NADIA COMANECI
Name: Nadia Comaneci
Born: 12 November 1961
Nadia Elena Comaneci (born November 12, 1961)
is a Romanian gymnast, winner of five Olympic gold medals, and the first gymnast
to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is one of
the best-known gymnasts in the world and, along with Olga Korbut, is credited
with popularizing the sport around the world.
Comaneci was born in OneÅti, Romania, as the daughter of Gheorghe and Åtefania-Alexandrina.
Her pregnant mother was watching a Russian film in which the heroine of the
story's name was Nadya, the shortened version of the Russian name Nadyezhda (which
means, literally, "Hope"). She decided that her daughter would be named Nadia,
too. Comaneci also has a younger brother named Adrian.
Comaneci began gymnastics in kindergarten with a local team called "Flame," with
coaches Duncan and Munteanu. At age 6 she was chosen to attend BÃla
KÃrolyi's experimental gymnastics school after he spotted her and a friend
turning cartwheels in a schoolyard.
Comaneci was training with the Károlyis by the time she was 7 years old, in 1969.
She was one of the first students at the gymnastics school established in Onesti
by BÃla and his wife, Marta, who would later defect to the United States and
become coaches of many prominent American gymnasts. Unlike many of the other
students at the KÃrolyi school, Comaneci was able to commute from home for many
years because she lived in the area.
Comaneci placed 13th in her first Romanian National Championships in 1969. A
year later, in 1970, she began competing as a member of her hometown team and
became the youngest gymnast ever to win the Romanian Nationals. In 1971, she
participated in her first international competition, a dual junior meet between
Romania and Yugoslavia, winning her first all-around title and contributing to
the team gold. For the next few years, she competed as a junior in numerous
national contests in Romania and additional dual meets with nearby countries
such as Hungary, Italy and Poland. At the age of 11, in 1973, she won the
all-around gold, as well as the vault and uneven bars titles, at the Junior
Friendship Tournament (Druzhba), an important meet for junior gymnasts.
Comaneci's first major international success came at the age of 13, when she
nearly swept the 1975 European Championships in Skien, Norway, winning the all-around
and gold medals on every event but the floor exercise, in which she placed
second. She continued to enjoy success in other meets in 1975, winning the all-around
at the "Champions All" competition and placing first in the all-around, vault,
beam, and bars at the Romanian National Championships. In the Pre-Olympic test
event in Montréal, Comaneci won the all-around and the balance beam golds, as
well as silvers in the vault, floor, and bars behind accomplished Soviet gymnast
Nellie Kim, who would prove to be one of her greatest rivals over the next five
years.
In March 1976, Comaneci competed in the inaugural edition of the American Cup at
Madison Square Garden in New York. She received unprecedented scores of 10.0,
which signified a perfect routine without any deductions, on vault in both the
preliminary and final rounds of competition and won the all-around. Comaneci
also received 10s in other meets in 1976, including the prestigious Chunichi Cup
competition in Japan, where she posted perfect marks on the vault and uneven
bars.
The international community took note of Comaneci: she was named the United
Press International's "Female Athlete of the Year" for 1975.
At the age of 14, Comaneci became one of the stars of the 1976 Olympic Games in
Montreal. During the team portion of the competition, her routine on the uneven
bars was scored at a 10.0. It was the first time in modern Olympic gymnastics
history that the score had ever been awarded. The scoreboards were not even
equipped to display scores of 10.0—so Nadia's perfect marks were reported on the
boards as 1.00 instead.[18] Over the course of the Olympics, Comaneci would earn
six additional 10s, en route to capturing the all-around, beam and bars titles
and a bronze medal on the floor exercise. The Romanian team also placed second
in the team competition.
Comaneci was the first Romanian gymnast to win the all-around title at the
Olympics. She also holds the record as the youngest Olympic gymnastics all-around
champion ever; with the revised age-eligibility requirements in the sport (gymnasts
must now turn 16 in the calendar year to compete in the Olympics; in 1976
gymnasts had to be 14 by the first day of the competition), this record is
currently unable to be broken.
Comaneci's achievements at the Olympics generated a significant amount of media
attention. The theme song from the American soap opera The Young and the
Restless became associated with her after the television program ABC's Wide
World Of Sports used it as background music for montages of her routines. The
song became a top ten single in the fall of 1976, and the composer, Barry De
Vorzon, renamed it to "Nadia's Theme" after her. However, Comaneci never
actually performed to "Nadia's Theme." Her floor exercise music was a medley of
the songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line" arranged for piano.
She was the 1976 BBC Sports Personality of the Year in the overseas athletes
category and the Associated Press's 1976 "Female Athlete of the Year".
She also retained her title as the UPI Female Athlete of the Year. Back home
in Romania, Comaneci's success led her to be named a "Hero of Socialist Labor,"
she was the youngest Romanian to receive such recognition during the reign of
Nicolae CeauÅescu.
