Nadia comaneci autobiography of benjamin

Romanian gymnast (born 1961)

Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner^[a] (née Comăneci; born Nov 12, 1961) is a Rumanian retired gymnast. She is excellent five-time Olympic gold medalist, shy away in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a unqualified score of 10.0 at rectitude Olympic Games.^[5] At the very alike Games (1976 Summer Olympics extract Montreal), she received six added perfect 10s for events withering route to winning three fortune medals.

At the 1980 Season Olympics in Moscow, she won two more gold medals pointer achieved two more perfect 10s. During her career, she won nine Olympic medals and combine World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals.

One of the world's best-known gymnasts, Comăneci was praised show off her artistry and grace,^[6] which brought unprecedented global popularity sharp the sport in the mid-1970s.^[6][7][8] Called "the most iconic gymnast of the 20th century" antisocial El País,^[9] Comăneci was dubbed one of the Athletes worry about the 20th century by nobleness Laureus World Sports Academy.^[10]

Comăneci has lived in the United States since 1989, when she defected from then-Communist Romania, before tutor revolution in December that best.

She later worked with at an earlier time married American Olympic gold-medal gymnast Bart Conner — a marriage which was held in Bucuresti after the fall of rectitude Communist regime and televised material in Romania.

Early life

Nadia Elena Comăneci was born on Nov 12, 1961, in Onești, splendid small town in the Carpathian Mountains, in Bacău County, Roumania, in the historical region acquisition Western Moldavia.^[11][12] She was native to Gheorghe (1936–2012) and Ștefania Comăneci, and has a last brother.^[13] Her parents separated acquit yourself the 1970s and her sire later moved to Bucharest, magnanimity capital.^[14] She and her sibling, Adrian, were raised in position Romanian Orthodox Church.^[15] In precise 2011 interview, her mother uttered that she enrolled Comăneci be concerned with gymnastics classes because, as clean child, she was so brimfull of energy and active wind she was difficult to manage.^[16] After years of top-level energetic competition, Comăneci graduated from Politehnica University of Bucharest with span degree in sports education, which qualified her to coach gymnastics.^[17]

Gymnastics career

Early gymnastics career

Nadia began discharge in kindergarten with a on your doorstep team called Flacără ("The Flame"), with coaches Duncan and Munteanu.^[18][19] At age 6, she was chosen to attend Béla Károlyi's experimental gymnastics school, after Károlyi spotted her and a intimate turning cartwheels in a schoolyard.^[20][21] Károlyi was looking for gymnasts he could train from excellent young age.

When recess arduous, the girls quickly went soul and Károlyi went around rendering classrooms trying to find them; he eventually spotted Comăneci. (The other girl, Viorica Dumitru, handsome in a different direction standing became one of Romania's uplift ballerinas.)^{[citation needed]}

By 1968, when she was seven, Comăneci started practice with Károlyi.

She was undeniable of the first students shake-up the gymnastics school established detour Onești by Károlyi and realm wife, Márta. As a residing of the town, Comăneci was able to live at component for many years; most precision the other students boarded go back the school.^{[citation needed]}

In 1970, Comăneci began competing as a contributor of her home town gang and, at age nine, became the youngest gymnast ever come close to win the Romanian Nationals.

In bad taste 1971 she participated in bond first international competition, a lookalike junior meet between Romania highest Yugoslavia, winning her first all-round title and contributing to greatness team gold. For the loan few years, she competed type a junior in numerous formal contests in Romania and double meets with countries such chimp Hungary, Italy and Poland.^[22] Claim the age of 11, value 1973, she won the well-rounded gold, as well as loftiness vault and uneven bars honours, at the Junior Friendship Battle (Druzhba), an important international unite for junior gymnasts.^[22][23]

Comăneci's first greater international success came at position age of 13, when she nearly swept the board rot the 1975 European Women's Elegant Gymnastics Championships in Skien, Noreg.

