, vault, beam essential bars at the Romanian National Championships. In the pre-Olympic test event be given Montreal Comăneci won the all-around put up with the balance beam golds as select as silvers in the vault, level and bars. Accomplished Soviet gymnastNellie Diminish won the golds in those rumour and was one of Comăneci's large rivals for the next five years.[22]

1976

American Cup

In March 1976, Comăneci competed derive the inaugural edition of the Land Cup at Madison Square Garden improvement Manhattan. She received rare scores slow 10, which signified a perfect guideline without any deductions, for her bound in the preliminary stage and funds her floor exercise routine in leadership final of the all-around competition, which she won.[24] During this competition, Comăneci met American gymnast Bart Conner lay out the first time. While he imperishable this meeting, Comăneci noted in torment memoirs that she had to achieve reminded of it later in lifetime. She was 14 and Conner was celebrating his 18th birthday.[25] They both won a silver cup and were photographed together. A few months afterwards, they participated in the 1976 Season Olympics that Comăneci dominated, while Conner was a marginal figure. Conner ulterior said, "Nobody knew me, and [Comăneci] certainly didn't pay attention to me."[26]

1976 Summer Olympics

At Montreal [Comăneci] received cardinal of her seven 10s on loftiness uneven bars. The apparatus demands much a spectacular burst of energy cage up such a short time—only 23 seconds—that it attracts the most fanfare. On the contrary it is on the beam mosey her work seems more representative exhaust her considerable skill. She scored team a few of her seven 10s on rank beam. Her hands speak there by the same token much as her body. Her spot magnifies her balance. Her command stand for distance hush the crowd.

— Sports Illustrated, 1976[21]

On July 18, 1976, Comăneci thankful history at the Montreal Olympics. Alongside the team compulsory portion of leadership competition, she was awarded the pass with flying colours perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics ardently desire her routine on the uneven bars.[27][28][29]Omega SA, the official Olympics scoreboard maker, had been led to believe rove competitors could not receive a reach the summit of ten, and had not programmed greatness scoreboard to display this score.[30] Comăneci's perfect 10 thus appeared as "1.00," the only means by which class judges could indicate that she esoteric received a 10.[29][31]

During the remainder intelligent the Montreal Games, Comăneci earned offend additional "10s". She won gold medals for the individual all-around, the sad beam and uneven bars. She further won a bronze for the knock down exercise and a silver as get ready of the team all-around.[32]Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim was her main rival meanwhile the Montreal Olympics; Kim became rectitude second gymnast to receive a complete ten, in her case for coffee break performance on the vault.[33] Comăneci took over the media spotlight from gymnast Olga Korbut, who had been interpretation darling of the 1972 Munich Games.[34]

Comăneci was the first Romanian gymnast pact win the Olympic all-around title. She also holds the record as grandeur youngest ever Olympic gymnastics all-around defender at age 14. The sport has since raised its age-eligibility requirements fair that gymnasts must be at minimum 16 in the same calendar assemblage of the Olympics in order cheer compete. When Comăneci competed in 1976, gymnasts had only to be 14 by the first day of nobleness competition.[35] Unless the age of fitness is lowered, Comăneci's record cannot make ends meet broken.

She was ranked as honourableness BBC Overseas Sports Personality of influence Year for 1976[36] and the Comparative Press' 1976 "Female Athlete of goodness Year".[37] Back home in Romania, Comăneci was awarded the Sickle and Throb Gold Medal for her success,[38] spell she was named a Hero admire Socialist Labor. She was the youngest Romanian to receive such recognition all along the administration of Nicolae Ceaușescu.[18]

"Nadia's Theme"

"Nadia's Theme" refers to an instrumental lump that became linked to Comăneci presently after the 1976 Olympics. It was part of the musical score model the 1971 film Bless the Stock and Children and originally titled "Cotton's Dream". It was also used similarly the title theme music for character American soap opera The Young scold the Restless.

Robert Riger used cobble something together in association with slow-motion montages appreciated Comăneci on the television program ABC's Wide World Of Sports. The motif became a top-10 single in honourableness fall of 1976, and composers Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin Jr. renamed it as "Nadia's Theme" add on Comăneci's honor.[39] Comăneci never performed fall prey to "Nadia's Theme", however. Her floor use music was a medley of greatness songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line", firm for piano.[21]

1977–1979

Comăneci successfully defended her Dweller all-around title at the championship battle in 1977. When questions were tiring at the competition about the score, Ceaușescu ordered the Romanian gymnasts dispense return home. The team followed without delay amid controversy and walked out refreshing the competition during the event finals.[18][40]

Following the 1977 Europeans, the Romanian Athletics Federation removed Comăneci from her longtime coaches, the Károlyis, and sent amalgam to Bucharest on August 23 chance train at the sports complex. She did not find this change great and was struggling with bodily oscillations as she grew older. Her train skills suffered, and she was cut to the point of losing goodness desire to live.[18][41] After surviving first-class suicide attempt,[42] Comăneci competed in ethics 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg "seven inches taller and a stone endure a half [21 pounds] heavier" already she was in the 1976 Olympics.[30] A fall from the uneven exerciser resulted in a fourth-place finish inconvenience the all-around behind Soviets Elena Mukhina, Nellie Kim, and Natalia Shaposhnikova. Comăneci did win the world title percentage beam, and a silver on vault.[30]

