The life of Nadia Comineci is simply inspirational for people of all ages.
Nadia Comaneci, an extraordinary gymnast, etched her name in Olympic history. She captivated the world at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, becoming the first woman to earn a perfect score of 10.0. Her grace, precision, and youthful charm made her a legend, leaving an indelible mark on the world of gymnastics.Here is a detailed account of the whole life happenings of Nadia Comineci, which simply proves one point: she has braved all the odds to come across her otherwise popular and star-studded life.Here is this article written by Giulia Owen, already published in many magazines, and extracted from an online publication, greedyfinance.com.
She Was The First Woman To Get A Perfect Score At The Olympics Yet She Remains Forgotten
By: Giulia Owen
Many people from Eastern Europe appear to have a natural talent for sports and a really proud athletic heritage. Still, one story tops all others: the story of Nadia Comăneci, a Romanian gymnast who took the world by storm with her fantastic performance at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
On top of winning 5 Olympic gold medals, she was the first gymnast ever to achieve a perfect score in a competition. Even with that sort of achievement, somehow the world seems to have forgotten about her, but we want to tell you about her incredible story.
Humble Beginnings
Nadia Comăneci was born in 1961 in a small Romanian town called Onesti. When she was only 10 years old, her parents separated, and she stayed with her mother, Ƙtefania. Growing up, she was always an energetic child.
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In an interview, Stefania said Nadia was so hyperactive that she enrolled her in gymnastic classes just to tire her out. Nadia fell in love with the sport and used any chance she had to jump around and practice. This was when her mother realized Nadia’s potential.
Life’s Calling
When the gymnastics lessons first started, it was clear to Nadia that this would be her life’s calling. The difficult routines in gymnastics were almost natural to her, and she enjoyed doing them even in kindergarten.
Practising them only deepened her love for the sport, and she turned a simple child infatuation into a calling, which led to an amazing career. Many people go through life without knowing their true vocation, but Nadia knew hers the moment she did her first cartwheel.
Getting Her First Coach
One day, Nadia and her friends were doing cartwheels alongside some other tricks in the schoolyard. As fate would have it, she was spotted by Béla Károlyi, a renowned gymnastics coach, who enrolled her in his preparatory gymnastics school at the age of 6. This is where her career began.
Her passion for gymnastics and her natural ability to do elements with ease, coupled with Bela’s experience, cemented her destiny to go on to become one of the greatest in gymnastics history.
Hard Training
Bela pushed Nadia to train every day for 3 hours straight, and sometimes even more. Fortunately, Nadia lived right next to Béla’s gymnastics school, so she didn’t have to travel a long way for practice. During her first amateur competition, Nadia faced a lot of trouble landing after performing the elements.
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But Béla never gave up on her and encouraged her to continue practicing. Eventually, her landing improved drastically, and her form began to pick up. Nadia’s determination and Béla’s faith made her the gymnastics star she is today.
Going Pro
In 1969, Nadia participated in her first real competition, the Romanian National Junior Championship. She was only 7 years old at the time and was one of the youngest competitors there. Considering the strength, age, and maturity of her competitors, she fared pretty well and finished 13th.
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Nevertheless, she considered this a failure and was disappointed with her performance. It motivated her to train even harder. The year after, she won her first competition easily, claiming first place with a spectacular performance. This was her first career achievement, and she was only 8 years old.
Senior Competitions
Nadia became eligible to compete with seniors when she turned 14 in 1975. This is where she shined, winning 5 medals at the European Championships and the Americas Cup. People were able to see what she was capable of, but for Nadia, this was only the beginning.
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She set her sights on the biggest prize of all—the 1976 Montreal Olympics. There was a sense of admiration among the public, and everyone was eagerly waiting for Nadia to show her full potential in one of the biggest competitions in the world.
The First Kiss
A few months before the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Nadia competed in the American Cup at Madison Square Garden, when she was 14 years old. She won a silver medal at the competition, but more importantly, she won the heart of 18-year-old American gymnast Bart Conner.
