Nadia Comăneci - Wikipedia Jump to content Main menu Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Special pages Search Search Appearance Donate Create account Log in Personal tools Donate Create account Log in Contents move to sidebar hide (Top) 1 Early life 2 Gymnastics career Toggle Gymnastics career subsection 2.1 Early gymnastics career 2.2 1976 2.2.1 American Cup 2.2.2 1976 Summer Olympics 2.2.2.1 "Nadia's Theme" 2.3 1977–1979 2.4 1980–1984 2.4.1 1980 Summer Olympics 2.4.2 "Nadia '81" 2.4.3 1984 Summer Olympics 2.4.4 Retirement 3 Personal life 4 Leadership roles 5 Honors and awards 6 Skills 7 Competitive history 8 Book and films 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References Toggle References subsection 11.1 Citations 11.2 Cited sources 12 Further reading 13 External links Toggle the table of contents Nadia Comăneci 79 languages Afrikaans العربية مصرى Asturianu Bikol Central Беларуская (тарашкевіца) Беларуская Български বাংলা Català Нохчийн Čeština Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Esperanto Español Eesti Euskara فارسی Suomi Français Frysk Gaeilge Galego עברית Hrvatski Magyar Հայերեն Interlingua Bahasa Indonesia Ido Italiano 日本語 ქართული Tyap Қазақша 한국어 Kernowek Latina Lietuvių Latviešu Malagasy Македонски മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu Napulitano Nederlands Norsk nynorsk Norsk bokmål ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Runa Simi Română Русский Sicilianu Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Shqip Српски / srpski Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Tagalog Türkçe Татарча / tatarça Українська اردو Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Tiếng Việt Winaray 吴语 粵語 中文 Edit links Article Talk English Read Edit View history Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions Read Edit View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Switch to legacy parser Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Romanian gymnast (born 1961) "},"spouse":{"wt":"{{marriage|[[Bart Conner]]|1996}}"},"height":{"wt":"{{height|ft=5|in=3+1/2}}<ref name=sr{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/nadia-comaneci-1.html |title=Nadia Comăneci |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203201255/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/nadia-comaneci-1.html |archive-date=December 3, 2016}}</ref"},"discipline":{"wt":"WAG"},"natlteam":{"wt":"1970–1984"},"gym":{"wt":"National Training Center"},"collegeteam":{"wt":"Politehnica University of Bucharest"},"headcoach":{"wt":""},"assistcoach":{"wt":""},"formercoach":{"wt":"[[Béla Károlyi]]<br /[[Márta Károlyi]]"},"choreographer":{"wt":"Géza Pozsár"},"music":{"wt":""},"eponymousskills":{"wt":"[[Comăneci salto]] (uneven bars)"},"retired":{"wt":"May 7, 1984 (official)"},"show-medals":{"wt":"no"},"medaltemplates":{"wt":"{{MedalCountry | {{flag|Socialist Republic of Romania}} }}\n{{MedalSport | Women's [[artistic gymnastics]]}}\n{{MedalCount\n| [[Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] | 5|3|1\n| [[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]] | 2|2|0\n| [[FIG World Cup|World Cup Final]] | 2|1|0\n| [[European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|European Championships]] | 9|2|1\n| [[FISU World University Games|Summer Universiade]] | 5|0|0\n| total=yes\n}}\n{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}\n[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|60px]]\n{{MedalGold|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montréal]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic individual all-around|All-Around]]}}\n{{MedalGold|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montréal]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's uneven bars|Uneven Bars]]}}\n{{MedalGold|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montréal]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's balance beam|Balance Beam]]}}\n{{MedalGold|[[Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Moscow]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Women's balance beam|Balance Beam]]}}\n{{MedalGold|[[Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Moscow]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Women's floor|Floor Exercise]]}}\n{{MedalSilver|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montréal]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around|Team]]}}\n{{MedalSilver|[[Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Moscow]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around|Team]]}}\n{{MedalSilver|[[Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Moscow]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic individual all-around|All-Around]]}}\n{{MedalBronze|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montréal]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Women's floor|Floor Exercise]]}}\n{{MedalCompetition|[[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1978 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1978 Strasbourg]]|Balance Beam}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1979 Ft. Worth]]|Team}}\n{{MedalSilver|[[1978 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1978 Strasbourg]]|Team}}\n{{MedalSilver|[[1978 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1978 Strasbourg]]|Vault}}\n{{MedalCompetition|[[FIG World Cup Final|World Cup Final]]}}\n{{MedalGold|[[List of medalists at the FIG World Cup Final#Artistic gymnastics|1979 Tokyo]]|Vault}}\n{{MedalGold|[[List of medalists at the FIG World Cup Final#Artistic gymnastics|1979 Tokyo]]|Floor Exercise}}\n{{MedalSilver|[[List of medalists at the FIG World Cup Final#Artistic gymnastics|1979 Tokyo]]| Balance Beam}}\n{{MedalCompetition|[[European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|European Championships]]}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1975 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1975 Skien]]|All-Around}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1975 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1975 Skien]]|Uneven Bars}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1975 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1975 Skien]]|Balance Beam}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1975 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1975 Skien]]|Vault}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1977 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1977 Prague]]|All-Around}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1977 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1977 Prague]]|Uneven Bars}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1979 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1979 Copenhagen]]|All-Around}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1979 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1979 Copenhagen]]|Vault}}\n{{MedalGold|[[1979 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1979 Copenhagen]]|Floor Exercise}}\n{{MedalSilver|[[1975 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1975 Skien]]|Floor Exercise}}\n{{MedalSilver|[[1977 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1977 Prague]]|Vault}}\n{{MedalBronze|[[1979 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1979 Copenhagen]]|Balance Beam}}\n{{MedalCompetition|[[Universiade|Summer Universiade]]}}\n{{MedalGold|[[Gymnastics at the 1981 Summer Universiade|1981 Bucharest]]|Team}}\n{{MedalGold | [[Gymnastics at the 1981 Summer Universiade|1981 Bucharest]]|All-Around}}\n{{MedalGold | [[Gymnastics at the 1981 Summer Universiade|1981 Bucharest]]|Uneven Bars}}\n{{MedalGold | [[Gymnastics at the 1981 Summer Universiade|1981 Bucharest]]|Vault}}\n{{MedalGold | [[Gymnastics at the 1981 Summer Universiade|1981 Bucharest]]|Floor Exercise}}"}},"i":0}}]}' Nadia Comăneci Comăneci in 2026Personal informationFull nameNadia Elena ComăneciNicknameNanaBorn (1961-11-12) November 12, 1961 (age 64) Onești, Romanian People's Republic[1]Height 5 ft 3+1⁄2 in (1.61 m)[1]Spouse Bart Conner ​(married</span"}]]}'m. 1996)​Gymnastics careerDisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics Country represented Romania (1970–1984) College teamPolitehnica University of BucharestGymNational Training Center Former coach(es)Béla Károlyi Márta KárolyiChoreographerGéza PozsárEponymous skillsComăneci salto (uneven bars)RetiredMay 7, 1984 (official) Medal record Representing Socialist Republic of 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 Total 23 8 2 Olympic Games 1976 MontréalAll-Around 1976 MontréalUneven Bars 1976 MontréalBalance Beam 1980 MoscowBalance Beam 1980 MoscowFloor Exercise 1976 MontréalTeam 1980 MoscowTeam 1980 MoscowAll-Around 1976 MontréalFloor Exercise World Championships 1978 StrasbourgBalance Beam 1979 Ft. WorthTeam 1978 StrasbourgTeam 1978 StrasbourgVault World Cup Final 1979 TokyoVault 1979 TokyoFloor Exercise 1979 TokyoBalance Beam European Championships 1975 SkienAll-Around 1975 SkienUneven Bars 1975 SkienBalance Beam 1975 SkienVault 1977 PragueAll-Around 1977 PragueUneven Bars 1979 CopenhagenAll-Around 1979 CopenhagenVault 1979 CopenhagenFloor Exercise 1975 SkienFloor Exercise 1977 PragueVault 1979 CopenhagenBalance Beam Summer Universiade 1981 BucharestTeam 1981 BucharestAll-Around 1981 BucharestUneven Bars 1981 BucharestVault 1981 BucharestFloor Exercise Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner{{cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/comaneci |title=Comaneci |work=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |access-date=July 27, 2021}}</ref<ref{{cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/pronunciation/english/comaneci|title=English pronunciation of Comaneci|work=[[Dictionary.com]]}}</ref {{IPAc-ro|lang|audio=Ro-Nadia Comăneci.ogg|'|n|a|d|i|.