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Nadia Elena Comaneci (originally '''Comăneci''' ; born November 12 , 1961 ) is a Romania n 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.12 EARLY LIFE Comaneci was born in Oneşti , Romania , as the daughter of Gheorghe and Ştefania-Alexandrina. "Olympic Champion Nadia Comaneci'' ''Young Athlete,'' August 1978 ''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 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.''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 EARLY GYMNASTICS CAREER Comaneci began gymnastics at the age of 6. Some published sources state that Comaneci began taking gymnastics lessons with the coaches Duncan and Munteanu, Whatever Happened to Nadia Comaneci? Barbara Fisher and Jennifer Isbister, 2003, Gymnastics Greats.com but others, including Comaneci's autobiography Letters to a Young Gymnast, mention only that Béla Károlyi was her coach, and that she was chosen for his school after he spotted her and a friend turning cartwheels in a schoolyard. ''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 "Olympic Champion Nadia Comaneci'' ''Young Athlete,'' August 1978 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 Béla 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 Károlyi school, Comaneci was able to commute from home for many years because she lived in the area. ''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 Comaneci placed 13th in her first Romanian National Championships in 1969. A year later, in , Italy and Poland . List of competitive results Gymn-Forum 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. ''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 Results of 1973 Druzhba meet , Gymn-Forum 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 Montreal , 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. List of competitive results Gymn-Forum In March 1976, Comaneci competed in the inaugural edition of the American Cup at ,'' March 28, 1976 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 . Scores for 1976 Chunichi Cup Gymn-Forum The international community took note of Comaneci: The Associated Press named her its 1976 "Female Athlete of the Year". Associated Press Athletes of the Year MSN Encarta MONTREAL OLYMPICS 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. "Still A Perfect 10" ''Olympic Review,'' Paul Ziert, 2005Over 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. Legends: Nadia Comaneci ''International Gymnast'' magazine 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 "Within the International Federations" ] ''Olympic Review,'' 1980), this record will stand indefinitely. 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 Wide World Of Sports used it as background music for montages of her routines. The song became the best seller of the year 1976, and the composer, Barry De Vorzon , renamed it to " Nadia's Theme " after her. "Nadia Comaneci: The Perfect 10" International Olympic Committee (IOC) website 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. List of winners, BBC Sports Personality of the Year (Overseas) BBC press office 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 Ceauşescu . Whatever Happened to Nadia Comaneci? Barbara Fisher and Jennifer Isbister, 2003, Gymnastics Greats.com 1977-1980 Comaneci successfully defended her European all-around title in 1977, but when questions about the scoring were raised, Ceauşescu ordered the Romanian gymnasts to return home. The team followed orders and controversially walked out of the competition during the event finals. ''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 Whatever Happened to Nadia Comaneci? Barbara Fisher and Jennifer Isbister, 2003, Gymnastics Greats.com Following the 1977 Europeans, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation removed Comaneci from her longtime coaches, the Károlyis, and sent her to . A fall from the uneven bars resulted in a 4th place finish in the all-around behind Elena Mukhina , Nellie Kim, and Natalia Shaposhnikova , but Comaneci won the beam title. After the 1978 Worlds, Comaneci was permitted to return to Deva and to the Károlyis.''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 In 1979, a newly slim and motivated Comaneci won her third consecutive European all-around title, becoming the first gymnast, male or female, to achieve the feat. At the World Championships that December, Comaneci led the field after the compulsory competition but was hospitalized prior to the optional portion of the team competition for blood poisoning caused by 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, Comaneci spent several days recovering in All Saints Hospital and underwent a minor surgical procedure for the infected hand, which had developed an Abscess . "Nadia." ''The Epistle,'' (All Saints Episcopal Hospital), January 1980 ''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 ''Little Girls in Pretty Boxes.'' Ryan, Joan. 1995, Doubleday. ISBN 0385477902 Comaneci participated in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow , placing second in the all-around to Yelena Davydova . She defended her Olympic title in the balance beam and tied with Kim for the gold medal in the floor exercise. The Romanian team finished second overall. Comaneci retired from competition in 1981. Her official retirement ceremony took place in Bucharest in 1984 and was attended by the IOC Chairman. "Still A Perfect 10" ''Olympic Review,'' Paul Ziert, 2005 POST RETIREMENT In 1981, Comaneci participated in a gymnastics exhibition tour in the but was supervised for the entire trip. Aside from that journey, and a few select trips to Moscow and Cuba, Comaneci was forbidden to leave the country for any reason. "Still A Perfect 10" ''Olympic Review,'' Paul Ziert, 2005"Life..." she wrote in her autobiography, "took on a new bleakness."''