Nadia Comăneci facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nadia Comăneci
Comăneci in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Nadia Elena Comăneci
Nickname(s)	Nana
Country represented	Romania
Born	(1961-11-12) November 12, 1961 (age 63) Onești, Romanian PR
Residence	Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.
Spouse	Bart Conner ​ (m. 1996)​
Height	5 ft 3.5 in (1.61 m)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior Elite
Years on national team	1970–1984 (ROU)
Gym	National Training Center
College team	Politehnica University of Bucharest
Former coach(es)	Béla Károlyi Márta Károlyi
Choreographer	Géza Pozsár
Eponymous skills	Comăneci salto (uneven bars)
Retired	May 7, 1984 (official)
Medal record Representing  Romania Women's artistic gymnastics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 5 3 1 World Championships 2 2 0 World Cup Final 2 1 0 European Championships 9 2 1 Summer Universiade 5 0 0 Olympic Games Gold 1976 Montréal All-Around Gold 1976 Montréal Uneven Bars Gold 1976 Montréal Balance Beam Gold 1980 Moscow Balance Beam Gold 1980 Moscow Floor Exercise Silver 1976 Montréal Team Silver 1980 Moscow Team Silver 1980 Moscow All-Around Bronze 1976 Montréal Floor Exercise World Championships Gold 1978 Strasbourg Balance Beam Gold 1979 Ft. Worth Team Silver 1978 Strasbourg Team Silver 1978 Strasbourg Vault World Cup Final Gold 1979 Tokyo Vault Gold 1979 Tokyo Floor Exercise Silver 1979 Tokyo Balance Beam European Championships Gold 1975 Skien All-Around Gold 1975 Skien Uneven Bars Gold 1975 Skien Balance Beam Gold 1975 Skien Vault Gold 1977 Prague All-Around Gold 1977 Prague Uneven Bars Gold 1979 Copenhagen All-Around Gold 1979 Copenhagen Vault Gold 1979 Copenhagen Floor Exercise Silver 1975 Skien Floor Exercise Silver 1977 Prague Vault Bronze 1979 Copenhagen Balance Beam Summer Universiade Gold 1981 Bucharest Team Gold 1981 Bucharest All-Around Gold 1981 Bucharest Uneven Bars Gold 1981 Bucharest Vault Gold 1981 Bucharest Floor Exercise

Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner (born November 12, 1961) is a retired Romanian gymnast. She won five Olympic gold medals in individual events. In 1976, at just 14 years old, Nadia made history. She was the first gymnast to earn a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games.

At the same 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, she received six more perfect 10s. This helped her win three gold medals. At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, she won two more gold medals. She also achieved two more perfect 10s there. During her amazing career, she won nine Olympic medals. She also won four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals.

Nadia Comăneci is one of the most famous gymnasts ever. People admired her artistic style and grace. She made gymnastics much more popular around the world in the mid-1970s. El País newspaper called her "the most iconic gymnast of the 20th century." The Laureus World Sports Academy named her one of the Athletes of the 20th century.

Comăneci has lived in the United States since 1989. She moved there from Romania, which was then a Communist country. This was just before the Romanian revolution in December of that year. Later, she worked with and married Bart Conner, an American Olympic gold-medal gymnast. Their wedding was held in Bucharest after the Communist government fell. It was shown live on TV in Romania.

Early Life and Training

Onești, the town where Comăneci was born

Nadia Elena Comăneci was born on November 12, 1961. She grew up in Onești, a small town in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. Her parents were Gheorghe and Ștefania Comăneci. She also has a younger brother named Adrian. Her parents separated in the 1970s.

Nadia's mother said she enrolled Nadia in gymnastics classes. As a child, Nadia was very energetic and hard to manage! After many years of competing, Nadia graduated from Politehnica University of Bucharest. She earned a degree in sports education. This allowed her to coach gymnastics.

Starting Gymnastics

Nadia Comăneci at the European Championships in Prague, 1977

Nadia started gymnastics in kindergarten. She joined a local team called Flacăra ("The Flame"). Her first coaches were Duncan and Munteanu. When she was six, she was chosen for Béla Károlyi's special gymnastics school. Károlyi saw her and a friend doing cartwheels in a schoolyard. He was looking for young gymnasts to train.

By 1968, when Nadia was seven, she began training with Károlyi. She was one of the first students at the gymnastics school. Károlyi and his wife, Márta, started this school in Onești. Nadia lived at home for many years because she was from the town. Most other students lived at the school.

In 1970, Nadia started competing for her hometown team. At nine years old, she became the youngest gymnast ever to win the Romanian Nationals. In 1971, she competed internationally for the first time. It was a junior meet between Romania and Yugoslavia. She won her first all-around title and helped her team win gold.

For the next few years, she competed as a junior. She took part in many national contests in Romania. She also competed in meets against countries like Hungary, Italy, and Poland. In 1973, at age 11, she won the all-around gold. She also won the vault and uneven bars titles. This was at the Junior Friendship Tournament, an important international meet for young gymnasts.

