Nadia Comăneci during the European Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia in May 1977Ĭomăneci began gymnastics in kindergarten with a local team called Flacăra ('The Flame'), with coaches Duncan and Munteanu. She later worked with and married American Olympic gold-medal gymnast Bart Conner, who set up his own school. She has lived in the United States since 1989, when she defected from then-Communist Romania before its revolution in December that year. In 2000, Comăneci was named one of the Athletes of the 20th Century by the Laureus World Sports Academy. One of the world's best-known gymnasts, Comăneci, along with Olga Korbut of the Soviet Union, displayed artistry and grace, which brought unprecedented global popularity to the sport in the mid-1970s. During her career Comăneci won nine Olympic medals and four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals.

At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Comăneci won two more gold medals and achieved two more perfect 10s.

At the same Games ( 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal) she received six more perfect 10s for events en route to winning three gold medals. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games. From how to live after you've realized your dream, to the necessity of 'a spirit forged with mettle,' Nadia's thoughts on athleticism and sacrifice are eye-opening and surprisingly challenging.Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner (born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. This collection of Nadia's memories, anecdotes, and advice grants unique insights into the mind of a top competitor. With inspiring and dramatic stories from her own experience, she tells us how the young girl that Bela Karolyi discovered in a Romanian elementary school found the inner strength to become a world-class athlete at such a young age. In Letters to a Young Gymnast, Nadia shows what it takes to achieve athletic perfection and become the best. Even today, almost thirty years after her greatest triumphs, you need only mention the name 'Nadia' and gymnastics fans know instantly whom you are talking about. With grit and determination, Nadia Comaneci ushered in a new era for women's sports, one where young girls could vault into the arena of superstardom. Olga Korbut came before her, and many other medalists would follow, but none has ever been as dominant in winning the hearts of millions around the world. If there were such a thing as an 'elder' stateswoman in women's gymnastics today, Nadia Comaneci would win that title as readily as she once won gold medals.

Letters to a young gymnast