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 Working in Romania, between 1984 and 1989 , Comaneci was a member of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and helped coach the Romanian junior gymnasts. In November of 1989, a few weeks before the Revolution, she defected with a group of other young Romanians. Her overland journey took her through Hungary, Austria, and finally, to the United States. Whatever Happened to Nadia Comaneci? Barbara Fisher and Jennifer Isbister, 2003, Gymnastics Greats.com''Letters to a Young Gymnast''. Comaneci, Nadia. 2004, Basic Books. ISBN 0465012760 Legends: Nadia Comaneci ''International Gymnast'' magazine After settling in the United States, Comaneci spent most of her time touring and promoting lines of gymnastics apparel and aerobic equipment. She also dabbled in modeling, appearing in ads for wedding dresses and Jockey underwear. Legends: Nadia Comaneci ''International Gymnast'' magazine In 1994, she became engaged to US gymnast Bart Conner , whom she had met for the first time in 1976 at the American Cup. Together with Conner, she returned to Romania for the first time since her defection (and since the fall of Communism and of Ceausescu), and the couple were married in Bucharest on April 27 1996 . The ceremony was broadcast live in Romania, and the reception was held in the former presidential palace. Legends: Nadia Comaneci ''International Gymnast'' magazine "Nadia Tumbles over Wedding" ''Cincinnati Post,'' April 6, 1996 On June 29 , 2001 , Comaneci became a Naturalized Citizen of the United States . She has also retained her Romanian passport, making her a Dual Citizen . Whatever Happened to Nadia Comaneci? Barbara Fisher and Jennifer Isbister, 2003, Gymnastics Greats.com Comaneci is active in many charities and international organizations. In 1999, she became the first athlete to be invited to speak at the United Nations to launch the Year 2000 International Year of Volunteers. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the Board Of Directors of the International Special Olympics and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association . Legends: Nadia Comaneci ''International Gymnast'' magazine "MDA's Perfect 10s" Muscular Dystrophy Association She has also personally funded the construction and operation of the Nadia Comaneci Children's Clinic, a clinic in Bucharest that provides low-cost and free medical and social support to Romanian children. "Still A Perfect 10" ''Olympic Review,'' Paul Ziert, 2005 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. She performs this function based out of her Norman, Oklahoma , office. ''Diplomatic List'', Office of the Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State. Summer 2006. Accessed January 28, 2007. In at the IMDB] In the world of gymnastics, Comaneci is the Honorary President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the Honorary President of Romanian Olympic Committee, Ambassador of Sports of Romania and a member of the International Gymnastics Federation Foundation. She and her husband own the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, the Perfect 10 Production Company and several sports equipment shops. They are also the editors of ''International Gymnast'' magazine. Additionally, Comaneci and Conner have provided television commentary for many gymnastics meets, most recently the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne . Legends: Nadia Comaneci ''International Gymnast'' magazine Comaneci received the Olympic Order , the highest award given by the International Olympic Committee , in 1984 and 2004. She is the only person to receive this honor twice, and was also the youngest recipient. She has also been inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall Of Fame 3 In 2005, Fox.com elected the Greatest Athletes in 150 years of Sports history, Nadia placed 4th in the final voting, ahead of Pelé and Muhammad Ali , and was the highest ranked female athlete. Comaneci and Conner welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Dylan Paul Conner, on June 3 , 2006 in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma . "Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner Welcome Baby Boy" Associated Press, June 6, 2006 "Former Gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner Baptized Their First Child, Dylan Paul" Catalina Iancu, ''Jurnalul National,'' August 28 2006 On August 10 , 2007 , Nadia was a "mob" participant on the American version of the game show 1 Vs 100 , and was not eliminated until the last 20 members of the mob were left. SPECIAL SKILLS
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