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When Nadia and Bart went to the podium to receive their medals, the media urged the young American to give Nadia a kiss. They were both happy to oblige, and felt an immediate connection. The relationship they started at this competition only grew stronger in the following years.
The Olympic Star
In the days leading to the big event, the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Nadia was busy finishing her preparations so she could dominate her first Olympic games. Her previous competitions gave her enough confidence to pursue the gold medal, but in reality, she was really anxious and nervous as this was a global event.
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The media and the gymnastics community were well aware of her extreme talent, but nobody could predict where she was going at the time. When the competition finally started, it was clear that history will be written then and there. The Montreal Olympics gave Nadia worldwide fame and made her an international star.
The Perfect Score
At the Olympics, gymnasts are rated from 1 to 10 as they perform their routines, but before Nadia, no gymnast had ever received a perfect score. When she started doing her routine, the judges and the spectators were stunned. She performed flawlessly, and there was not a single mistake in her execution.
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She left the judges with no other option but to give her a perfect 10. And this was not the only perfect 10, she went on to receive six more during this competition and won three gold medals in the process
Nadia’s Theme Song
After her success at the Montreal Olympics, her popularity and fame could go nowhere but up. Alongside numerous fans and accolades, she even got her own theme song. Robert Rigger created a video with a series of slow-motion footage from Nadia’s performances at the Olympics.
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He used “Cotton’s Dream” from the movie Bless the Beasts and the Children as the soundtrack. This video was so popular that the song became a hit single by the end of 1976. The composers decided to officially rename the song “Nadia’s Theme.”
International Recognition
Nadia’s awards just kept on coming in the aftermath of the Montreal Olympics. She was named the BBC’s Overseas Sports Personality and Female Athlete of the Year. Her photos were published worldwide, and she appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
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At her hometown and in Romania in general, she was made a national hero. The Romanian government gave her numerous awards and honours. It seemed that she had the entire world at her feet. But soon things started going downhill.
Private Problems
In the eyes of the public, Nadia had everything going for her. She had a perfect career, and she was showered with love, attention, and awards. But her private life was far from perfect. Despite being divorced, her parents still fought a lot. Divorce is a difficult thing to go through as a child.
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Being in the international spotlight didn’t help at all. At times, the public attention she received was just too much for her. On top of everything, she had to find a new coach as she stopped working with Béla, her biggest supporter and mentor.
Act of Desperation
The pressure of public life and her private problems continued to mount. It was too much to bear, and she reached a breaking point. She became desperate and felt trapped. Nadia was just a teenager, and in an act of desperation, she attempted suicide.
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Fortunately, she failed, and after the traumatic event, Romanian officials took the necessary steps to ensure her wellbeing. One of those steps was reassigning Béla as her coach. This brought things back to normal, and Nadia resumed her training.
Too Big To Compete
When Nadia hit puberty, both the Romanian government and the public urged her to quit gymnastics, because gymnastics require a small and nimble body, and Nadia started gaining height and weight as she grew older.
But Nadia decided to ignore these calls and continue her career, and she went back to competing. In the process, she won several medals for her country as she was preparing for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. She seemed determined to remain unbeatable, no matter her size or weight.
False Rumors
Being a famous athlete puts one in the spotlight, and the press has a habit of making up stories about celebrities. Nadia was no exception to the rule. One of these stories was about an alleged affair between Nadia and Nicu Ceausescu, the son of the famous Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
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These rumours were slowly undermining her reputation and image as a professional athlete. Of course, the stories were entirely made up, but the press kept playing up these rumours.
Drama at the Moscow Olympics
All of this drama badly affected Nadia, and her performance at the 1980 Moscow Olympics suffered as a consequence. She did win four medals – two gold, and two silver – but her performance was far from perfect.
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She was nowhere near the achievements of previous Olympics, and her coach, Béla, was extremely dissatisfied with the way the judges scored her. His anger and hateful speech were caught on camera and aired live on TV, which made his life extremely difficult in Romania. Romanian authorities were not happy with his comments and felt he misrepresented the country.