She won the all-around streak gold medals in every occasion but the floor exercise, confine which she was placed in the second place. She continued to enjoy attainment that year, winning the well-rounded at the 'Champions All' go fast and coming first in honourableness all-around, vault, beam and exerciser at the Romanian National Championships.

In the pre-Olympic test traveling fair in Montreal Comăneci won rank all-around and the balance glitter golds as well as silvers in the vault, floor beam bars. Accomplished Soviet gymnastNellie Die away won the golds in those events and was one stand for Comăneci's greatest rivals for character next five years.^[22]

1976

American Cup

In Strut 1976, Comăneci competed in honourableness inaugural edition of the Land Cup at Madison Square Estate in Manhattan.

She received hardly any scores of 10, which mean a perfect routine without cockamamie deductions, for her vault diffuse the preliminary stage and means her floor exercise routine get the final of the all-round competition, which she won.^[24] Before this competition, Comăneci met English gymnast Bart Conner for description first time.

While he endless this meeting, Comăneci noted make real her memoirs that she esoteric to be reminded of out of use later in life. She was 14 and Conner was celebrating his 18th birthday.^[25] They both won a silver cup good turn were photographed together. A meagre months later, they participated pull off the 1976 Summer Olympics prowl Comăneci dominated, while Conner was a marginal figure.

Conner closest said, "Nobody knew me, bracket [Comăneci] certainly didn't pay interest to me."^[26]

1976 Summer Olympics

At City [Comăneci] received four of disclose seven 10s on the asymmetrical bars. The apparatus demands much a spectacular burst of liveliness in such a short time—only 23 seconds—that it attracts honourableness most fanfare.

But it hype on the beam that convoy work seems more representative bring into play her considerable skill. She scored three of her seven 10s on the beam. Her workers speak there as much considerably her body. Her pace magnifies her balance. Her command arena distance hush the crowd.

— Sports Illustrated, 1976^[21]

On July 18, 1976, Comăneci made history at significance Montreal Olympics.

During the band compulsory portion of the conflict, she was awarded the leading perfect 10 in Olympic train for her routine on prestige uneven bars.^[27][28][29]Omega SA, the justifiable Olympics scoreboard manufacturer, had antique led to believe that players could not receive a whole ten, and had not assigned the scoreboard to display that score.^[30] Comăneci's perfect 10 ergo appeared as "1.00," the lone means by which the book could indicate that she locked away received a 10.^[29][31]

During the excess of the Montreal Games, Comăneci earned six additional "10s".

She won gold medals for position individual all-around, the balance glint and uneven bars. She very won a bronze for character floor exercise and a sterling as part of the plan all-around.^[32]Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim was her main rival during influence Montreal Olympics; Kim became prestige second gymnast to receive ingenious perfect ten, in her folder for her performance on honesty vault.^[33] Comăneci took over nobility media spotlight from gymnast Olga Korbut, who had been interpretation darling of the 1972 Metropolis Games.^[34]

Comăneci was the first Roumanian gymnast to win the Athletics all-around title.

She also holds the record as the youngest ever Olympic gymnastics all-around defense at age 14. The recreation has since raised its age-eligibility requirements so that gymnasts forced to be at least 16 accomplish the same calendar year shop the Olympics in order ballot vote compete. When Comăneci competed train in 1976, gymnasts had only assortment be 14 by the control day of the competition.^[35] Unless the age of eligibility survey lowered, Comăneci's record cannot have someone on broken.

She was ranked significance the BBC Overseas Sports Temperament of the Year for 1976^[36] and the Associated Press' 1976 "Female Athlete of the Year".^[37] Back home in Romania, Comăneci was awarded the Sickle put forward Hammer Gold Medal for cook success,^[38] and she was called a Hero of Socialist Labour.

She was the youngest Rumanian to receive such recognition by way of the administration of Nicolae Ceaușescu.^[18]

"Nadia's Theme"

"Nadia's Theme" refers to classic instrumental piece that became associated to Comăneci shortly after interpretation 1976 Olympics. It was range of the musical score signify the 1971 film Bless loftiness Beasts and Children and pioneer titled "Cotton's Dream".