|a|_|c|o|m|ă|'|n|e|ci}}."}},"i":0}}]}'[a] (née Comăneci; born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian retired gymnast. She is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976, at age 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games.[4] At the same Games (1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal), she earned six more perfect 10s for events en route to winning three gold medals. At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Comăneci won two more gold medals and achieved two more perfect 10s. During her career, Comăneci won nine Olympic medals and four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals. One of the world's best-known gymnasts, Comăneci was praised for her artistry and grace,[5] which brought unprecedented global popularity to the sport in the mid-1970s.[5][6][7] Called "the most iconic gymnast of the 20th century" by El País,[8] Comăneci was named one of the Athletes of the 20th century by the Laureus World Sports Academy.[9] In 2024, the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) voted her as the best female gymnast of the past 100 years and the second best female athlete of all sports.[10][11] Comăneci has lived in the United States since 1989, when she defected from then-Communist Romania, before its revolution in December that year. Comăneci later worked with and married American Olympic gold-medal gymnast Bart Conner, their wedding held in Bucharest after the fall of the Communist regime and televised live in Romania. Early life[edit] Onești (Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej between 1965 and 1989), the town where Comăneci was born Nadia Elena Comăneci was born on November 12, 1961, in Onești, a small town in the Carpathian Mountains, in Bacău County, Romania, in the historical region of Western Moldavia.[12] She was born to Gheorghe (1936–2012) and Ștefania Comăneci, and has a younger brother named Adrian.[13] Her parents separated in the 1970s and her father later moved to Bucharest, the capital.[14] Nadia and Adrian were raised in the Romanian Orthodox Church.[15] In a 2011 interview, her mother said that she enrolled Comăneci into gymnastics classes because she was so full of energy and active as a child that she was difficult to manage.[16] After years of top-level athletic competition, Comăneci graduated from Politehnica University of Bucharest with a degree in sports education, which qualified her to coach gymnastics.[17] Gymnastics career[edit] Early gymnastics career[edit] Comăneci during the European Championships in Skien, Norway, in 1975 Nadia began gymnastics in kindergarten with a local team called Flacără ("The Flame"), with coaches Duncan and Munteanu.[18][19][20] At age six, she was chosen to attend Béla Károlyi's experimental gymnastics school, after Károlyi spotted her and a friend turning cartwheels in a schoolyard.[18][21] Károlyi was looking for gymnasts that he could train from a young age. When recess ended, the girls quickly went inside and Károlyi went around the classrooms trying to find them; he eventually spotted Comăneci. The other girl, Viorica Dumitru, developed in a different direction and became one of Romania's top ballerinas.[22] By 1968, when she was seven, Comăneci started training with Károlyi. She was one of the first students at the gymnastics school established in Onești by Károlyi and his wife, Márta. As a resident of the town, Comăneci was able to live at home for many years; most of the other students boarded at the school.[23] In 1970, Comăneci began competing as a member of her home town team, and at age nine, became the youngest gymnast ever to win the Romanian Nationals. The following year, 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, Comăneci competed as a junior in numerous national contests in Romania and dual meets with countries such as Hungary, Italy, and Poland.[24] At age 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 international meet for junior gymnasts.[24][25] Comăneci's first major international success came at age 13, when she nearly swept the board at the 1975 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Skien, Norway. Comăneci won the all-around and gold medals in every event but the floor exercise, finishing in second place. She continued to enjoy success that year, winning the all-around at the 'Champions All' competition and coming first in the all-around, vault, beam, and bars at the Romanian National Championships. In the pre-Olympic test event in Montreal, Comăneci won the all-around and the balance beam golds as well as silvers in the vault, floor and bars. Accomplished Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim won the golds in those events and was one of Comăneci's greatest rivals for the next five years.[24] Monument dedicated to the Onești gymnastics school champions including Comăneci 1976[edit] American Cup[edit] In March 1976, Comăneci competed in the inaugural edition of the American Cup at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. She received rare scores of 10, which signified a perfect routine without any deductions, for her vault in the preliminary stage and for her floor exercise routine in the final of the all-around competition, which she won.[26] During this competition, Comăneci met American gymnast Bart Conner for the first time. While he remembered this meeting, Comăneci noted in her memoirs that she had to be reminded of it later in life. She was 14 and Conner was celebrating his 18th birthday.[27] They both won a silver cup and were photographed together. A few months later, they participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics that Comăneci dominated, while Conner was a marginal figure. Conner later said, "Nobody knew me, and [Comăneci] certainly didn't pay attention to me."[28] 1976 Summer Olympics[edit] Comăneci on the balance beam at the 1976 Olympics On July 18, 1976, Comăneci made history at the Montreal Olympics. During the team compulsory portion of the competition, she was awarded the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics for her routine on the uneven bars.[29][30] Omega SA, the official Olympics scoreboard manufacturer, had been led to believe that competitors could not receive a perfect 10, and had not programmed the scoreboard to display this score.[31] Comăneci's perfect 10 thus appeared as "1.00", the only means by which the judges could indicate that she had received a 10.[30][32] "}},"i":0}}]}' At Montreal [Comăneci] received four of her seven 10s on the uneven bars. The apparatus demands such a spectacular burst of energy in such a short time—only 23 seconds—that it attracts the most fanfare. But it is on the beam that her work seems more representative of her considerable skill. She scored three of her seven 10s on the beam. Her hands speak there as much as her body. Her pace magnifies her balance. Her command and distance hush the crowd. — Sports Illustrated, 1976[18] Comăneci at the 1976 Olympics During the remainder of the Montreal Games, Comăneci earned six additional "10s". She won gold medals for the individual all-around, the balance beam and uneven bars. Comăneci also won a bronze for the floor exercise and a silver as part of the team all-around.[33] Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim was her main rival during the Montreal Olympics; Kim became the second gymnast to receive a perfect 10, in her case for her performance on the vault.[34] Comăneci took over the media spotlight from gymnast Olga Korbut, who had been the darling of the 1972 Munich Games.[35] Comăneci was the first Romanian gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title. She also holds the record as the youngest ever Olympic gymnastics all-around champion at age 14. The sport has since raised its age-eligibility requirements so that gymnasts must be at least 16 in the same calendar year of the Olympics in order to compete. When Comăneci competed in 1976, gymnasts had only to be 14 by the first day of the competition.[36] Unless the age of eligibility is lowered, her record cannot be broken. Comăneci was ranked as the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year for 1976[37] and the Associated Press' 1976 "Female Athlete of the Year".[38] Back home in Romania, she was awarded the Sickle and Hammer Gold Medal for her success,[39] and Comăneci was named a Hero of Socialist Labor. She was the youngest Romanian to receive such recognition during the administration of Nicolae Ceaușescu.[19] "Nadia's Theme"[edit] "Nadia's Theme" refers to an instrumental piece that became linked to Comăneci shortly after the 1976 Olympics. It was part of the musical score of the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children and originally titled "Cotton's Dream". It was also used as the title theme music for the American soap opera The Young and the Restless. Robert Riger used it in association with slow-motion montages of Comăneci on the television program ABC's Wide World of Sports. The song became a top-10 single in the fall of 1976, and composers Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin Jr. renamed it as "Nadia's Theme" in Comăneci's honor.[40] Comăneci never performed to "Nadia's Theme", however. Her floor exercise music was a medley of the songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line", arranged for piano.[18] 1977–1979[edit] Comăneci successfully defended her European all-around title at the championship competition in 1977. When questions were raised at the competition about the scoring, Ceaușescu ordered the Romanian gymnasts to return home. The team followed orders amid controversy and walked out of the competition during the event finals.