Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner, known professionally as Nadia Comaneci is a Romanian gymnast who is best known to become the first woman to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event in 1976, at the early age of 14. She began her gymnastic journey and was discovered at the age of 6 by gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi (later to become the Romanian national coach).
Nadia won the Romanian National Junior Championships, and, as a senior, won the European Championships in 1975 and the American Cup in 1976. She won two gold, for the balance beam and floor exercise, and two silver medals, for the team competition and individual all-around at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia. She was the first gymnast to perform an aerial walkover and an aerial cartwheel-back handspring flight series.
Nadia Comăneci is one of the world’s best-known gymnasts and is credited with popularizing the sport around the globe. She was named as one of the Athletes of the 20th Century by the Laureus World Sports Academy in 2000.
| Nadia Comaneci Bio | |
|---|---|
| Bio/Wiki | |
| Name | Nadia Comaneci |
| Real Name | Nadia Elena Comăneci |
| Nick Name | Nana |
| Profession | Gymnast |
| Famous For | The first woman to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic gymnastics event |
| Debut | 1976 |
| Personal Information | |
| Date of Birth | 12th November 1961 |
| Age (as in 2021) | 60 years |
| Birthplace | Onești, Romania |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Hometown | Norman, Oklahoma, U.S |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Physical Status | |
| Height (approx.) | 5'4" (1.63 m) |
| Weight (approx.) | 60 kg |
| Body Measurements (B-C-W) | Not Known |
| Eye Colour | Brown |
| Hair Colour | Blonde |
| Education and More | |
| School | Not Known |
| College/University | Politehnica University of Bucharest with a degree in sports education |
| Educational Qualification | Graduate |
| Family and Relationships | |
| Father | Gheorghe Comăneci |
| Mother | Ștefania Comăneci |
| Siblings | Brother: Adrian Comăneci (Younger) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends/Boyfriends/Partners | N/A |
| Spouse | Bart Conner |
| Children(s) | N/A |
| Career | |
| Honours/Achievements/Awards | 1975 and 1976: The United Press International Athlete of the Year Award |
| 1976: Hero of Socialist Labour | |
| 1976: Associated Press Athlete of the Year | |
| 1976: BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year | |
| 1983: The Olympic Order | |
| 1990: International Women's Sports Hall of Fame | |
| 1993: International Gymnastics Hall of Fame | |
| 1998: Marca Leyenda | |
| 1998: Flo Hyman Award | |
| 2004: The Olympic Order | |
| 2016: Great Immigrant Honoree: Carnegie Corporation of New York | |
| Book and films | Comăneci's 2004 memoir, Letters to a Young Gymnast, is part of the Art of Mentoring series by Basic Books. |
| Katie Holmes directed a short 2015 documentary for ESPN about Comăneci entitled Eternal Princess that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. | |
| 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). | |
| In 1984, Comăneci was the subject of a biopic television film, Nadia. 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." | |
| In 2012, Universal Pictures chose Comăneci to dub Granny Norma in Romanian in the animated movie The Lorax | |
| Former coach(es) | Béla Károlyi |
| Márta Károlyi | |
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
| Level | Senior Elite |
| Years on national team | 1970–1984 (ROU) |
| Gym | National Training Center |
| College team | Politehnica University of Bucharest |
| Choreographer | Geza Pozsar |
| Eponymous skills | Comăneci salto (uneven bars) |
| Retired | May 7, 1984 (official) |
| Net Worth/Salary/Assets | |
| Net Worth | $10 million |
| Salary | Not Known |
| Assets | Not Known |