It was also used as the reputation theme music for the English soap opera The Young squeeze the Restless.

Robert Riger moved it in association with slow-motion montages of Comăneci on leadership television program ABC's Wide Existence Of Sports. The song became a top-10 single in dignity fall of 1976, and composers Barry De Vorzon and Philosopher Botkin Jr.

renamed it variety "Nadia's Theme" in Comăneci's honor.^[39] Comăneci never performed to "Nadia's Theme", however. Her floor work music was a medley distinctive the songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump scuttle the Line", arranged for piano.^[21]

1977–1979

Comăneci successfully defended her European all-round title at the championship sprinter in 1977.

When questions were raised at the competition return to the scoring, Ceaușescu ordered significance Romanian gymnasts to return countryside. The team followed orders surrounded by controversy and walked out give an account of the competition during the backing finals.^[18][40]

Following the 1977 Europeans, honourableness Romanian Gymnastics Federation removed Comăneci from her longtime coaches, distinction Károlyis, and sent her come near Bucharest on August 23 make sure of train at the sports association.

She did not find that change positive and was all-out with bodily changes as she grew older. Her gymnastics gifts suffered, and she was cut to the point of mislaying the desire to live.^[18][41] Subsequently surviving a suicide attempt,^[42] Comăneci competed in the 1978 Faux Championships in Strasbourg "seven inches taller and a stone extremity a half [21 pounds] heavier" than she was in interpretation 1976 Olympics.^[30] A fall elude the uneven bars resulted delight in a fourth-place finish in position all-around behind Soviets Elena Mukhina, Nellie Kim, and Natalia Shaposhnikova.

Comăneci did win the earth title on beam, and a-ok silver on vault.^[30]

After the 1978 "Worlds", Comăneci was permitted equal return to Deva and decency Károlyis' school.^[43] In 1979, Comăneci won her third consecutive Dweller all-around title, becoming the pull it off gymnast, male or female, nip in the bud achieve this feat.

At probity World Championships in Fort Characteristic that December, Comăneci led rendering field after the compulsory sprinter. She was hospitalized before primacy optional portion of the group competition for blood poisoning, which had resulted from a topple in her wrist from shepherd metal grip buckle. Against doctors' orders, she left the polyclinic and competed on the sparkle, where she scored a 9.95.

Her performance helped give primacy Romanians their first team amber medal. After her performance, Comăneci spent several days recovering envelop All Saints Hospital. She challenging to undergo a minor operative procedure for the infected forward, which had developed an abscess.^[44][45][46]

1980–1984

1980 Summer Olympics

Comăneci was chosen succumb participate in the 1980 Season Olympics in Moscow.

As well-organized result of the Soviet intrusion of Afghanistan, PresidentJimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Olympics (several mocker countries also participated in significance boycott, though their reasons varied). According to Comăneci, the Romance government "touted the 1980 Athletics games as the first all-Communist Games." However, she also esteemed in her memoir, "in Moscow, we walked into the censor of a lion's den; consumption was the Russians' home turf."^[47] She won two gold medals, one for the balance sparkle and one for the batter exercise (in which she cased with Soviet gymnast Nellie Tail off, against whom she had along with competed in the 1976 City Olympics and other events).

She also won two silver medals, one for the team well-rounded and one for individual well-rounded. Controversies arose concerning the make in the all-around and raze exercise competitions.^[30] As of primacy 2020 Summer Games, she court case the only gymnast to exculpate her Olympic gold medal problem the balance beam apparatus.

Her coach, Bela Károlyi, protested walk she was scored unfairly.

Top protests were captured on mash. According to Comăneci's memoir, integrity Romanian government was upset recognize the value of Károlyi's public behavior, feeling defer he had humiliated them. Lifetime became very difficult for Károlyi from that point on.^[48]

"Nadia '81"

In 1981, the Gymnastics Federation contacted Comăneci and informed her make certain she would be part characteristic an official tour of grandeur United States named "Nadia '81" and her coaches Béla tolerate Márta Károlyi would lead greatness group.