[19][41] Following the 1977 Europeans, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation removed Comăneci from her longtime coaches, the Károlyis, and sent her to Bucharest on August 23 to train at the sports complex. Comăneci did not find this change positive and was struggling with bodily changes as she grew older. Her gymnastics skills suffered, and Comăneci was unhappy to the point of losing the desire to live.[19][42] Comăneci competed in the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg four inches taller and according to Washington Post 22 pounds heavier than she was in the 1976 Olympics.[43] A fall from the uneven bars resulted in a fourth-place finish in the all-around behind Soviets Elena Mukhina, Nellie Kim, and Natalia Shaposhnikova. Comăneci did win the world title on beam, and a silver on vault.[31] After the 1978 "Worlds", Comăneci was permitted to return to Deva and the Károlyis' school.[44] In 1979, Comăneci won her third consecutive European all-around title, becoming the first gymnast, male or female, to achieve this feat. At the World Championships in Fort Worth that December, Comăneci led the field after the compulsory competition. She was hospitalized before the optional portion of the team competition for blood poisoning, which had resulted from a cut in her wrist from her metal grip buckle. Against doctors' orders, she left the hospital and competed on the beam, where she scored a 9.95. Her performance helped give the Romanians their first team gold medal. After her performance, Comăneci spent several days recovering in All Saints Hospital. She had to undergo a minor surgical procedure for the infected hand, which had developed an abscess.[45][46][47] 1980–1984[edit] 1980 Summer Olympics[edit] Comăneci in Moscow in 1980 Comăneci was chosen to participate in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. As a result of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter declared that the United States would boycott the Olympics (several other countries also participated in the boycott, though their reasons varied). According to Comăneci, the Romanian government "touted the 1980 Olympic games as the first all-Communist Games." However, she also noted in her memoir, "in Moscow, we walked into the mouth of a lion's den; it was the Russians' home turf."[48] She had a fall to the mat during the uneven bars event of the team competition and was judged with only 9.50, but later, she was twice awarded a perfect 10, first on the balance beam seconded by another one on uneven bars. She won two gold medals, one for the balance beam and one for the floor exercise (in which she tied with Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim, against whom she had also competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and other events). She also won two silver medals, one for the team all-around and one for individual all-around. Controversies arose concerning the scoring in the all-around and floor exercise competitions.[31][49][50] As of the 2020 Summer Games, she is the only gymnast to defend her Olympic gold medal in the balance beam apparatus. Her coach, Bela Károlyi, protested that she was scored unfairly. His protests were captured on television. According to Comăneci's memoir, the Romanian government was upset about Károlyi's public behavior, feeling that he had humiliated them. Life became very difficult for Károlyi from that point on.[51] "Nadia '81"[edit] Comăneci on the balance beam, 1980 In 1981, the Gymnastics Federation contacted Comăneci and informed her that she would be part of an official tour of the United States named "Nadia '81" and her coaches Béla and Márta Károlyi would lead the group. During this tour, Comăneci's team shared a bus trip with American gymnasts; it was the third time she had encountered Bart Conner. They had earlier met in 1976. She later remembered thinking, "Conner was cute. He bounced around the bus talking to everyone—he was incredibly friendly and fun."[52] The Károlyis defected on the last day of the tour, along with the Romanian team choreographer Géza Pozsár. Prior to defecting, Károlyi hinted a few times to Comăneci that he might attempt to do so and indirectly asked if she wanted to join him. At that time, she had no interest in defecting, and said she wanted to go home to Romania. After the defection of the Károlyis, life changed drastically for Comăneci in Romania, as she could not have predicted. Officials feared that she would also defect. Feeling she was a national asset, they strictly monitored her actions, refusing to allow her to travel outside the country.[53] 1984 Summer Olympics[edit] The government did allow Comăneci to participate in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as part of the Romanian delegation. Although a number of Communist nations boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in a tit-for-tat against the U.S.-led boycott of the Olympics in Moscow four years before, Romania chose to participate. Comăneci later wrote in her memoir that many believed Romania went to the Olympics because an agreement had been made with the United States not to accept defectors. But Comăneci did not participate in the Games as a member of the Romanian team; she served as an observer. She was able to see Károlyi's new protégé, American gymnast Mary Lou Retton, who won five medals, including one gold. The Romanian delegation did not allow her to talk with Károlyi and closely watched her the entire time.[54] Retirement[edit] A 2016 Romanian postage stamp showing Comăneci on the balance beam at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal The Romanian government continued to restrict Comăneci from leaving Romania, aside from a few select trips to Moscow and Cuba. Throughout her career, she had been subjected to round-the-clock surveillance at the hands of the Securitate secret police.[8] She had started thinking about retiring a few years earlier, but her official retirement ceremony took place in Bucharest in 1984. It was attended by the chairman of the International Olympic Committee.[32] Comăneci later wrote in her memoir: Life took on a new bleakness. I was cut off from making the small amount of extra money that had really made a difference in my family's life. It was also insulting that a normal person in Romania had the chance to travel, whereas I could not ... when my gymnastics career was over, there was no longer any need to keep me happy. I was to do as I was instructed, just as I'd done my entire life…. If Béla hadn't defected, I would still have been watched, but his defection brought a spotlight on my life, and it was blinding. I started to feel like a prisoner.[53] Personal life[edit] Comăneci and her husband Bart Conner meeting First Lady Michelle Obama, 2009 On the night of November 27, 1989, a few weeks before the Romanian revolution, Comăneci defected with a group of other Romanians, crossing the Hungary–Romania border around Cenad. They were guided by Constantin Panait, a Romanian who later became an American citizen after defecting. Their journey was mostly on foot and at night. They traveled through Hungary and Austria, and then a plane to the United States.[19][33][55][56] She was settled briefly in South Florida, then in Los Angeles and later lived in Montreal, Canada for nearly two years.[57][58] Comăneci moved to Oklahoma in 1991 to help her friend Bart Conner, another Olympic gold medalist, with his gymnastics school. She lived with the family of Paul Ziert and eventually hired him as her manager.[59] Comăneci and Conner were together for four years before they became engaged, marrying in 1996.[60][61] She returned to Romania for their wedding, which was held in Bucharest. This was after the fall of the Communist regime and the establishment of a democratic Romania; the government welcomed her as a national hero. The wedding was televised live in Romania, and the couple's reception was held in the former presidential palace.[33][62] Comăneci became a naturalized US citizen in 2001 while retaining her Romanian citizenship.[63] In 2006, the couple's son was born.[64][65] On May 18, 1997, Comăneci and Conner guest-starred on the season 3 finale of Touched by an Angel, titled "A Delicate Balance", where they performed a brief floor exercise within a montage scene.[66] Since 1994, the Nadia Comăneci International Invitational has welcomed gymnasts ranging from USAG level 4 to level 10. The competition also hosted international elite competition in the mid-2010s, with Rebeca Andrade being a notable attendee in 2013 among others.[67][68] She was the featured speaker at the 50th annual Independence Day Naturalization Ceremony on July 4, 2012, at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, the first athlete invited to speak in the history of the ceremony.[69] Leadership roles[edit] Comăneci at the BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy, April 2012 Comăneci is a famous figure in the world of gymnastics; she serves as the honorary president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the honorary president of the Romanian Olympic Committee, the sports ambassador of Romania, and as a member of the International Gymnastics Federation Foundation. She and Conner own the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, the Perfect 10 Production Company, and several sports equipment shops, and are the editors of International Gymnast magazine.[70][71] She is also still involved with the Olympic Games. During the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, one of her perfect-10 Montreal uneven bars routines was featured in a commercial for Adidas.