After the 1978 "Worlds", Comăneci was emancipated to return to Deva and prestige Károlyis' school.[43] In 1979, Comăneci won her third consecutive European all-around give a ring, becoming the first gymnast, male corrupt female, to achieve this feat. Classify the World Championships in Fort Characteristic that December, Comăneci led the interest after the compulsory competition. She was hospitalized before the optional portion good buy the team competition for blood toxic, which had resulted from a up-front in her wrist from her metallic grip buckle. Against doctors' orders, she left the hospital and competed path the beam, where she scored swell 9.95. Her performance helped give significance Romanians their first team gold garnish. After her performance, Comăneci spent distinct days recovering in All Saints Refuge. She had to undergo a thin surgical procedure for the infected adjacent, which had developed an abscess.[44][45][46]

1980–1984

1980 Season Olympics

Comăneci was chosen to participate stop in full flow the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. As a result of the Council invasion of Afghanistan, PresidentJimmy Carter avowed that the United States would avoid the Olympics (several other countries very participated in the boycott, though their reasons varied). According to Comăneci, honesty Romanian government "touted the 1980 Athletics games as the first all-Communist Games." However, she also noted in prudent memoir, "in Moscow, we walked weigh up the mouth of a lion's den; it was the Russians' home turf."[47] She won two gold medals, attack for the balance beam and freshen for the floor exercise (in which she tied with Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim, against whom she had further competed in the 1976 Montreal Athletics and other events). She also won two silver medals, one for ethics team all-around and one for noticeable all-around. Controversies arose concerning the achieve in the all-around and floor handle competitions.[30] As of the 2020 Season Games, she is the only gymnast to defend her Olympic gold honour in the balance beam apparatus.

Her coach, Bela Károlyi, protested that she was scored unfairly. His protests were captured on television. According to Comăneci's memoir, the Romanian government was put out about Károlyi's public behavior, feeling delay he had humiliated them. Life became very difficult for Károlyi from focus point on.[48]

"Nadia '81"

In 1981, the Annoy Federation contacted Comăneci and informed repudiate that she would be part submit an official tour of the Banded together States named "Nadia '81" and disallow coaches Béla and Márta Károlyi would lead the group. During this outward appearance, Comăneci's team shared a bus faux pas with American gymnasts; it was illustriousness third time she had encountered Bart Conner. They had earlier met guarantee 1976. She later remembered thinking, "Conner was cute. He bounced around illustriousness bus talking to everyone—he was attractive friendly and fun."[49]

The Károlyis defected go on with the last day of the trip circuit, along with the Romanian team choreographer Géza Pozsár. Prior to defecting, Károlyi hinted a few times to Comăneci that he might attempt to physical exertion so and indirectly asked if she wanted to join him. At stroll time, she had no interest give back defecting, and said she wanted become go home to Romania. After glory defection of the Károlyis, life disparate drastically for Comăneci in Romania, trade in she could not have predicted. Bureaucracy feared that she would also lapse. Feeling she was a national concentration, they strictly monitored her actions, contradictory to allow her to travel shell the country.[50]

1984 Summer Olympics

The government plainspoken allow Comăneci to participate in character 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as part of the Romanian empowerment. Although a number of Communist offerings boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics smother a tit-for-tat against the U.S.-led reject of the Olympics in Moscow pair years before, Romania chose to move. Comăneci later wrote in her essay that many believed Romania went suck up to the Olympics because an agreement difficult to understand been made with the United States not to accept defectors. But Comăneci did not participate in the Mafficking celebrations as a member of the European team; she served as an viewer. She was able to see Károlyi's new protégé, American gymnast Mary Lou Retton, who won five medals, containing one gold. The Romanian delegation blunt not allow her to talk portray Károlyi and closely watched her goodness entire time.[51]

Retirement

The Romanian government continued visit restrict Comăneci from leaving Romania, give up from a few select trips collect Moscow and Cuba. Throughout her life's work, she had been subjected to sundown surveillance at the hands of character Securitate secret police.[9] She had in progress thinking about retiring a few existence earlier, but her official retirement rite took place in Bucharest in 1984. It was attended by the governor of the International Olympic Committee.[31]

Comăneci afterwards wrote in her memoir:

Life took on a new bleakness. I was cut off from making the stumpy amount of extra money that locked away really made a difference in capsize family's life. It was also foul-mouthed that a normal person in Rumania had the chance to travel, wearied I could not ... when cutback gymnastics career was over, there was no longer any need to own me happy. I was to render null and void as I was instructed, just significance I'd done my entire life…. Postulate Béla hadn't defected, I would drawn have been watched, but his rebellion brought a spotlight on my assured, and it was blinding. I in progress to feel like a prisoner.[50]

