The famous and controversial Olympic gymnastics coach Bela Karolyiwho guided Nadia Comaneci until the first ‘perfect 10’ of this sport, died at the age of 82, announced USA Gymnastics on Saturday.
The Hungarian of Romanian origin coached Comaneci to gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Games.
After that period he defected with his wife Marta, also a coach, to the United States in 1981, a period in which he trained the American Mary Lou Retton until gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
«A great impact and influence on my life. Rest in peace Bela Karolyi,” Comaneci wrote on his Instagram account, along with a black and white photo of them together in their youth.
“Almost 50 years ago he guided me to the historic first Perfect 10 performance at the Olympics… and that changed my life forever,” Comaneci told USA Today about Karolyi, who died Friday.
Known for his strict training style, Karolyi was a controversial coach who coached the United States team with his wife and ran a training center in Texas.
The Karolyi couple He was a key piece in the transformation of the United States gymnastics teams, until they became powerful formations capable of dominating the major events of this sport.
The couple’s training center was the site of the preparation of the United States women’s national team in 2001, with Marta Karolyi as coordinator of the women’s national team.
USA Gymnastics stopped using the venue in 2018 after the abuse scandal that it involved former team doctor Larry Nassar.
The other side of Karolyi
Dominique Moceanuwho won Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996 as part of ‘Team USA’ coached by Karolyi, said there were two sides to the coach.
«Bela Karolyi was a man whose influence on my life and on the sport of elite gymnastics is undeniably significant. “He was a complex individual, embodying a mix of strengths and flaws that left a lasting impact on those around him,” he wrote in X.
Bela Karolyi was a man whose influence on my life and the sport of elite gymnastics is undeniably significant. He was a complex individual, embodying a mix of strengths and flaws that left a lasting impact on those around him.
Anyone who has followed my story knows that my…
— Dominique Moceanu (@Dmoceanu) November 17, 2024
«His harsh words and critical attitude often weighed heavily on me. “While our relationship was fraught with hardship, some of these moments of adversity helped me forge and define my own path.”
“As we say goodbye to Bela, I choose to send loving thoughts to his family and loved ones (…) May he rest in peace.”
Karolyi was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997 and together with Marta as part of the coaching duo in 2000.
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