[72] In addition, both Comăneci and her husband Bart Conner provided television commentary for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[73] A few years later, on July 21, 2012, Comăneci, along with former basketball star John Amaechi, carried the Olympic torch to the roof of the O2 Arena as part of the torch relay for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[74] Prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Comăneci appeared in a TIDE advertisement called "The Evolution of Power" with Simone Biles and three-time Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes.[75][76] She also offered daily analysis of the 2016 games (along with other Olympic champions such as Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, and Conner), for the late-night show É Campeão, broadcast on Brazil's SporTV.[77] On July 26, 2024, she participated in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, alongside past Olympians Carl Lewis, Serena Williams, and Rafael Nadal, carrying the Olympic flame in the final stages of the torch relay up the river Seine to the Louvre museum on its way to the lighting of the Olympic cauldron in the Tuileries Garden.[78] In addition, Comăneci is highly involved in fundraising for a number of charities. She personally funded the construction and operation of the Nadia Comăneci Children's Clinic in Bucharest that provides low-cost and free medical and social support to Romanian children.[32] In 2003, the Romanian government appointed her as an honorary consul general of Romania to the United States to deal with bilateral relations between the two nations.[79] In addition, both Comăneci and Conner are involved with the Special Olympics.[80][81] To raise money for charity, Comăneci participated in the celebrity version of Donald Trump's reality show The Apprentice. Comăneci was a member of "The Empresario" team (all women), which lost to "The Hydra" team (all men) in the second episode. Trump responded to this loss by firing Comăneci,[82] Comăneci later commented on her participation in the show, saying she "had great fun. I only did it because it was all for charity."[83] Honors and awards[edit] Comăneci in Montreal. Stamp of Romania, 1976 1975 and 1976: The United Press International Athlete of the Year Award[84] 1976: Hero of Socialist Labour[85] 1976: Associated Press Athlete of the Year[86] 1976: BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year[37] 1984: The Olympic Order (bronze)[32] 1990: International Women's Sports Hall of Fame[87] 1993: International Gymnastics Hall of Fame[88] 1998: Marca Leyenda[89] 1998: Flo Hyman Award[90] 2004: The Olympic Order (silver)[91] 2016: Great Immigrant Honoree: Carnegie Corporation of New York[92] 2017: She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 Women of 2017.[93] 2017: an area in the Olympic Park in Montreal was renamed "Place Nadia Comaneci".[94][95] 2021: Order of the Star of Romania, Grand Officer[96] 2026: Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award[97] 2026: Order of the Star of Romania, Grand Cross Skills[edit] "}},"i":0}}]}' With her trademark verve, graceful delivery and unflickering precision, the 14-year-old from Romania set the bar to which future generations of gymnasts would aspire." — "Lost Art: Powerhouse Physiques Winning Out over Spellbinding Grace", The Herald, 2015[5] Comăneci was known for her clean technique, innovative and difficult original skills, and her stoic, cool demeanor in competition.[18][98][99] On the balance beam, she was the first gymnast to successfully perform an aerial cartwheel-back handspring series. She is also credited as being the first gymnast to perform a double-twist dismount.[18][98] Her skills on the floor exercise included a tucked double back salto and a double twist.[98] Comăneci has two eponymous uneven bars skills listed in the Code of Points, the Comăneci salto and the Comăneci dismount.[100] Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[b] Uneven barsComăneciFront support on high bar – cast with salto forward straddled to hang on high barE (0.5) Uneven barsComăneciUnderswing with ½ turn (180°) to salto backward tucked or pikedC (0.3) Competitive history[edit] Comăneci wearing her medals in 1976 Competitive history of Nadia Comăneci at the junior level Year Event Team event</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"Team"},"2":{"wt":"Team event"}},"i":0}}]}'Team All-around</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"AA"},"2":{"wt":"All-around"}},"i":0}}]}'AA Vault</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"VT"},"2":{"wt":"Vault"}},"i":0}}]}'VT Uneven bars</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"UB"},"2":{"wt":"Uneven bars"}},"i":0}}]}'UB Balance beam</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"BB"},"2":{"wt":"Balance beam"}},"i":0}}]}'BB Floor exercise</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"FX"},"2":{"wt":"Floor exercise"}},"i":0}}]}'FX 1971 Novice Romanian Championships4 Romanian Cup Junior ROM-YUG Dual Meet 1972 Novice Romanian Championships Junior Romanian Championships Romanian Cup BUL-ROM Dual Meet Friendship Tournament46 ROM-GDR Dual Meet ROM-RSFSR Dual Meet ROM-HUN Dual Meet 1973 International Championships of Romania Friendship Tournament ITA-ROM Dual Meet ROM-URS Dual Meet Romanian Team Championships Romanian Schools Championships 1974 Junior Romanian Championships ROM-POL-Denver Tri-Meet Competitive history of Nadia Comăneci at the senior level Year Event Team event</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"Team"},"2":{"wt":"Team event"}},"i":0}}]}'Team All-around</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"AA"},"2":{"wt":"All-around"}},"i":0}}]}'AA Vault</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"VT"},"2":{"wt":"Vault"}},"i":0}}]}'VT Uneven bars</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"UB"},"2":{"wt":"Uneven bars"}},"i":0}}]}'UB Balance beam</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"BB"},"2":{"wt":"Balance beam"}},"i":0}}]}'BB Floor exercise</span"}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"Abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"FX"},"2":{"wt":"Floor exercise"}},"i":0}}]}'FX 1975 Champions All European Championships FRG-ROM Dual Meet Pre-Olympics Romanian Championships ROM-CAN Dual Meet ROM-ITA Dual Meet 1976 American Cup Balkan Championships CAN-ROM Dual Meet Chunichi Cup FRG-ROM Dual Meet GBR-ROM Dual Meet NED-ROM Dual Meet Olympic Games4 Romanian Championships USA-ROM Dual Meet 1977 Balkan Championships ESP-ROM Dual Meet I ESP-ROM Dual Meet II European Championships FRA-ROM Dual Meet International Championships of Romania Orleans International ROM-CAN Dual Meet USA-ROM Dual Meet 1978 ITA-ROM Dual Meet Milan International World Championships58 1979 Balkan Championships Champions All European Championships4 International Championships of Romania World Championships World Cup Final4 1980 International Championships of Romania ITA-ROM Dual Meet Olympic Games5 1981 Daciada Summer Universiade [101] Book and films[edit] Comăneci's 2004 memoir, Letters to a Young Gymnast, is part of the Art of Mentoring series by Basic Books.[102][103] Katie Holmes directed a short 2015 documentary for ESPN about Comăneci entitled Eternal Princess that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.[104][105] In 2016, Arte France produced a Pola Rapaport documentary about Comăneci entitled Nadia Comăneci, la gymnaste et le dictateur ("Nadia Comăneci: The Gymnast and the Dictator").[106] In 1984, Comăneci was the subject of a biopic television film, Nadia.[107] The film was developed without her involvement (although the content was described to her by others). She later stated publicly that the producers never made contact with her: "I sincerely don't even want to see it; I feel so badly about it. It distorts my life so totally."[107] In 2012, Universal Pictures chose Comăneci to dub Granny Norma in Romanian in the animated movie The Lorax.[108] In 2021, Stejărel Olaru published in Romanian a biographical volume, Nadia și Securitatea ("Nadia and the Securitate"), at Epica Publishing House.[109] See also[edit] Biography portal 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 Notes[edit] ↑ UK: /ˌkɒməˈnɛtʃ(i)/ KOM-ə-NETCH(-ee), US: /ˈkoʊməniːtʃ, ˌkoʊməˈniːtʃ/ KOH-mə-neech, -⁠NEECH,[2][3] Romanian: [ˈnadi.a koməˈnetʃʲ] ⓘ. ↑ Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points References[edit] Citations[edit] 1 2 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Nadia Comăneci". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. ↑ "Comaneci". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved July 27, 2021. ↑ "English pronunciation of Comaneci". Dictionary.com. ↑ Nadia Comăneci. 1 2 3 "Lost art: Powerhouse physiques winning out over spellbinding grace". Herald Scotland. Retrieved January 8, 2022. Unlike Nadia Comaneci and Olga Korbut, modern gymnasts such as Simone Biles are rewarded for their athleticism more than their artistry... the spellbinding artistry that not only gave the sport its name, but brought it global fame. ↑ "Head over heels". The Guardian. Retrieved January 8, 2022. In the early to mid-70s, with ambassadors like Korbut and Comaneci, gymnastics was at its popular peak. ↑ "Gymnastics". The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. infoplease.com. 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2007. 