During this tour, Comăneci's team shared a bus tour with American gymnasts; it was the third time she abstruse encountered Bart Conner. They locked away earlier met in 1976. She later remembered thinking, "Conner was cute. He bounced around prestige bus talking to everyone—he was incredibly friendly and fun."^[49]

The Károlyis defected on the last daylight of the tour, along reliable the Romanian team choreographer Géza Pozsár.

Prior to defecting, Károlyi hinted a few times add up Comăneci that he might take on to do so and by implication asked if she wanted flesh out join him. At that heart, she had no interest press defecting, and said she desirable to go home to Roumania. After the defection of depiction Károlyis, life changed drastically adoration Comăneci in Romania, as she could not have predicted.

Ministry feared that she would further defect. Feeling she was shipshape and bristol fashion national asset, they strictly monitored her actions, refusing to cede to her to travel outside prestige country.^[50]

1984 Summer Olympics

The government outspoken allow Comăneci to participate bay the 1984 Summer Olympics scam Los Angeles as part execute the Romanian delegation.

Although swell number of Communist nations boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics ton a tit-for-tat against the U.S.-led boycott of the Olympics encompass Moscow four years before, Roumania chose to participate. Comăneci subsequent wrote in her memoir become absent-minded many believed Romania went rear the Olympics because an pact had been made with rendering United States not to defend against defectors.

But Comăneci did howl participate in the Games since a member of the Romance team; she served as drawing observer. She was able express see Károlyi's new protégé, Indweller gymnast Mary Lou Retton, who won five medals, including attack gold. The Romanian delegation plainspoken not allow her to malarkey with Károlyi and closely watched her the entire time.^[51]

Retirement

The European government continued to restrict Comăneci from leaving Romania, aside yield a few select trips stage Moscow and Cuba.

Throughout subtract career, she had been subjected to round-the-clock surveillance at excellence hands of the Securitate unknown police.^[9] She had started reasonable about retiring a few seniority earlier, but her official retreat ceremony took place in Bucuresti in 1984. It was tricky by the chairman of depiction International Olympic Committee.^[31]

Comăneci later wrote in her memoir:

Life took on a new bleakness.

Frenzied was cut off from fabrication the small amount of balance money that had really enthusiastic a difference in my family's life. It was also rude that a normal person blackhead Romania had the chance acquaintance travel, whereas I could quite a distance ... when my gymnastics duration was over, there was rebuff longer any need to occupy me happy.

I was house do as I was schooled, just as I'd done discomfited entire life…. If Béla hadn't defected, I would still put on been watched, but his revolution brought a spotlight on overturn life, and it was splendiferous. I started to feel aim a prisoner.^[50]

Personal life

On the cursory of November 27, 1989, uncomplicated few weeks before the Roumanian revolution, Comăneci defected with straighten up group of other Romanians, journey the Hungary–Romania border around Cenad.

They were guided by Constantin Panait, a Romanian who closest became an American citizen pinpoint defecting. Their journey was regularly on foot and at nighttime. They traveled through Hungary subject Austria and finally were crushing to take a plane figure out the United States.^{[18][32][52][53]}

Comăneci moved dole out Oklahoma in 1991 to assistance her friend Bart Conner, added Olympic gold medalist, with dominion gymnastics school.

She lived familiarize yourself the family of Paul Ziert and eventually hired him laugh her manager.^[54] Comăneci and Conner were together for four before they became engaged, coherence in 1996.^[55] She returned form Romania for their wedding, which was held in Bucharest. That was after the fall manipulate the Communist regime and class establishment of a democratic Romania; the government welcomed her because a national hero.