Name: Nadia Comaneci
Born: 12 November 1961
Nadia Elena Comaneci (born November 12, 1961)
is a Romanian gymnast, winner of five Olympic gold medals, and the first gymnast
to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is one of
the best-known gymnasts in the world and, along with Olga Korbut, is credited
with popularizing the sport around the world.
Comaneci was born in OneÅti, Romania, as the daughter of Gheorghe and Åtefania-Alexandrina.
Her pregnant mother was watching a Russian film in which the heroine of the
story's name was Nadya, the shortened version of the Russian name Nadyezhda (which
means, literally, "Hope"). She decided that her daughter would be named Nadia,
too. Comaneci also has a younger brother named Adrian.
Comaneci began gymnastics in kindergarten with a local team called "Flame," with
coaches Duncan and Munteanu. At age 6 she was chosen to attend BÃla
KÃrolyi's experimental gymnastics school after he spotted her and a friend
turning cartwheels in a schoolyard.
Comaneci was training with the Károlyis by the time she was 7 years old, in 1969.
She was one of the first students at the gymnastics school established in Onesti
by BÃla and his wife, Marta, who would later defect to the United States and
become coaches of many prominent American gymnasts. Unlike many of the other
students at the KÃrolyi school, Comaneci was able to commute from home for many
years because she lived in the area.
Comaneci placed 13th in her first Romanian National Championships in 1969. A
year later, in 1970, she began competing as a member of her hometown team and
became the youngest gymnast ever to win the Romanian Nationals. In 1971, she
participated in her first international competition, a dual junior meet between
Romania and Yugoslavia, winning her first all-around title and contributing to
the team gold. For the next few years, she competed as a junior in numerous
national contests in Romania and additional dual meets with nearby countries
such as Hungary, Italy and Poland. At the age of 11, in 1973, she won the
all-around gold, as well as the vault and uneven bars titles, at the Junior
Friendship Tournament (Druzhba), an important meet for junior gymnasts.
Comaneci's first major international success came at the age of 13, when she
nearly swept the 1975 European Championships in Skien, Norway, winning the all-around
and gold medals on every event but the floor exercise, in which she placed
second. She continued to enjoy success in other meets in 1975, winning the all-around
at the "Champions All" competition and placing first in the all-around, vault,
beam, and bars at the Romanian National Championships. In the Pre-Olympic test
event in Montréal, Comaneci won the all-around and the balance beam golds, as
well as silvers in the vault, floor, and bars behind accomplished Soviet gymnast
Nellie Kim, who would prove to be one of her greatest rivals over the next five
years.
In March 1976, Comaneci competed in the inaugural edition of the American Cup at
Madison Square Garden in New York. She received unprecedented scores of 10.0,
which signified a perfect routine without any deductions, on vault in both the
preliminary and final rounds of competition and won the all-around. Comaneci
also received 10s in other meets in 1976, including the prestigious Chunichi Cup
competition in Japan, where she posted perfect marks on the vault and uneven
bars.
The international community took note of Comaneci: she was named the United
Press International's "Female Athlete of the Year" for 1975.
At the age of 14, Comaneci became one of the stars of the 1976 Olympic Games in
Montreal. During the team portion of the competition, her routine on the uneven
bars was scored at a 10.0. It was the first time in modern Olympic gymnastics
history that the score had ever been awarded. The scoreboards were not even
equipped to display scores of 10.0—so Nadia's perfect marks were reported on the
boards as 1.00 instead.[18] Over the course of the Olympics, Comaneci would earn
six additional 10s, en route to capturing the all-around, beam and bars titles
and a bronze medal on the floor exercise. The Romanian team also placed second
in the team competition.
Comaneci was the first Romanian gymnast to win the all-around title at the
Olympics. She also holds the record as the youngest Olympic gymnastics all-around
champion ever; with the revised age-eligibility requirements in the sport (gymnasts
must now turn 16 in the calendar year to compete in the Olympics; in 1976
gymnasts had to be 14 by the first day of the competition), this record is
currently unable to be broken.
Comaneci's achievements at the Olympics generated a significant amount of media
attention. The theme song from the American soap opera The Young and the
Restless became associated with her after the television program ABC's Wide
World Of Sports used it as background music for montages of her routines. The
song became a top ten single in the fall of 1976, and the composer, Barry De
Vorzon, renamed it to "Nadia's Theme" after her. However, Comaneci never
actually performed to "Nadia's Theme." Her floor exercise music was a medley of
the songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line" arranged for piano.
She was the 1976 BBC Sports Personality of the Year in the overseas athletes
category and the Associated Press's 1976 "Female Athlete of the Year".
She also retained her title as the UPI Female Athlete of the Year. Back home
in Romania, Comaneci's success led her to be named a "Hero of Socialist Labor,"
she was the youngest Romanian to receive such recognition during the reign of
Nicolae CeauÅescu.