1 2 "Everything the Romanian secret police knew about Nadia Comaneci". El Pais. Retrieved May 3, 2024. ↑ "Nadia Comăneci". CNN. July 7, 2008. ↑ "Serena Williams and Muhammad Ali crowned AIPS Best Champions of the Century: As voted by 913 journalists". AIPS. Retrieved November 6, 2024. ↑ "AIPS公布世纪最佳男女运动员 威廉姆斯和阿里当选 羽生结弦第六位" [AIPS announces the best male and female athletes of the century: Williams and Ali are elected, and Yuzuru Hanyu is sixth]. Sohu (in Chinese). Archived from the original on April 26, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025. ↑ Lafon, Lola. "The Little Communist Who Never Smiled". Serpent's Tail/Profile Books. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2016. ↑ "Olympic Champion Nadia Comaneci". www.gymn-forum.net. ↑ "Nadia Comăneci despre moartea tatălui său: "Este un moment deosebit de greu"". January 12, 2012. ↑ Comăneci, p. 5. ↑ "Ştefania Comăneci, mama Nadiei: "Sunt mândră de ea!" | Alte sporturi, Sport". Libertatea. November 11, 2011. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 94 and 121. 1 2 3 4 5 6 ""Nadia Awed Ya"". Sports Illustrated. August 2, 1976. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023. 1 2 3 4 5 Fisher, Barbara; Isbister, Jennifer (November 15, 2003). "Nadia Comaneci, a living legend..." Gymnastics Greats. Gymn.ca. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) ↑ Comăneci ↑ Comăneci, pp. 17–19. ↑ Salen, Erika (September 26, 2024). "Made In Romania - Nadia Comăneci- Romania's National Treasure". heraldweekly.com. Retrieved February 21, 2025. ↑ "The unbelievable story of Nadia Comăneci". themorning.lk. May 15, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2025. 1 2 3 "List of competitive results". Gymn-Forum. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 27–28. ↑ "Gymnast Posts Perfect Mark" Robin Herman, New York Times, March 28, 1976. ↑ Comăneci, p. 53. ↑ "The Adorable Way This Olympic Couple First Met". Oprah: Where Are They Now?. 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016. ↑ "Biography: COMANECI, Nadia". U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 17, 2011. 1 2 Cousineau, Phil (2003). The Olympic Odyssey: Rekindling the True Spirit of the Great Games. Quest Books. pp. 160–161. ISBN 0835608336. 1 2 3 "50 stunning Olympic moments No5: Nadia Comaneci scores a perfect 10". The Guardian. December 14, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2012. 1 2 3 4 Ziert, Paul (2005). "Still A Perfect 10" (PDF). Olympic Review. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2013. 1 2 3 Legends: Nadia Comăneci International Gymnast magazine ↑ "Nellie Kim (URS)". Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. ↑ "Nadia Comaneci Takes Gymnast Title on 4th, 5th Perfect Scores". The New York Times. July 22, 1976. Retrieved January 8, 2022. ↑ "Within the International Federations" (PDF). Olympic Review. 1980. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2013. 1 2 Dodd, Marc (August 1, 2008). "Top Five: Teenage Sensations". Metro. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2009. ↑ "Associated Press Athletes of the Year". MSN.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2009. ↑ "Decretul nr. 250/1976 privind conferirea de distinctii ale Republicii Socialiste Romania unor sportivi, antrenori si activisti din domeniul educatiei fizice si sportului" (in Romanian). Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2014. ↑ "Nadia Comăneci: The Perfect 10" International Olympic Committee (IOC) website ↑ Comăneci, pp. 61–62. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 64–68. ↑ "The search for Nadia". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2025. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 68–72. ↑ "Nadia." The Epistle, (All Saints Episcopal Hospital), January 1980. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 87–91. ↑ Little Girls in Pretty Boxes. Ryan, Joan. 1995, Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-47790-2. ↑ Comăneci, p. 98. ↑ "One slip and all was upside down". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 22, 2025. ↑ "Miss Comaneci Loses To Russian as Result Is Marred by Dispute; Three Were in the Running Miss Comaneci's Loss to Russian Disputed No Scores Given Hometown Cheering". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 99–105. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 111–112. 1 2 Comăneci, p. 121. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 125–6. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 137–148. ↑ "Cum a fugit Nadia Comăneci din România". Gazeta Sporturilor. April 12, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021. ↑ "Comaneci Confirms Suicide Attempt, Magazine Says". Los Angeles Times. February 19, 1990. ↑ "Nadia Comaneci sera à Montréal en juillet". La Presse (in French). Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2025. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 160–162. ↑ Comăneci, pp. 162–164. ↑ Litsky, Frank (August 12, 2001). "GYMNASTICS; Comaneci's Landing in the West Remains Perfect". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015. ↑ "Nadia Tumbles over Wedding" Cincinnati Post, April 6, 1996. ↑ "Nadia Comaneci on Winning Carnegie's Great Immigrant Award". Oprah.com. July 14, 2016. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2018. ↑ "Nadia Comăneci, Bart Conner Have a Boy Archived September 21, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , People, June 6, 2006. ↑ "Former Gymnasts Nadia Comăneci and Bart Conner Baptized Their First Child, Dylan Paul" , Catalina Iancu, Jurnalul National, August 28, 2006. ↑ "Touched by an Angel: Season 3 Episode 28". Rotten Tomatoes. ↑ "Hosted Meets | Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy". www.bartconnergymnastics.com. ↑ "2013 Nadia Comaneci Invitational Results". February 17, 2013. ↑ "Olympic champion Nadia Comăneci to be featured July 4 speaker at Monticello". monticello.org. May 11, 2012. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2013. ↑ "Nadia Comaneci: A pioneer in perfection". Olympics.com. August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2024. ↑ Rendell, Matt (July 4, 2004). "The perfect ten". the Guardian. Retrieved August 14, 2024. ↑ "2004 Athens Games: Advertising". SFGate. August 12, 2004. Retrieved April 21, 2013. ↑ Roenigk, Alyssa (August 17, 2008). "The First Family of Gymnastics". ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2008. ↑ "London 2012 Olympics: The torch begins its journey across London". The Daily Telegraph. July 21, 2012. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2013. ↑ "Dominique Dawes Predicts How Many Golds for Simone Biles?". June 30, 2016. ↑ "Olympic Gymnasts Simone Biles, Dominique Dawes, And Nadia Comaneci Partner In 'The Evolution of Power' Video". HuffPost. July 14, 2016. ↑ "},"website":{"wt":"Sports Video Group"},"date":{"wt":"September 2, 2016"}},"i":0}}]}'/"Rio 2016: Globosat's SporTV Captivates Olympic Fans in Brazil". Sports Video Group. September 2, 2016. ↑ "Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams Help Light Cauldron to Open Paris Olympics". SI. July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024. ↑ Honorary Consulates of Romania in the US Retrieved July 31, 2012. ↑ "Nadia Comaneci, Global Ambassador". Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2016. ↑ "On Mats, Bars and Boards, Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci Lead by Example". Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2016. ↑ "Celebrity Apprentice: Ivanka Trump vs. Gene Simmons". People. ↑ "Nadia travels from "10" to Trump". January 10, 2008. ↑ "Nadia Comaneci". olympics.com. Retrieved December 3, 2024. ↑ Laszlo, Erika (November 29, 1989). "Comaneci, darling of '76 Olympics, defects". United Press International. Retrieved July 16, 2018. ↑ "Simone Biles chosen as AP's Female Athlete of the Year". CBS News. December 26, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2018. ↑ "International Women's Sports Hall of Fame". Women's Sports Foundation. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2018. ↑ "Inductees". International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 16, 2018. ↑ "MARCA Leyenda". Marca. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018. ↑ Leibowitz, Elissa (February 6, 1998). "Comaneci Vaults Back Into the Spotlight; Olympic Gymnast Receives Women's Sports Foundation Award". The Washington Post. p. C2. Retrieved March 9, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) (subscription required) ↑ "A new trophy for Nadia Comaneci". International Olympic Committee. March 29, 2004. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2011. ↑ "2016 Great Immigrants Honorees: The Pride of America | Carnegie Corporation of New York". Carnegie Corporation of New York. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2017: Who is on the list?". BBC News. September 27, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2022. ↑ Amadon, Brett (October 4, 2017). "Nadia Comaneci honored with public space next to Montreal's Olympic Stadium". Excelle Sports. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017. ↑ "Montreal Olympic Park unveils plaza honouring gymnast Nadia Comaneci". Montreal Gazette. October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017. ↑ "Romanian president decorates legendary gymnast Nadia Comaneci". Romania Insider. November 12, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2022.[title missing] ↑ "Nadia Comăneci receives the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award". The Norman Transcript. April 21, 2026. 1 2 3 Verschoth, Anita (April 12, 1976). "A Great Leap Backward". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018. ↑ "The Games: Up in the Air". Time, August 2, 1976. ↑ "Women's Artistic Gymnastics – 2025-2028 Code of Points" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. April 22, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2025. ↑ "Nadia Comaneci Biography". Gymn Forum. Retrieved April 10, 2024. ↑ Comăneci ↑ Letters to a Young Gymnast Archived September 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine . basicbooks.com ↑ "Eternal Princess". Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016. ↑ "Short Film Eternal Princess, Directed by Katie Holmes, Debuts on espnW". Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016. ↑ "Nadia Comăneci, la gymnaste et le dictateur". boutique.arte.tv (in French). ARTE Boutique. 1 2 Lindsey, Robert (July 29, 1984). "Nadia Comăneci Still Glows as Images of 1976 Recede". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2016. ↑ Gloria Sauciuc- Cinemagia – 20 ani de magie de la primul film dublat în limba română ↑ Olaru, Stejărel (May 14, 2021). Book Reveals Nadia Comăneci's Ordeal in Ceaușescu's Romania. Epica Fiction & History. ISBN 9786069519707. Retrieved January 9, 2022. Cited sources[edit] Comăneci, Nadia (2004). Letters to a Young Gymnast. The Art of Mentoring. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-01276-0. Further reading[edit] Comaneci, Nadia (1981). Nadia: The Autobiography of Nadia Comaneci. Proteus Books. ISBN 978-0-9060-7178-6. Comaneci, Nadia (2011). Letters to a Young Gymnast (Reprint ed.). Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-4650-2505-3. Dimitriu, Dumitru (1976). Nadia Comăneci și echipa de aur. Sport-Turism. OL 4679678M. Meyers, Dvora (2016). The End of the Perfect 10: The Making and Breaking of Gymnastics' Top Score – from Nadia to Now. Atria Books. ISBN 978-1-5011-0136-6. Miklowitz, Gloria D. (1977). Nadia Comaneci. Grosset & Dunlap. ISBN 978-0-4481-2973-0. Olaru, Stejarel (2023). Nadia Comaneci and the Secret Police: A Cold War Escape. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1350321298. Online scholarly book review Temple, Cliff (1977). The Enchanting Story of Little Miss Perfect. Everest Books. ISBN 978-0-9050-1878-2. Weiniger, Peter (2001). Sporting Heroes. Thomson Learning. ISBN 978-1-8696-1476-8. Woolum, Janet (1998). Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America (2nd ed.). Greenwood. ISBN 978-1-5735-6120-4. External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nadia Comăneci. Official website Nadia Comăneci at World Gymnastics Nadia Comăneci at the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Nadia Comăneci at Olympics.com Nadia Comăneci at Olympedia Nadia Comăneci at the Comitetul Olimpic și Sportiv Român (in Romanian) (archive) Nadia Comăneci at IMDb Voices of Oklahoma interview with Bart Conner – First person interview conducted on February 28, 2013, with Bart Conner, husband of Nadia Comăneci. Video clips: Nadia Comăneci makes history at the Montreal 1976 Olympics – The Olympic Channel, 2010 Nadia Comăneci – First Olympics Perfect 10 (Uneven Bars) – Montreal 1976 Olympics – The Olympic Channel, 2015 Nadia Comăneci – Selections from all of her routines – Montreal 1976 Olympics (overview) – The Olympic Channel, 2012 The Adorable Way This Olympic Couple First Met | Where Are They Now | Oprah Winfrey Network – Oprah Winfrey Network (U.S. TV channel), 2016 Nadia Comaneci & Bart Conner Commentate on Their Perfect Olympic Routines | Take the Mic – The Olympic Channel, 2016 Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner, 11 Olympic Medals in this Olympic Family – The Olympic Channel, 2016 Nadia Comaneci receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Simone Biles at Laureus Awards – NBC Sports, 2026 Athlete of the Year]]"},"years":{"wt":"1975, 1976"}},"i":3}},"\n",{"template":{"target":{"wt":"s-aft","href":"./Template:S-aft"},"params":{"after":{"wt":"[[Rosemarie 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International Athlete of the Year 1975, 1976 Succeeded by Rosemarie Ackermann Preceded by Arthur Ashe BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year 1976 Succeeded by Niki Lauda Preceded by Billie Jean King Flo Hyman Memorial Award 1998 Succeeded by Bonnie Blair v t e Nadia ComăneciGymnastics Comăneci salto Nadia's Theme Perfect 10 (gymnastics) Gymnastics at the 1976 Summer Olympics Gymnastics at the 1980 Summer Olympics Honors and awards Associated Press Athlete of the Year (1976) United Press International Athlete of the Year Award (1975 and 1976) BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year (1976) International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (1993) Flo Hyman Award (1998) Olympic Order (2004) Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award (2026) Related people Bart Conner Paul Ziert Béla Károlyi Márta Károlyi Biographies Nadia (1984) International championships for Nadia Comăneci v t e Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's All-Around Summary 1952:  Maria Gorokhovskaya (URS) 1956:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1960:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1964:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1968:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1972:  Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1976:  Nadia Comăneci (ROU) 1980:  Yelena Davydova (URS) 1984:  Mary Lou Retton (USA) 1988:  Yelena Shushunova (URS) 1992:  Tatiana Gutsu (EUN) 1996:  Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR) 2000:  Simona Amânar (ROU) 2004:  Carly Patterson (USA) 2008:  Nastia Liukin (USA) 2012:  Gabby Douglas (USA) 2016:  Simone Biles (USA) 2020:  Sunisa Lee (USA) 2024:  Simone Biles (USA) v t e Olympic champions in artistic gymnastics – Women's Balance Beam Summary 1952:  Nina Bocharova (URS) 1956:  Ágnes Keleti (HUN) 1960:  Eva Bosáková (TCH) 1964:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1968:  Natalia Kuchinskaya (URS) 1972:  Olga Korbut (URS) 1976:  Nadia Comăneci (ROU) 1980:  Nadia Comăneci (ROU) 1984:  Ecaterina Szabo (ROU) 1984:  Simona Păucă (ROU) 1988:  Daniela Silivaș (ROU) 1992:  Tatiana Lysenko (EUN) 1996:  Shannon Miller (USA) 2000:  Liu Xuan (CHN) 2004:  Cătălina Ponor (ROU) 2008:  Shawn Johnson (USA) 2012:  Deng Linlin (CHN) 2016:  Sanne Wevers (NED) 2020:  Guan Chenchen (CHN) 2024:  Alice D'Amato (ITA) v t e Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's Floor Exercise Summary 1952:  Ágnes Keleti (HUN) 1956:  Ágnes Keleti (HUN) 1956:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1960:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1964:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1968:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1968:  Larisa Petrik (URS) 1972:  Olga Korbut (URS) 1976:  Nellie Kim (URS) 1980:  Nadia Comăneci (ROU) 1980:  Nellie Kim (URS) 1984:  Ecaterina Szabo (ROU) 1988:  Daniela Silivaș (ROU) 1992:  Lavinia Miloșovici (ROU) 1996:  Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR) 2000:  Elena Zamolodchikova (RUS) 2004:  Cătălina Ponor (ROU) 2008:  Sandra Izbașa (ROU) 2012:  Aly Raisman (USA) 2016:  Simone Biles (USA) 2020:  Jade Carey (USA) 2024:  Rebeca Andrade (BRA) v t e Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's Uneven Bars Summary 1952:  Margit Korondi (HUN) 1956:  Ágnes Keleti (HUN) 1960:  Polina Astakhova (URS) 1964:  Polina Astakhova (URS) 1968:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1972:  Karin Büttner-Janz (GDR) 1976:  Nadia Comăneci (ROU) 1980:  Maxi Gnauck (GDR) 1984:  Julianne McNamara (USA) 1984:  Ma Yanhong (CHN) 1988:  Daniela Silivaș (ROU) 1992:  Lu Li (CHN) 1996:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2000:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2004:  Émilie Le Pennec (FRA) 2008:  He Kexin (CHN) 2012:  Aliya Mustafina (RUS) 2016:  Aliya Mustafina (RUS) 2020:  Nina Derwael (BEL) 2024:  Kaylia Nemour (ALG) v t e World Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's team competition 1934: Czechoslovakia 1938: Czechoslovakia 1950: Sweden 1954: Soviet Union 1958: Soviet Union 1962: Soviet Union 1966: Czechoslovakia 1970: Soviet Union 1974: Soviet Union 1978: Soviet Union 1979: Romania 1981: Soviet Union 1983: Soviet Union 1985: Soviet Union 1987: Romania 1989: Soviet Union 1991: Soviet Union 1994: Romania 1995: Romania 1997: Romania 1999: Romania 2001: Romania 2003: United States 2006: China 2007: United States 2010: Russia 2011: United States 2014: United States 2015: United States 2018: United States 2019: United States 2022: United States 2023: United States 1979:  Romania (ROM) Nadia Comăneci, Rodica Dunca, Emilia Eberle, Melita Ruhn, Dumitriţa Turner, Marilena Vlădărău v t e World Artistic Gymnastics Championships – Women's balance beam 1938:  Vlasta Děkanová (TCH) 1950:  Helena Rakoczy (POL) 1954:  Keiko Tanaka (JPN) 1958:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1962:  Eva Bosáková (TCH) 1966:  Natalia Kuchinskaya (URS) 1970:  Erika Zuchold (DDR) 1974:  Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1978:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1979:  Věra Černá (TCH) 1981:  Maxi Gnauck (DDR) 1983:  Olga Mostepanova (URS) 1985:  Daniela Silivaș (ROM) 1987:  Aurelia Dobre (ROM) 1989:  Daniela Silivaș (ROM) 1991:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1992:  Kim Zmeskal (USA) 1993:  Lavinia Miloșovici (ROM) 1994:  Shannon Miller (USA) 1995:  Mo Huilan (CHN) 1996:  Dina Kochetkova (RUS) 1997:  Gina Gogean (ROM) 1999:  Ling Jie (CHN) 2001:  Andreea Răducan (ROM) 2002:  Ashley Postell (USA) 2003:  Fan Ye (CHN) 2005:  Nastia Liukin (USA) 2006:  Iryna Krasnianska (UKR) 2007:  Nastia Liukin (USA) 2009:  Deng Linlin (CHN) 2010:  Ana Porgras (ROU) 2011:  Sui Lu (CHN) 2013:  Aliya Mustafina (RUS) 2014:  Simone Biles (USA) 2015:  Simone Biles (USA) 2017:  Pauline Schäfer (GER) 2018:  Liu Tingting (CHN) 2019:  Simone Biles (USA) 2021:  Urara Ashikawa (JPN) 2022:  Hazuki Watanabe (JPN) 2023:  Simone Biles (USA) 2025:  Zhang Qingying (CHN) v t e European Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's Individual