Bad Sportsmanship
Nadia was the biggest gymnast of her time, and naturally, everyone wanted to beat her. This was the case at the Moscow Olympics, which she described as going into the lion’s den. The Russians were so eager to beat her that they have brought Russian soldiers to the stands to heckle her.
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Whenever she performed, the soldiers would stand up, make loud noises and try to get her to make a mistake. Fortunately, she was not distracted as her professionalism allowed her to focus. She went on to win medals and beat her competition despite the bad sportsmanship.
Rigged Olympics
Nadia’s coach continued fighting against the scores the judges gave her during the Olympics. His outrage made everyone believe that the Olympics were rigged and that it was a politically-motivated event.
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During the Cold War, everything was contested by the superpowers and the nations in their spheres, but the Olympics were one of the few remaining events that were supposed to be neutral. Béla’s constant comments about the political bias of the Russian judges was a serious accusation. Neither the Russian nor the Romanian governments took these accusations lightly.
The Nadia Tour
In 1981, the communist regime of Romania was struggling economically, so they organized the famous Nadia tour called Nadia ’81 to try and raise money. She toured the United States, where people were eager to meet her, take a picture with her and see the gymnastics wonder.
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She felt like a rock star and earned her government a staggering $250,000. Still, government officials only paid her $1,000 for her efforts. This may have been a lot of money in Romanian standards back in the day, but it still felt little compared to what Nadia had done for her country.
Running From The Government
Because of the accusations he made against the Russians during the Moscow Olympics, Béla suffered a constant backlash from his government. At times, his life was in danger. He was under constant surveillance and his every move was tracked by the Romanian secret service.
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After the Nadia ’81 tour, Béla and a few others decided to defect to the United States. They tried to get Nadia to come with them, but she wasn’t interested. Romania was her country, and she wanted to go back home.
A Prisoner
Nadia’s choice to return to Romania had some serious repercussions. Because of Béla’s defection, the Romanian government was afraid that she might defect as well. And so the government assigned special agents to monitor her every move.
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Her phone calls were recorded and listened to, her mail was read, and she was banned from visiting Western countries. Her life became increasingly difficult with constant government involvement in her private affairs. She was trapped in her own country, and no one trusted her anymore.
Escaping Romania
Nadia soon realized that this was not the life she wanted. She knew she has to get out of Romania as quickly as possible, as it was starting to get extremely dangerous for her. Despite the constant government surveillance, she contacted a Romanian nationalist and anti-communist who somehow escaped to Florida.
This man was Constantin Panait. He was her only hope of escape, and he promised to smuggle her to America. It was risky, but she had to take her chances as her life in Romania became unbearable.
A Secret Plan
Nadia kept her escape plan a secret. She loved her family, but she knew that if she told them – they would try to stop her, or worse – they would inform the Romanian government of her treacherous intentions. Her younger brother and his wife were the only two people who knew about her plans, and they were supportive of her actions.
With her brother’s blessing, Nadia and Constantin started devising a plan of escape. The initial doubts she had about this man were lifted when her brother looked into him and learned Constantin had honest intentions of getting young Nadia out of the country.
Successful Escape
Against all odds and despite the harsh winter, Nadia was able to reach the Hungarian border. Hungary was a friendly communist regime at the time, so instead of arresting and deporting her, they brought her a blanket and gave her warm food and drinks. She was then transported safely to the Austrian embassy.
Everyone knew her story, and the Austrians managed to get her to Vienna. There, she met her mysterious saviour – Constantin Panait. They boarded the plane to New York together and left all the hardships behind.
No Warm Welcomes
When Nadia arrived in America, people did not exactly welcome her with open arms. She was a gymnastics sensation when she was 15, but those days were long gone. Moreover, rumours continued to follow her even across the ocean, with stories circling were about an alleged affair with the man who helped her escape, Constantin Panait.
“This is not what I expected,” she said in a New York Times interview about her reception in the US two weeks after her defection from Romania. “I am disappointed, very disappointed.”
Kept In Isolation
Nadia was thankful for Panait’s help, but it turned out to be a double-edged sword. Panait tried to isolate her from the people and wanted to keep her for himself. Numerous people heard of her arrival in the United States.