Nadia's first big international win came at age 13. This was at the 1975 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Skien, Norway. She won the all-around title and gold medals in almost every event. She placed second only in the floor exercise. She continued to win that year. She won the all-around at the 'Champions All' competition. She also came first in the all-around, vault, beam, and bars at the Romanian National Championships.

At a test event in Montreal before the Olympics, Nadia won gold in the all-around and balance beam. She also won silver medals in vault, floor, and bars. Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim won gold in those events. Kim became one of Nadia's biggest rivals for the next five years.

Monument dedicated to the Onești gymnastics school champions including Comăneci

Olympic Success

1976 Montreal Olympics

Comăneci at the 1976 Olympics

Comăneci at the 1976 Olympics

In March 1976, Nadia competed in the first American Cup. This event was held at Madison Square Garden in New York. She earned rare scores of 10. These scores mean a perfect routine with no mistakes. She got a 10 for her vault in the first round. She also got a 10 for her floor exercise in the final. She won the competition.

At this event, Nadia met American gymnast Bart Conner for the first time. He remembered meeting her, but Nadia said she had to be reminded later. She was 14, and Bart was turning 18. They both won a silver cup and were photographed together.

On July 18, 1976, Nadia made history at the Montreal Olympics. During the team part of the competition, she received the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics. This was for her routine on the uneven bars. The company that made the scoreboard, Omega SA, thought gymnasts couldn't get a perfect 10. So, they hadn't programmed the scoreboard to show it. Nadia's perfect 10 appeared as "1.00." This was the only way judges could show she got a 10.

During the rest of the Montreal Games, Nadia earned six more "10s." She won gold medals for the individual all-around, the balance beam, and uneven bars. She also won a bronze medal for the floor exercise. Her team won a silver medal in the team all-around.

Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim was her main rival. Kim also became the second gymnast to receive a perfect ten. This was for her performance on the vault. Nadia became the new star of the Olympics. She took the spotlight from Olga Korbut, who was famous from the 1972 Games.

Nadia was the first Romanian gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title. She is also the youngest Olympic gymnastics all-around champion ever, at age 14. The rules have changed since then. Now, gymnasts must be at least 16 to compete in the Olympics. So, Nadia's record as the youngest champion cannot be broken.

She was named the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year for 1976. The Associated Press also named her the 1976 "Female Athlete of the Year." Back home in Romania, she received the Sickle and Hammer Gold Medal. This was a high honor for her success. She was also named a Hero of Socialist Labor. She was the youngest Romanian to receive such recognition.

"Nadia's Theme"

"Nadia's Theme" is a piece of music linked to Nadia after the 1976 Olympics. It was from a 1971 movie and was called "Cotton's Dream." It was also used for a TV show.

A TV producer named Robert Riger used it with slow-motion videos of Nadia. This was on the show ABC's Wide World Of Sports. The song became very popular in 1976. The composers renamed it "Nadia's Theme" to honor her. However, Nadia never actually performed to "Nadia's Theme." Her floor music was a mix of "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line."

Later Career and Challenges

Nadia won her third European all-around title in a row in 1979. She was the first gymnast, male or female, to do this. At the World Championships in Fort Worth, she was leading. But she had to go to the hospital for blood poisoning. This was from a cut on her wrist.

Against doctors' orders, she left the hospital to compete. She performed on the balance beam and scored a 9.95. Her performance helped Romania win their first team gold medal. After this, Nadia spent several days recovering. She had a small surgery for the infection.

1980 Moscow Olympics

Comăneci in Moscow, 1980

Nadia was chosen for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The United States and some other countries boycotted these Olympics. This was because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Nadia wrote that the Romanian government saw these as "the first all-Communist Games." But she also felt it was like walking "into the mouth of a lion's den."

She won two gold medals in Moscow. One was for the balance beam. The other was for the floor exercise. She tied with Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim for the floor gold. Nadia also won two silver medals. One was for the team all-around. The other was for the individual all-around.

Her coach, Bela Károlyi, protested that her scores were unfair. His protests were shown on television. Nadia wrote that the Romanian government was upset about Károlyi's public actions. They felt he had embarrassed them. Life became very difficult for Károlyi after that.

"Nadia '81" Tour and Defection

Comăneci on the balance beam, 1980

In 1981, Nadia was part of a gymnastics tour in the United States. It was called "Nadia '81." Her coaches, Béla and Márta Károlyi, led the group. On this tour, Nadia's team shared a bus with American gymnasts. This was the third time she met Bart Conner. She remembered thinking, "Conner was cute."

On the last day of the tour, the Károlyis and the team's choreographer left the country. They did not return to Romania. Before this, Károlyi hinted to Nadia that he might leave. He asked if she wanted to join him. At that time, she wanted to go home to Romania.

After her coaches left, Nadia's life in Romania changed a lot. Officials worried that she might also leave. They watched her very closely. They did not let her travel outside the country.

Retirement from Gymnastics

A 2016 Romanian postage stamp showing Comăneci on the balance beam at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal

The Romanian government kept Nadia from leaving Romania. She only made a few trips to Moscow and Cuba. Throughout her career, secret police watched her all the time. She had thought about retiring earlier. Her official retirement ceremony took place in Bucharest in 1984. The head of the International Olympic Committee attended.