All-Around 1957:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1959:  Natalia Kot (POL) 1961:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1963:  Mirjana Bilić (YUG) 1965:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1967:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1969:  Karin Büttner-Janz (GDR) 1971:  Tamara Lazakovich (URS) 1971   Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1973:  Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1975:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1977:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1979:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1981:  Maxi Gnauck (GDR) 1983:  Olga Bicherova (URS) 1985:  Yelena Shushunova (URS) 1987:  Daniela Silivaș (ROM) 1989:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1990:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1992:  Tatiana Gutsu (CIS) 1994:  Gina Gogean (ROM) 1996:  Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR) 1998:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2000:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2002:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2004:  Alina Kozich (UKR) 2005:  Marine Debauve (FRA) 2007:  Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) 2009:  Ksenia Semyonova (RUS) 2011:  Anna Dementyeva (RUS) 2013:  Aliya Mustafina (RUS) 2015:  Giulia Steingruber (SUI) 2017:  Ellie Downie (GBR) 2019:  Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos (FRA) 2021:  Viktoria Listunova (RUS) 2022:  Asia D'Amato (ITA) 2023:  Jessica Gadirova (GBR) 2024:  Manila Esposito (ITA) 2025:  Manila Esposito (ITA) v t e European Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's Vault 1957:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1959:  Natalia Kot (POL) 1961:  Ute Starke (GDR) 1963:  Solveig Egman-Andersson (SWE) 1965:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1967:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1969:  Karin Büttner-Janz (GDR) 1971:  Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1973:  Angelika Hellmann (GDR) 1973   Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1975:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1977:  Nellie Kim (URS) 1979:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1981:  Cristina Elena Grigoraș (ROM) 1983:  Olga Bicherova (URS) 1985:  Yelena Shushunova (URS) 1987:  Yelena Shushunova (URS) 1989:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1990:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1992:  Tatiana Gutsu (CIS) 1994:  Lavinia Miloșovici (ROM) 1996:  Simona Amânar (ROM) 1998:  Adrienn Varga (HUN) 2000:  Simona Amânar (ROM) 2002:  Natalia Ziganshina (RUS) 2004:  Monica Roșu (ROM) 2005:  Francesca Benolli (ITA) 2006:  Anna Grudko (RUS) 2007:  Carlotta Giovannini (ITA) 2008:  Oksana Chusovitina (GER) 2009:  Ariella Käslin (SUI) 2010:  Ekaterina Kurbatova (RUS) 2011:  Sandra Izbașa (ROU) 2012:  Sandra Izbașa (ROU) 2013:  Giulia Steingruber (SUI) 2014:  Giulia Steingruber (SUI) 2015:  Maria Paseka (RUS) 2016:  Giulia Steingruber (SUI) 2017:  Coline Devillard (FRA) 2018:  Boglárka Dévai (HUN) 2019:  Maria Paseka (RUS) 2020:  Zsófia Kovács (HUN) 2021:  Giulia Steingruber (SUI) 2022:  Zsófia Kovács (HUN) 2023:  Coline Devillard (FRA) 2024:  Coline Devillard (FRA) 2025:  Karina Schönmaier (GER) v t e European Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's Uneven Bars 1957:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1959:  Polina Astakhova (URS) 1961:  Polina Astakhova (URS) 1963:  Thea Belmer (NED) 1965:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1967:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1969:  Karin Büttner-Janz (GDR) 1971:  Tamara Lazakovich (URS) 1973:  Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1975:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1977:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1977   Elena Mukhina (URS) 1979:  Elena Mukhina (URS) 1981:  Maxi Gnauck (GDR) 1983:  Ecaterina Szabo (ROM) 1985:  Maxi Gnauck (GDR) 1985   Yelena Shushunova (URS) 1987:  Daniela Silivaș (ROM) 1989:  Henrietta Ónodi (HUN) 1990:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1990   Natalia Kalinina (URS) 1990   Mirela Pașca (ROM) 1992:  Tatiana Gutsu (CIS) 1994:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 1996:  Simona Amânar (ROM) 1996   Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 1996   Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR) 1998:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2000:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2002:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2004:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2005:  Émilie Le Pennec (FRA) 2006:  Beth Tweddle (GBR) 2007:  Dariya Zgoba (UKR) 2008:  Ksenia Semyonova (RUS) 2009:  Beth Tweddle (GBR) 2010:  Beth Tweddle (GBR) 2011:  Beth Tweddle (GBR) 2012:  Viktoria Komova (RUS) 2013:  Aliya Mustafina (RUS) 2014:  Becky Downie (GBR) 2015:  Daria Spiridonova (RUS) 2016:  Becky Downie (GBR) 2017:  Nina Derwael (BEL) 2018:  Nina Derwael (BEL) 2019:  Anastasia Ilyankova (RUS) 2020:  Zsófia Kovács (HUN) 2021:  Angelina Melnikova (RUS) 2022:  Elisabeth Seitz (GER) 2023:  Alice D'Amato (ITA) 2024:  Alice D'Amato (ITA) 2025:  Nina Derwael (BEL) v t e European Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's Balance Beam 1957:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1959:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1961:  Polina Astakhova (URS) 1963:  Ewa Rydell (SWE) 1965:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1967:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1969:  Karin Büttner-Janz (GDR) 1971:  Tamara Lazakovich (URS) 1973:  Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1975:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1977:  Elena Mukhina (URS) 1979:  Natalia Shaposhnikova (URS) 1981:  Maxi Gnauck (GDR) 1983:  Lavinia Agache (ROM) 1985:  Oksana Omelianchik (URS) 1987:  Daniela Silivaș (ROM) 1989:  Olesya Dudnik (URS) 1989   Gabriela Potorac (ROM) 1990:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1992:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1994:  Gina Gogean (ROU) 1996:  Rozalia Galiyeva (RUS) 1998:  Yevgeniya Kuznetsova (RUS) 2000:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 2002:  Ludmila Ezhova (RUS) 2004:  Cătălina Ponor (ROM) 2005:  Cătălina Ponor (ROM) 2006:  Cătălina Ponor (ROU) 2007:  Yulia Lozhechko (RUS) 2008:  Ksenia Semyonova (RUS) 2009:  Yana Demyanchuk (UKR) 2010:  Amelia Racea (ROU) 2011:  Anna Dementyeva (RUS) 2012:  Cătălina Ponor (ROU) 2013:  Larisa Iordache (ROU) 2014:  Maria Kharenkova (RUS) 2015:  Andreea Munteanu (ROU) 2016:  Aliya Mustafina (RUS) 2017:  Cătălina Ponor (ROU) 2018:  Sanne Wevers (NED) 2019:  Alice Kinsella (GBR) 2020:  Larisa Iordache (ROU) 2021:  Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos (FRA) 2022:  Emma Malewski (GER) 2023:  Sanne Wevers (NED) 2024:  Manila Esposito (ITA) 2025:  Nina Derwael (BEL) v t e European Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's Floor Exercise 1957:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1959:  Polina Astakhova (URS) 1961:  Larisa Latynina (URS) 1963:  Mirjana Bilić (YUG) 1965:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1967:  Věra Čáslavská (TCH) 1969:  Olga Karasyova (URS) 1971:  Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1973:  Ludmilla Tourischeva (URS) 1975:  Nellie Kim (URS) 1977:  Maria Filatova (URS) 1977   Elena Mukhina (URS) 1979:  Nadia Comăneci (ROM) 1981:  Maxi Gnauck (GDR) 1983:  Olga Bicherova (URS) 1983   Ecaterina Szabo (ROM) 1985:  Yelena Shushunova (URS) 1987:  Daniela Silivaș (ROM) 1989:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1989   Daniela Silivaș (ROM) 1990:  Svetlana Boginskaya (URS) 1992:  Gina Gogean (ROM) 1994:  Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR) 1996:  Lavinia Miloșovici (ROM) 1996   Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR) 1998:  Svetlana Khorkina (RUS) 1998   Corina Ungureanu (ROM) 2000:  Ludivine Furnon (FRA) 2002:  Alona Kvasha (UKR) 2004:  Cătălina Ponor (ROM) 2005:  Isabelle Severino (FRA) 2006:  Sandra Izbașa (ROU) 2007:  Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) 2008:  Sandra Izbașa (ROU) 2009:  Beth Tweddle (GBR) 2010:  Beth Tweddle (GBR) 2011:  Sandra Izbașa (ROU) 2012:  Larisa Iordache (ROU) 2013:  Ksenia Afanasyeva (RUS) 2014:  Vanessa Ferrari (ITA) 2014   Larisa Iordache (ROU) 2015:  Ksenia Afanasyeva (RUS) 2016:  Giulia Steingruber (SUI) 2017:  Angelina Melnikova (RUS) 2018:  Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos (FRA) 2019:  Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos (FRA) 2020:  Larisa Iordache (ROU) 2021:  Jessica Gadirova (GBR) 2022:  Jessica Gadirova (GBR) 2023:  Jessica Gadirova (GBR) 2024:  Manila Esposito (ITA) 2025:  Ana Bărbosu (ROU) v t e AP Female Athlete of the Year winners 1931: Helene Madison 1932: Babe Didrikson Zaharias 1933: Helen Jacobs 1934: Virginia Van Wie 1935: Helen Wills 1936: Helen Stephens 1937: Katherine Rawls 1938: Patty Berg 1939: Alice Marble 1940: Alice Marble 1941: Betty Hicks 1942: Gloria Callen 1943: Patty Berg 1944: Ann Curtis 1945: Babe Didrikson Zaharias 1946: Babe Didrikson Zaharias 1947: Babe Didrikson Zaharias 1948: Fanny Blankers-Koen 1949: Marlene Hagge 1950: Babe Didrikson Zaharias 1951: Maureen Connolly 1952: Maureen Connolly 1953: Maureen Connolly 1954: Babe Didrikson Zaharias 1955: Patty Berg 1956: Pat McCormick 1957: Althea Gibson 1958: Althea Gibson 1959: Maria Bueno 1960: Wilma Rudolph 1961: Wilma Rudolph 1962: Dawn Fraser 1963: Mickey Wright 1964: Mickey Wright 1965: Kathy Whitworth 1966: Kathy Whitworth 