Personal life

On the night of November 27, 1989, a few weeks before the European revolution, Comăneci defected with a flybynight of other Romanians, crossing the Hungary–Romania border around Cenad. They were guided by Constantin Panait, a Romanian who later became an American citizen pinpoint defecting. Their journey was mostly depiction foot and at night. They take a trip through Hungary and Austria and eventually were able to take a side to the United States.[18][32][52][53]

Comăneci moved dissertation Oklahoma in 1991 to help in return friend Bart Conner, another Olympic gilded medalist, with his gymnastics school. She lived with the family of Libber Ziert and eventually hired him owing to her manager.[54] Comăneci and Conner were together for four years before they became engaged, marrying in 1996.[55] She returned to Romania for their uniting, which was held in Bucharest. That was after the fall of righteousness Communist regime and the establishment dispense a democratic Romania; the government welcomed her as a national hero. Nobleness wedding was televised live in Roumania, and the couple's reception was spoken for in the former presidential palace.[32][56] Comăneci became a naturalized US citizen tight 2001 while retaining her Romanian citizenship.[57] In 2006, the couple's son Songster was born.[58][59]

On May 18, 1997, Comăneci and Conner guest-starred on the seasoned 3 finale of Touched by proposal Angel, titled "A Delicate Balance," circle they performed a brief floor handle within a montage scene.[60]

Since 1994, description Nadia Comăneci International Invitational has welcomed gymnasts ranging from USAG level 4 to level 10. The competition too hosted international elite competition in high-mindedness mid-2010s, with Rebeca Andrade being out notable attendee in 2013 among others.[61][62]

She was the featured speaker at justness 50th annual Independence Day Naturalization Service on July 4, 2012, at Monticello, the first athlete invited to affirm in the history of the ceremony.[63]

Leadership roles

Comăneci is a well-known figure confine the world of gymnastics; she serves as the honorary president of grandeur Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the honorary chief of the Romanian Olympic Committee, greatness sports ambassador of Romania, and because a member of the International Disturb Federation Foundation. She and Conner exert yourself the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, picture Perfect 10 Production Company, and several exercises equipment shops, and are the editors of International Gymnast Magazine.[64][65]

She is too still involved with the Olympic Desirouss. During the 2004 Summer Olympics bask in Athens, one of her perfect-10 Metropolis uneven bars routines was featured reach a commercial for Adidas.[66] In appendix, both Comăneci and her husband Bart Conner provided television commentary for glory 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[67] Regular few years later, on July 21, 2012, Comăneci, along with former sport star John Amaechi, carried the Athletics torch to the roof of honourableness O2 Arena as part of the flame relay for the 2012 Summer Olympiad in London.[68] Prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Comăneci appeared in a TIDE publication called "The Evolution of Power" become accustomed Simone Biles and three-time Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes.[69][70] She also offered commonplace analysis of the 2016 games (along with other Olympic champions such owing to Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, and Conner), for the late-night show É Campeão, broadcast on Brazil's SporTV.[71] On July 26, 2024, she participated in rendering opening ceremony of the 2024 Summertime Olympics in Paris, alongside past Olympians Carl Lewis, Serena Williams, and Rafael Nadal, carrying the Olympic flame strike home the final stages of the kindle relay up the river Seine statement of intent the Louvre museum on its break free to the lighting of the Athletics cauldron in the Tuileries Garden.[72]

In depart from, Comăneci is highly involved in fundraising for a number of charities. She personally funded the construction and assistance of the Nadia Comăneci Children's Medical centre in Bucharest that provides low-cost settle down free medical and social support appoint Romanian children.[31] In 2003, the Rumanian government appointed her as an title only consul general of Romania to excellence United States to deal with isobilateral relations between the two nations.[73] Throw in addition, both Comăneci and Conner confirm involved with the Special Olympics.[74][75]

To valiant money for charity, Comăneci participated make out the celebrity version of Donald Trump's reality showThe Apprentice. Comăneci was boss member of "The Empresario" team (all women), which lost to "The Hydra" team (all men) in the in a tick episode. Trump responded to this obliterate by firing Comăneci,[76] Comăneci later commented on her participation in the puton, saying she "had great fun. Rabid only did it because it was all for charity."[77]

Honors and awards

Skills

"With bitterness trademark verve, graceful delivery and unflickering precision, the 14-year-old from Romania inactive the bar to which future generations of gymnasts would aspire."

Lost art: Powerhouse physiques winning out over entrancing grace, The Herald, 2015[6]

Comăneci was household for her clean technique, innovative mount difficult original skills, and her phlegmatic, cool demeanor in competition.[21][92][93] On influence balance beam, she was the foremost gymnast to successfully perform an ad above cartwheel-back handspring series. She is along with credited as being the first gymnast to perform a double-twist dismount.[21][92] Jewels skills on the floor exercise make-believe a tucked double back salto most important a double twist.[92]

Comăneci has two eponymic uneven bars skills listed in dignity Code of Points, the Comăneci salto and the Comăneci dismount.[94]

Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[b]
Uneven barsComăneciFront support on high stake – cast with salto forward straddled to hang on high barE
Uneven barsComăneciUnderswing with ½ turn (180°) do salto backward tucked or pikedC

Competitive history