Former coach of Romanian Nadia Comaneci, legend of artistic gymnastics, died on Saturday November 16 at the age of 82. Coming from the Hungarian minority in Romania, it was he who allowed Nadia Comaneci to win five gold medals at the Olympic Games. Three in Montreal in 1976 (individual all-around, uneven bars and beam) and two in Moscow in 1980 (floor and beam).
“A great influence on my life. Rest in peace Bela Karolyi »wrote Nadia Comaneci, considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, on her Instagram account.
Strict discipline
Having left for the United States in 1981, he led the American Mary Lou Rettou to the Olympic coronation in the all-around during the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Renowned for his iron discipline, Karolyi with his wife Marta, coached at his Texas ranch, a national training center between 2001 and 2018. Facilities left by the American national team following the revelation of the Larry Nassar scandal, doctor of Team USA convicted of sexual assault.
He was a controversial man as Dominique Moceanu recounts: “Bela Karolyi was a man whose influence on my life and on high-level gymnastics was important, it is undeniable. He was a complex individual, a mixture of strengths and weaknesses that marked those around him. His harsh words and critical attitude weighed heavily on me. If our relationship was marked by difficulties, some of these moments forged me and helped me find my way”she wrote on her X account on Saturday November 16. Under the leadership of Karolyi, the American won the gold medal in the team competition at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Belgium