1967: Billie Jean King 1968: Peggy Fleming 1969: Debbie Meyer 1970: Chi Cheng 1971: Evonne Goolagong 1972: Olga Korbut 1973: Billie Jean King 1974: Chris Evert 1975: Chris Evert 1976: Nadia Comăneci 1977: Chris Evert 1978: Nancy Lopez 1979: Tracy Austin 1980: Chris Evert 1981: Tracy Austin 1982: Mary Decker 1983: Martina Navratilova 1984: Mary Lou Retton 1985: Nancy Lopez 1986: Martina Navratilova 1987: Jackie Joyner-Kersee 1988: Florence Griffith Joyner 1989: Steffi Graf 1990: Beth Daniel 1991: Monica Seles 1992: Monica Seles 1993: Sheryl Swoopes 1994: Bonnie Blair 1995: Rebecca Lobo 1996: Amy Van Dyken 1997: Martina Hingis 1998: Pak Se-ri 1999: United States women's national soccer team 2000: Marion Jones 2001: Jennifer Capriati 2002: Serena Williams 2003: Annika Sörenstam 2004: Annika Sörenstam 2005: Annika Sörenstam 2006: Lorena Ochoa 2007: Lorena Ochoa 2008: Candace Parker 2009: Serena Williams 2010: Lindsey Vonn 2011: Abby Wambach 2012: Gabby Douglas 2013: Serena Williams 2014: Mo'ne Davis 2015: Serena Williams 2016: Simone Biles 2017: Katie Ledecky 2018: Serena Williams 2019: Simone Biles 2020: Naomi Osaka 2021: Candace Parker 2022: Katie Ledecky 2023: Simone Biles 2024: Caitlin Clark 2025: A'ja Wilson v t e BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year 1960: Herb Elliott 1961: Valeriy Brumel 1962: Donald Jackson 1963: Jacques Anquetil 1964: Abebe Bikila 1965: Ron Clarke & Gary Player 1966: Eusébio & Garfield Sobers 1967: George Moore 1968: Ludmila Belousova & Oleg Protopopov 1969: Rod Laver 1970: Pelé 1971: Lee Trevino 1972: Olga Korbut 1973: Muhammad Ali 1974: Muhammad Ali 1975: Arthur Ashe 1976: Nadia Comăneci 1977: Niki Lauda 1978: Muhammad Ali 1979: Björn Borg 1980: Jack Nicklaus 1981: Chris Evert 1982: Jimmy Connors 1983: Carl Lewis 1984: Seve Ballesteros 1985: Boris Becker 1986: Greg Norman 1987: Martina Navratilova 1988: Steffi Graf 1989: Mike Tyson 1990: Mal Meninga 1991: Mike Powell 1992: Andre Agassi 1993: Greg Norman 1994: Brian Lara 1995: Jonah Lomu 1996: Evander Holyfield & Michael Johnson 1997: Martina Hingis 1998: Mark O'Meara 1999: Maurice Greene 2000: Tiger Woods 2001: Goran Ivanišević 2002: Ronaldo 2003: Lance Armstrong 2004: Roger Federer 2005: Shane Warne 2006: Roger Federer 2007: Roger Federer 2008: Usain Bolt 2009: Usain Bolt 2010: Rafael Nadal 2011: Novak Djokovic 2012: Usain Bolt 2013: Sebastian Vettel 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo 2015: Dan Carter 2016: Simone Biles 2017: Roger Federer 2018: Francesco Molinari 2019: Eliud Kipchoge 2020: Khabib Nurmagomedov 2021: Rachael Blackmore 2022: Lionel Messi 2023: Erling Haaland 2024: Armand Duplantis 2025: Armand Duplantis v t e PAP European Sportsperson of the Year 1958: Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak 1959: Vasili Kuznetsov 1960: Yury Vlasov 1961: Valeriy Brumel 1962: Valeriy Brumel 1963: Valeriy Brumel 1964: Lidiya Skoblikova 1965: Michel Jazy 1966: Irena Szewińska 1967: Jean-Claude Killy 1968: Jean-Claude Killy 1969: Eddy Merckx 1970: Eddy Merckx 1971: Juha Väätäinen 1972: Lasse Virén 1973: Kornelia Ender 1974: Irena Szewińska 1975: Kornelia Ender 1976: Nadia Comăneci 1977: Rosemarie Ackermann 1978: Vladimir Yashchenko 1979: Sebastian Coe 1980: Vladimir Salnikov 1981: Sebastian Coe 1982: Daley Thompson 1983: Jarmila Kratochvílová 1984: Michael Gross 1985: Sergey Bubka 1986: Heike Drechsler 1987: Stephen Roche 1988: Steffi Graf 1989: Steffi Graf 1990: Stefan Edberg 1991: Katrin Krabbe 1992: Nigel Mansell 1993: Linford Christie 1994: Johann Olav Koss 1995: Jonathan Edwards 1996: Svetlana Masterkova 1997: Martina Hingis 1998: Mika Häkkinen 1999: Gabriela Szabo 2000: Inge de Bruijn 2001: Michael Schumacher 2002: Michael Schumacher 2003: Michael Schumacher 2004: Roger Federer 2005: Roger Federer & Yelena Isinbayeva 2006: Roger Federer 2007: Roger Federer 2008: Rafael Nadal 2009: Roger Federer 2010: Rafael Nadal 2011: Sebastian Vettel 2012: Sebastian Vettel 2013: Lewis Hamilton 2014: Lewis Hamilton 2015: Novak Djokovic 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo 2018: Novak Djokovic 2019: Lewis Hamilton 2020: Robert Lewandowski 2021: Novak Djokovic 2022: Iga Świątek 2023: Novak Djokovic 2024: Léon Marchand 2025: Armand Duplantis v t e BTA Balkan Athlete of the Year 1973: Zlateva 1974: Parlov 1975: Comăneci 1976: Comăneci 1977: Petrova 1978: Srejović 1979: Rusev 1980: Comăneci 1981: Todorova 1982: Blagoev 1983: Georgieva 1984: Andonova 1985: Kostadinova 1986: Donkova 1987: Kostadinova 1988: Silivaș 1989: Ivan 1990: Seles 1991: Seles 1992: Patoulidou 1993: Ivanov 1994: Stoichkov 1995: Kostadinova 1996: Kostadinova 1997: Kostadinova 1998: Dafovska 1999: Szabo 2000: Kenteris 2001: Kenteris 2002: Markov 2003: Yovchev 2004: Grozdeva 2005: Drăgulescu 2006: Stambolova 2007: Neykova 2008: Tomescu 2009: Spanoulis 2010: Zlateva 2011: Djokovic 2012: Djokovic 2013: Djokovic 2014: Djokovic 2015: Djokovic 2016: Perković 2017: Dimitrov 2018: Modrić 2019: Djokovic 2020: Cancelled due to COVID-19 2021: Djokovic 2022: Popovici 2023: Djokovic 2024: Tentoglou v t e Members of the International Gymnastics Hall of FameMen Nikolai Andrianov Leonid Arkayev Vladimir Artemov Albert Azaryan Max Bangerter Frank Bare Sr. Valery Belenky Octavian Bellu Dmitry Bilozerchev Miroslav Cerar Jury Chechi Viktor Chukarin Bart Conner Stoyan Deltchev Alexander Dityatin Yukio Endō Shun Fujimoto Arthur Gander Mitch Gaylord Eberhard Gienger Bruno Grandi Savino Guglielmetti Jack Günthard Koji Gushiken Fabian Hambüchen Paul Hamm Takuji Hayata Ivan Ivankov Béla Károlyi Shigeru Kasamatsu Sawao Katō Eizo Kenmotsu Ihor Korobchynskyi Yuri Korolyov Klaus Köste Li Ning Li Xiaopeng Li Yuejiu Valeri Liukin Eugen Mack Zoltán Magyar Franco Menichelli Akinori Nakayama Alexei Nemov Takashi Ono Heikki Savolainen Vitaly Scherbo Boris Shakhlin Rustam Sharipov Josef Stalder Leon Štukelj Masao Takemoto Kurt Thomas William Thoresson Yuri Titov Aleksandr Tkachyov Shuji Tsurumi Kōhei Uchimura Peter Vidmar Mikhail Voronin Andreas Wecker Haruhiro Yamashita Yang Wei Yordan Yovchev Women Simona Amânar Polina Astakhova Svetlana Boginskaya Cristina Bontaș Lyubov Burda Karin Büttner-Janz Věra Čáslavská Cheng Fei Oksana Chusovitina Nadia Comăneci Yelena Davydova Dominique Dawes Aurelia Dobre Shawn Johnson East Vanessa Ferrari Maria Filatova Maxi Gnauck Gina Gogean Maria Gorokhovskaya Tatiana Gutsu Ágnes Keleti Nellie Kim Jackie Klein Olga Korbut Margit Korondi Steffi Kräker Natalia Kuchinskaya Larisa Latynina Nastia Liukin Tatiana Lysenko Ma Yanhong Tamara Manina Julianne McNamara Chellsie Memmel Shannon Miller Lavinia Miloșovici Elena Mukhina Sofia Muratova Oksana Omelianchik Henrietta Ónodi Carly Patterson Lilia Podkopayeva Cătălina Ponor Andreea Răducan Helena Rakoczy Mary Lou Retton Cathy Rigby Elvira Saadi Alicia Sacramone Natalia Shaposhnikova Yelena Shushunova Daniela Silivaș Ecaterina Szabo Keiko Tanaka-Ikeda Olga Tass Ludmilla Tourischeva Beth Tweddle Teodora Ungureanu Berthe Villancher Natalia Yurchenko Elena Zamolodchikova Kim Zmeskal Erika Zuchold v t e Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award 2000: Pelé 2001: Steve Redgrave 2002: Peter Blake 2003: Gary Player 2004: Arne Næss Jr. 2005: No award 2006: Johan Cruyff 2007: Franz Beckenbauer 2008: Sergey Bubka 2009: No award 2010: Nawal El Moutawakel 2011: Zinedine Zidane 2012: Bobby Charlton 2013: Sebastian Coe 2014: No award 2015: No award 2016: Niki Lauda 2017: No award 2018: Edwin Moses 2019: Arsène Wenger 2020: Dirk Nowitzki 2021: Billie Jean King 2022: Tom Brady 2023: No award 2024: No award 2025: Kelly Slater 2026: Nadia Comăneci Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCatNational United States France BnF data Japan Comăneci, Nadia</span"}]]}'Italy Czech Republic Spain Netherlands Greece Korea Poland IsraelAcademics CiNiiPeople LibraryThing Deutsche BiographieOther IdRef Yale LUX Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nadia_Comăneci&oldid=1364746505" Categories: 1961 births 20th-century Romanian sportswomen BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year winners Child sportspeople Defectors to the United States European champions in gymnastics FISU World University Games gold medalists for Romania Gymnasts at the 1976 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1980 Summer Olympics Living people Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1981 Summer Universiade Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Naturalized citizens of the United States Olympic bronze medalists for Romania Olympic gold medalists for Romania Olympic gymnasts for Romania Olympic medalists in gymnastics Olympic silver medalists for Romania Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics Participants in American reality television series People from Onești People of the Cold War Recipients of the Olympic Order Romanian defectors Romanian emigrants to the United States Special Olympics Summer World University Games medalists in gymnastics World champion gymnasts Women in Romania Laureus World Sports Awards winners Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use mdy dates from July 2025 Pages using the Phonos extension CS1 Chinese-language sources (zh) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list CS1 Romanian-language sources (ro) CS1 French-language sources (fr) Webarchive template wayback links CS1 maint: deprecated archival service Pages containing links to subscription-only content Commons category link is on Wikidata Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia World Gymnastics template using Wikidata property P7440 Articles with Romanian-language sources (ro) This page was last edited on 18 July 2026, at 07:55 (UTC). 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