She grabbed the world’s attention and affection aged 14. In 1976 this Romanian gymnast scored the first perfect ten in Olympic history and remains a sporting lcon.

However, her life in Romania was troubled and she was once again headline news, this time as she chose to defect risking her life to escape the brutal regime of Nicolae Ceaucescu.

Nadia Comaneci many thanks for being with us on the global conversation.




Nadia Comaneci was born in Romania in 1961
She shot to fame in 1976 scoring the first perfect 10 in Olympic history
In fact, she scored 7 perfect 10s and won 3 gold medals, one silver, one bronze at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal
At the Moscow Olympics in 1980 she came home with 2 gold medals and 2 silver
She retired from competitive gymnastics in 1984
In 1989 she defected to the US and made a new life for herself




Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“You were at the pinnacle of your success in 1976 but still your fame endures, why do you think you are such an intriguing character?”

Nadia Comaneci:
“I am not sure (laughs) I think it is because I did not disappear. I competed in the Olympics in 1976 and in 1980 and then I was still involved in gymnastics, because I did some gymnastic shows over the years. Then I retired from competition and shows, but I am still a part of gymnastics.”

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“What would you say was more influential in forming who you are now, was it the gymnastics or the period of history that your life has been inscribed in, in terms of the Communist era and the Fall of Communism- what has been more influential in making you?”

Nadia Comaneci:
“I think everything together. Of course it started with the Olympics. People did not know who Nadia is and where Romania is on a map, and there was a big interest about me after that because I was fourteen and a half, and people wanted to know more about me, ‘why is she so good?’. Then I was still around, then the revolution happened in 1989 and I had barely left the country just a little bit before the revolution not knowing that this would happen.”

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“We are commemorating those revolutions now, do they strike a particular cord with you?”

Nadia Comaneci
“It’s a part of the history, I don’t think about it every day it’s been a lot of years passed since then, it does not feel that long, because I go back to Romania six times a year, I do a lot of projects there.”

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“Do you feel more Romanian or more American?”

Nadia Comaneci.
I am Romanian definitely and I am adopted by the States.

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“We asked our online audience to send in questions, and obviously many are fascinated by your career, and we received this question from Dinara Urazova who says “Don’t you think that the Cold War between the West and the Communist Bloc had its share in your success.?” Do
you feel a part of that tension?”

Nadia Comaneci:
“I didn’t feel any tension when I was competing because I was a kid. The only thing I felt was … Oh I hope I am going to do a good routine here – because I knew I had prepared everything I had done in the gym. I don’t think you feel that when you are a kid. Maybe when you grow up and you look back as an adult you see that, but I was seeing it as a challenge.”

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“That’s interesting because your trainer Béla Károlyi and his wife Márta have been criticised in the past for having too tough a training regime, did you feel that?”

Nadia Comaneci:
“No I didn’t feel that, I actually did a lot more than they were asking me to do and I think about, you know, when Béla used to say “today we do five routines on beam” and I used to do seven. So I could do more than he was asking. I don’t mind working hard and don’t complain if I work hard. I think that you have to work hard to be up to that level. I think I am not looking for the easy way to do things and I am proud about that.”

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“You became such a famous figure in Romania and worldwide
did you feel that pressure?”

Nadia Comaneci:
“No I didn’t feel it at all because Romania was closed. If people were interested to come and find out more about me, they couldn’t easily come to the country to do that. So after I competed in games I would celebrate for two days and then went back to the gym. So I had no knowledge about what was happening outside.”

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“So you were not aware of the massive worldwide impact you had made in 1976?”

Nadia Comaneci:
“No, no not really, not then, but I realised later

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“Do you regret not knowing that or did it help you?”

Nadia Comaneci:
“No I don’t. I don’t regret anything.”

Isabelle Kumar, euronews:
“So when you scored the seven perfect tens. We all know the story well, it’s almost mythical that the boards can actually show a ten. What did you think when you saw them?”

Nadia Comaneci:
“ I always say about the fact that I don’t watch the scoreboard because I feel how I did the rou