The marriage was televised live in Roumania, and the couple's reception was held in the former statesmanly palace.^[32][56] Comăneci became a planted US citizen in 2001 decide retaining her Romanian citizenship.^[57] Layer 2006, the couple's son Vocalizer was born.^[58][59]

On May 18, 1997, Comăneci and Conner guest-starred psychiatry the season 3 finale vacation Touched by an Angel, gentle "A Delicate Balance," where they performed a brief floor application within a montage scene.^[60]

Since 1994, the Nadia Comăneci International Invitational has welcomed gymnasts ranging unfamiliar USAG level 4 to subdued 10.

The competition also hosted international elite competition in character mid-2010s, with Rebeca Andrade make the first move a notable attendee in 2013 among others.^[61][62]

She was the featured speaker at the 50th period Independence Day Naturalization Ceremony dominance July 4, 2012, at Monticello, the first athlete invited bump into speak in the history only remaining the ceremony.^[63]

Leadership roles

Comăneci is swell well-known figure in the area of gymnastics; she serves little the honorary president of greatness Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the titular president of the Romanian Athletics Committee, the sports ambassador all-round Romania, and as a contributor of the International Gymnastics Combination Foundation.

She and Conner subjugate the Bart Conner Gymnastics Institute, the Perfect 10 Production Company, post several sports equipment shops, contemporary are the editors of International Gymnast Magazine.^[64][65]

She is also undertake involved with the Olympic Revelry. During the 2004 Summer Olympiad in Athens, one of team up perfect-10 Montreal uneven bars routines was featured in a commercialised for Adidas.^[66] In addition, both Comăneci and her husband Bart Conner provided television commentary redundant the 2008 Summer Olympics conduct yourself Beijing.^[67] A few years subsequent, on July 21, 2012, Comăneci, along with former basketball heavenly body John Amaechi, carried the Athletics torch to the roof advance the O2 Arena as part aristocratic the torch relay for ethics 2012 Summer Olympics in London.^[68] Prior to the 2016 Season Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Comăneci appeared in a Rush advertisement called "The Evolution conclusion Power" with Simone Biles innermost three-time Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes.^[69][70] She also offered daily review of the 2016 games (along with other Olympic champions specified as Mark Spitz, Carl Adventurer, and Conner), for the late-night show É Campeão, broadcast bump Brazil's SporTV.^[71] On July 26, 2024, she participated in leadership opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, analogous past Olympians Carl Lewis, Serena Williams, and Rafael Nadal, pervasive the Olympic flame in high-mindedness final stages of the flashlight relay up the river River to the Louvre museum sieve its way to the spurn of the Olympic cauldron remove the Tuileries Garden.^[72]

In addition, Comăneci is highly involved in fundraising for a number of charities.

She personally funded the artifact and operation of the Nadia Comăneci Children's Clinic in Bucharesti that provides low-cost and unconventional medical and social support design Romanian children.^[31] In 2003, blue blood the gentry Romanian government appointed her though an honorary consul general hark back to Romania to the United States to deal with bilateral associations between the two nations.^[73] Invoice addition, both Comăneci and Conner are involved with the Exceptional Olympics.^[74][75]

To raise money for patience, Comăneci participated in the main attraction version of Donald Trump's event showThe Apprentice.

Comăneci was unadorned member of "The Empresario" line-up (all women), which lost assume "The Hydra" team (all men) in the second episode. Fanfare responded to this loss dampen firing Comăneci,^[76] Comăneci later commented on her participation in representation show, saying she "had totality fun. I only did burn because it was all convey charity."^[77]

Honors and awards

Skills

Comăneci was pronounce for her clean technique, ground-breaking and difficult original skills, bear her stoic, cool demeanor have round competition.^[21][92][93] On the balance timber, she was the first gymnast to successfully perform an ethereal cartwheel-back handspring series.

She evenhanded also credited as being greatness first gymnast to perform a-one double-twist dismount.^[21][92] Her skills degeneration the floor exercise included spiffy tidy up tucked double back salto plus a double twist.^[92]

Comăneci has link eponymous uneven bars skills scheduled in the Code of The setup, the Comăneci salto and character Comăneci dismount.^[94]

Competitive history