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Including her coaches, Béla Károlyi and Bart Conner. All of their efforts to get in touch with her were stopped by Panait, who never relayed their messages to her. She felt trapped again, this time not by her country, but by one man.
Suspicion Rises
Bart Conner, the young American gymnast Nadia met years ago, found out that she hasn’t spoken to anyone since she arrived in the US, and he found that to be suspicious. Conner found out about an interview Nadia was giving and got in touch with the producers.
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Upon learning the interview was in Los Angeles, he immediately got on a flight to California. He even rented a helicopter just so he could get to the studio in time and appear as a surprise guest. He had to do all of this because there was no other way for him to reach Nadia.
Secret Intentions
Panait, it transpired, was not the good guy he first appeared to be. He tried to profit from Nadia’s fame and kept trying to control her life. They travelled across the country together, with Nadia giving interviews but never commenting on her relationship with Panait.
He appointed himself as her manager, and Nadia allowed him to do so, feeling he was her lifeline to America.”He said, ‘I’ll send you back to Romania.’ It was like I was dropped from the sky. I knew nothing. I was scared,” she later said.
Constantin Panait Exposed
Nadia’s luck change with the appearance of Alexandru Stefu, a gymnastics coach and a good friend of hers. After lengthy negotiations, Stefu finally managed to arrange a meeting with her. Panait realized he was in trouble, as Nadia finally opened up about their relationship and how he mistreated her. So he stole her money and fled the country.”When I came to the United States this guy (Panait) kept me like I was in a prison,” she later said. “He didn’t let me call anybody. I couldn’t call my family in Romania. I knew something was wrong … I couldn’t go anywhere alone. I moved from one apartment to another.”
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“He beat me,” she added. “There are some things I don’t even want to remember, He punched her, black and blue,” Stefu elaborated as he pointed to the side of his face. Several years later, Nadia insisted there were no hard feelings, as Panait was the man responsible for getting her out of Romania and into the United States. The debt was paid.
Signs Of Hope
Not long after exposing Panait’s evil deeds, Nadia’s close friend Alexandru Stefu was killed in an accident. She was now alone in a foreign country with no money or a place to stay. Luckily, Paul Ziert, who was Conner’s coach at the time, offered to put a roof over her head.
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So, she went on to live with him and his family in Oklahoma. He became Nadia’s personal manager, and it was also a turning point for Bart and Nadia’s relationship. The two became increasingly close, enjoying each other’s company.
Catching Up
Paul Ziert was the man responsible for giving Nadia Conner’s phone number. They were talking for hours on the phone, and this was going on for a year. Eventually, Conner offered Nadia to partner up and open a gymnastics school together.
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After everything she’s been through, this was finally a bright moment in Nadia’s life, and she happily jumped at the opportunity. Their relationship continued to grow, and Nadia could finally enjoy her life once again. She was happy and in the right place.
Getting Married
Bart and Nadia shared their first moment back in 1976. They remained in touch throughout their careers and were always happy to see each other in competitions. But now they started dating seriously, and everything culminated in 1994 when Bart proposed to Nadia in Amsterdam.
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Nadia said yes, and the two decided to get married in her home town. The Romanian communist regime fell, and it was finally safe for her to return home. Everything seemed to fall into place.
Return To Romania
After the fall of the Romanian dictatorship, people urged Nadia to come home. The new regime was a liberal one, and the government even allowed her to use the House of Parliament for her wedding.
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It was a great honour, and she was once again welcomed as a hero, not a traitor. The wedding was attended by more than 10,000 people, and it was televised. She was the greatest Romanian athlete, and people came from all over the country to see her. Romania was once more of her home.
Expressing Regrets
Nadia never got over the fact she had to leave her home country in the first place. She loved her people, but not the communist government. At her wedding, she took a moment to address the people of Romania.
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She stated that she always loved them and that she escaped because she had to, not because she wanted to. Her speech was welcomed with love, and the people of Romania never forgot her patriotism and achievements. Nadia is still one of the most honoured and respected figures in Romania to this day.
Private Gymnastics School
The school Bart and Nadia founded was the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Oklahoma. People come from all over the country to get a chance to meet and work with famous athletes.
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In their spare time, the duo travels the world to give lectures and hold training seminars. Being one of the biggest faces in the gymnastics world opened up many new opportunities for them, and everyone wants a chance to learn from them. They also receive many sponsorships and advertise gymnastics products.
Famous Friends
Nadia’s rise to fame and her career achievements made her many friends. One of them is none other than actress Katie Holmes. The two seem to have a very tight relationship, as they were seen laughing together and talking in 2015. It felt as if they knew each other for years.
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Their relationship began when Katie decided to direct a film about Nadia’s life and incredible career. It focused on the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and Holmes approached Nadia, asking for help in writing the script. Nadia was happy to help out, and the two bonded.
Directorial Debut
Katie Holmes made her directorial debut with the movie Eternal Princess. It was not a big hit, but it allowed people to get to know Nadia’s unique story. Also, Katie got to know and became friends with the incredible Romanian athlete.
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Holmes did a wonderful job of delivering the story of Nadia’s perseverance in difficult times and her incredible motivation to keep going. It served as an inspiration to many young people and other athletes who were going through similar issues.
A Shocking Lie
It is no secret that professional athletes go through rigorous training sessions that can be exhausting and devastating, especially at a very young age. However, there is a line that must never be crossed.
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In 1995, shocking news came from Nadia’s home country of Romania. A coach had beaten an 11-year-old gymnast to death. Months after being arrested, the coach made claims about an abusive relationship between Nadia and Béla, but no one believed him. It was clear to everyone that this was a pathetic and desperate attempt to justify his own actions.
Government Conspiracy
The story of the 11-year-old girl who was beaten to death intrigued some Western journalists, who decided to dig deeper. But it turned out the new Romanian government wasn’t as liberal and democratic as it claimed to be. All evidence and photos of the incident disappeared, with the Romanian government even openly confiscating some of it.
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Several theories emerged surrounding the case. The most widespread one was that the Romanians were so eager to reclaim their status in the athletic world that they allowed coaches to beat young athletes to achieve perfection. They needed a new Nadia Comăneci.
The Grim Reality
Béla offered his two cents on the matter. It seemed the legendary coach was still unhappy with how things worked in Romania. While it was no longer a dictatorship, Romania still strived to reclaim its honour.
The secret police were still very much present, and enemies of the state would simply disappear overnight. This was a major blow for the Romanian people and Romania as a country. Thousands of kids ended up suffering at the hands of cruel coaches. This is just one of the reasons why Béla and Nadia refused to come home even after all of these years.
Nadia’s First Child
A decade after their marriage, Nadia and Bart welcomed their first child in 2006 – their son Dylan. He immediately became the centre of Nadia’s world. The little boy enjoys travelling around the world with his parents and doesn’t seem to mind all the attention his mother is getting, and while he enjoys gymnastics, he’s in no rush to follow in his parents’ footsteps.
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“He likes gymnastics,” Nadia said of Dylan. “He comes into the gym and just plays, or asks his dad to teach him a particular skill, but mostly he wants to do his own thing. His soccer team just won a championship last week. So he has his medal, and he’s happy with that. I think he wants to stay away from doing organized gymnastics the way we did. And that’s just fine.”
Business Success
It seems that Nadia and her husband, Bart, not only share a common love for gymnastics but are also successful business partners. In addition to opening up several gymnastic schools across the United States, they also began selling gymnastics equipment.
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They invested heavily in their company, and it produces quality merchandise sought after by professional athletes. Bart and Nadia use their fame in the gymnastics world to promote everything their company makes, from crash pads to grip tapes and bars.
Hollywood Life
Nadia is also making an impact in Hollywood. In addition to Katie Holmes, she also made friends with the one and only, Arnold Schwarzenegger. As luck would have it, Arnold was training at her gym one day. The famous actor and former governor was actually the one who approached Nadia and shared his admiration for her enormously successful career.