Life After Gymnastics

Comăneci and her husband Bart Conner meeting First Lady Michelle Obama, 2009

On November 27, 1989, Nadia left Romania. This was a few weeks before the Romanian revolution. She crossed the border with a group of other Romanians. They were guided by Constantin Panait. Their journey was mostly on foot and at night. They traveled through Hungary and Austria. Finally, they took a plane to the United States.

Nadia moved to Oklahoma in 1991. She went to help her friend Bart Conner with his gymnastics school. She lived with the family of Paul Ziert. She later hired him as her manager. Nadia and Bart were together for four years before they got engaged. They married in 1996.

She returned to Romania for their wedding. It was held in Bucharest. By then, the Communist government had fallen. Romania was now a democratic country. The government welcomed her as a national hero. The wedding was shown live on TV in Romania. The reception was held in the former presidential palace.

Nadia became a US citizen in 2001. She also kept her Romanian citizenship. In 2006, Nadia and Bart had a son named Dylan.

Nadia and Bart Conner appeared on a TV show called Touched by an Angel in 1997. They performed a short floor exercise. Since 1994, the Nadia Comăneci International Invitational has welcomed gymnasts. This competition hosts gymnasts of different skill levels.

She was the main speaker at the Independence Day Naturalization Ceremony in 2012. This was held at Monticello. She was the first athlete invited to speak there.

Leadership and Charity Work

Comăneci at the BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy, April 2012

Nadia Comăneci is a very important person in gymnastics. She is the honorary president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation. She is also the honorary president of the Romanian Olympic Committee. She serves as Romania's sports ambassador. She is also a member of the International Gymnastics Federation Foundation.

She and Bart Conner own the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy. They also own the Perfect 10 Production Company. They have several sports equipment shops. They are also the editors of International Gymnast Magazine.

Nadia is still involved with the Olympic Games. In 2004, one of her perfect-10 routines was in an Adidas commercial. She and Bart also gave TV commentary for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In 2012, Nadia carried the Olympic torch to the roof of the O2 Arena in London. This was part of the torch relay for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Nadia was in a TIDE advertisement. She appeared with Simone Biles and Dominique Dawes. She also gave daily analysis for a Brazilian TV show about the 2016 games. On July 26, 2024, she took part in the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris. She carried the Olympic flame with other famous Olympians.

Nadia is also very involved in charity work. She paid for the building and running of the Nadia Comăneci Children's Clinic in Bucharest. This clinic gives low-cost and free medical help to Romanian children. In 2003, the Romanian government made her an honorary consul general. This helps with relations between Romania and the United States. Nadia and Bart are also involved with the Special Olympics.

To raise money for charity, Nadia was on Donald Trump's reality show The Apprentice. She was on the women's team, which lost. Trump fired her from the show. Nadia later said she "had great fun" and only did it for charity.

Honors and Awards

Comăneci in Montreal. Stamp of Romania, 1976

• 1975 and 1976: The United Press International Athlete of the Year Award
• 1976: Hero of Socialist Labour
• 1976: Associated Press Athlete of the Year
• 1976: BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
• 1983: The Olympic Order
• 1990: International Women's Sports Hall of Fame
• 1993: International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
• 1998: Marca Leyenda
• 1998: Flo Hyman Award
• 2004: The Olympic Order
• 2016: Great Immigrant Honoree: Carnegie Corporation of New York
• 2017: She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 Women of 2017.
• 2017: An area in the Olympic Park in Montreal was renamed "Place Nadia Comaneci."
• 2021: Order of the Star of Romania, Grand Officer

Gymnastics Skills and Moves

Nadia Comăneci was known for her clean technique. She also created new and difficult moves. She was very calm during competitions.

On the balance beam, she was the first gymnast to successfully do an aerial cartwheel-back handspring series. She is also known for being the first to do a double-twist dismount. Her floor exercise skills included a tucked double back salto and a double twist.

Nadia has two uneven bars skills named after her in the Code of Points. These are the Comăneci salto and the Comăneci dismount.

Books and Films About Nadia

• Nadia's 2004 memoir is called Letters to a Young Gymnast.
• Katie Holmes directed a short documentary about Nadia in 2015. It was called Eternal Princess.
• In 2016, a documentary called Nadia Comăneci, la gymnaste et le dictateur was made.
• In 1984, a TV movie called Nadia was made about her. Nadia was not involved in making it. She later said she didn't want to see it because it "distorts my life so totally."
• In 2012, Universal Pictures chose Nadia to voice Granny Norma in the Romanian version of The Lorax.
• In 2021, a book called Nadia și Securitatea ("Nadia and the Securitate") was published in Romanian.

Images for kids

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  Nadia Comăneci wearing her medals in 1976

See Also

In Spanish: Nadia Comăneci para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of Olympic female gymnasts for Romania
• List of Olympic medal leaders in women's gymnastics
• List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games
• List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists