(1961-)

Who Is Nadia Comaneci?

Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first woman to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event at the 1976 Olympic Games, at age 14. Her performance at the 1976 Olympics redefined both her sport and audiences' expectations of female athletes. At the 1980 Olympics, Comaneci won gold medals for the balance beam and floor exercise. She retired from competition in 1984 and defected to the United States in 1989.

Early Life and Career

Nadia Elena Comaneci was born on November 12, 1961, in Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Romania, in the Carpathian Mountains, to parents Stefania-Alexandrina and Gheorghe, an auto mechanic. Comaneci was discovered at the age of 6 by gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi (later to become the Romanian national coach). She won the Romanian National Junior Championships, and, as a senior, won the European Championships in 1975 and the American Cup in 1976.

1976 Olympic Games

Comaneci thrilled the world at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, where, at the age of 14, she became the first woman to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event. She received seven perfect scores and won three gold medals—for the uneven bars, balance beam and individual all-around—and a bronze medal for her floor exercise. As part of the second-place Romanian national team, she won silver. Comaneci's performance at the 1976 Olympics redefined both her sport and audiences' expectations of female athletes.

1980 Olympics and Later Years

At the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia, Comaneci won two gold, for the balance beam and floor exercise (in which she tied with Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim); and two silver medals, for the team competition and individual all-around. (After coaching the Romanian national team through two Olympiads, Bela Karolyi defected to the United States in 1981. He later led the nation's gymnastic program to its first World Championships.)

"The — I don’t want to say older, but the more experienced I get, I treasure and I honor what I’ve done much more. You know what I mean? It becomes much more important, and I appreciate it because I understand from a different view what it takes to do that." - Nadia Comaneci, USA Today, 2016

Comaneci retired from competition in 1984 and worked as a coach for the Romanian team before defecting to the United States via Hungary in 1989. After appearing in a series of provocative underwear advertisements, she married American gymnast Bart Conner in 1996 and moved to Norman, Oklahoma.

In 1999, Comaneci received a World Sports Award of the Century after being elected "Athlete of the Century" during a gala in Vienna, Austria.

Comaneci currently does television commentary, writes for gymnastic publications and travels the world promoting the sport.

QUICK FACTS

  • Name: Nadia Elena Comaneci
  • Birth Year: 1961
  • Birth date: November 12, 1961
  • Birth City: Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
  • Birth Country: Romania
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Nadia Comaneci is a Romanian gymnast who became the first woman to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event in 1976, at age 14.
  • Industries
    • Sports
  • Astrological Sign: Scorpio
  • Nacionalities
    • Romanian
  • Interesting Facts
    • Nadia Comaneci is the first woman to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event.
    • The scoreboards at the 1976 Olympics were not designed to display a 10, thus Nadia Comaneci's score read as "1.0."
    • Nadia Comaneci weighed only 86 pounds at the time of the 1976 Olympics.
    • For her floor exercises, Nadia Comaneci used the theme from the soap opera The Young and the Restless.
    • In 1976, Nadia Comaneci owned more than 200 dolls, and traveled with an Eskimo doll for good luck.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us!

CITATION INFORMATION

  • Article Title: Nadia Comaneci Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/athlete/nadia-comaneci
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: June 22, 2020
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

QUOTES

  • Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win.
  • The — I don’t want to say older, but the more experienced I get, I treasure and I honor what I’ve done much more. You know what I mean? It becomes much more important, and I appreciate it because I understand from a different view what it takes to do that.
  • Love what you do, be passionate, enjoy every day, learn from the journey, and just congratulate yourself that you play sports, because that's important.