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He asked her to be his personal trainer for the day, and naturally, Nadia accepted. Later on, he shared this photo on his social media and had nothing but praise for the Romanian athlete. “It is fantastic to get to the gym early and have an Olympic champion as your trainer – thanks, Nadia Comaneci! 10 reps to honour the first perfect 10 scores in the Olympics,” he wrote.
Promoting Young Talents
Nadia is the creator of Perfect 10 Productions, a company dedicated to helping young gymnasts around the world. She knows how hard it is to be noticed in today’s world and what type of training these young athletes go through.
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Her company is in charge of covering all the big gymnastics events in the world, and she works closely with sports TV channels such as ESPN and Fox. She is making sure that young athletes across the globe receive the spotlight they deserve.
Bask In The Glory
Nadia’s net worth is estimated at around $10 million. And it is definitely hard-earned money. She toured the United States back in 1980 and received only $1,000 for it. After her own country tried to control her life, she escaped to America, where she was left without a penny.
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This fortune was earned together with Bart through years of hard work and dedication in promoting their schools, equipment, and companies. She became famous at a very young age but never could fully enjoy her fame and fortune. Now it is time to bask in her glory and finally live the life she deserves.
The Secret To Success
When the media and other athletes discuss the secret of Nadia’s success, they always talk about her talent. But Nadia always disagrees. She insists it was her mentality that helped her reach the accomplishments she had. She hated to lose, and every time she did something wrong, she was determined to never to let it happen again.
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This is what motivated her to push forward and always strive for perfection. Still, it required some talent to win several perfect scores during her performance in the Montreal Olympics.
The Unbeatable
When Nadia achieved a perfect 10 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, she broke a record. No one after Nadia was able to even come close to it. Even after all these years, people still expect someone to show up and beat her perfect score.
But it may be impossible due to changes made to regulations and to the way athletes’ routines are graded. Nadia’s perfect and historic score may as well remain untouched. Still, other impressive gymnasts might break their own records and pave their own path.
Unmatched Gymnastic Routine
A gymnast’s routine is made up of elements. Nadia was so good at what she did, she invented and implemented several new elements in the gymnastics world. She was so unique that even to this day, coaches study videos of her performances to capture the mastery of her moves.
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Nadia’s influence in gymnastics seems to be unrivalled and unmatched. If sports are shaped by their participants, then Nadia may as well have invented a whole new sport. That is the scope of her impact on gymnastics.
Healthy Lifestyle
Being a professional athlete means that you have to give up on many things, including certain foods and drinks. Many people think athletes can’t wait to finish their careers just so they can enjoy these everyday vices.
It may be true for some people, but in Nadia’s case, her athletic career was a way of life. Decades after retiring from gymnastics, she still doesn’t eat junk food and is extremely mindful of her daily calorie intake, keeping healthy and fit.
Regular Workout
Nadia isn’t only mindful of what she eats, she also exercises regularly. At the age of 56, she is still in good shape and form. Of course, she doesn’t work out all day long like she used to, but she does a high-intensity 30-minute exercise every day.
It is impressive, and she is definitely in better shape than most people her age. She said exercise is a huge part of her life, and not only does it keep her healthy but also helps her keep her mind sharp as well.
A Taste Of Homeland
Nadia once mentioned that she hasn’t eaten French fries in about 25 years. So people often wonder what does this former professional athlete does eat. Apparently, her favourite dish originates from her home country of Romania.
It is called Salata de Vinete – a super healthy mixture of roasted eggplants and onions with different spices on top. It is a classic Romanian dish that everyone in her household enjoys. It is not only healthy but also gives Nadia a taste of her homeland.
Montreal Spokesperson
In 2017, Nadia was invited to be a spokesperson of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held in Montreal. This was a symbolic gesture that the legendary athlete accepted without hesitation. It was interesting to see her go back to where she made history 41 years ago.
It was where she broke all the records, scored a perfect 10 and established herself as one of the biggest names in the world of athletics. Nadia continues to use her voice for good and keeps inspiring people across the globe.