Bela Karolyi, Coach of Nadia Comaneci’s Historic Perfect 10, Dies at 82

Bela Karolyi, a former gymnastics coach credited with transforming US gymnastics into an Olympic powerhouse and renowned for coaching Nadia Comaneci to the sport’s inaugural ‘perfect 10’, has passed away at the age of 82. USA Gymnastics confirmed Karolyi’s death occurred on Friday, without specifying a cause. In 1976, Karolyi guided a 14-year-old Comaneci to an Olympic gold medal at the Montreal Games. Her performance on the uneven bars earned a perfect 10.0, marking the first instance this score had been awarded in the history of Olympic gymnastics. Comaneci expressed her sentiments on Instagram, stating, “A big impact and influence in my life. RIP Bela Karolyi.” She further reflected, “Almost 50 years ago he guided me to the historic performance of the first perfect 10 in the Olympics… and that changed my life forever.” Karolyi was born in Kolozsvar, a city then under Hungarian rule, which is now known as Cluj and is part of Romania. Following his role in Comaneci securing another gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Karolyi defected to the United States. In 1981, he commenced coaching American gymnast Mary Lou Retton. Three years later, at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, Retton, then 16, achieved the distinction of becoming the first American to win the Olympic all-around title. Over the ensuing decades, Karolyi, together with his wife Marta, played a significant role in shaping United States gymnastics. Karolyi retired from coaching after the 1996 Atlanta Games. However, he was appointed as the US national team co-ordinator in 1999, a position he held for slightly over a year. The Karolyis also operated a training facility in Texas, known as the “Karolyi ranch.” This facility was designated as the US women’s national team training center in 2001, coinciding with Marta’s appointment as the women’s national team co-ordinator. Nevertheless, USA Gymnastics ceased using the venue in 2018, subsequent to the abuse scandal involving former team doctor Larry Nassar. Nassar received a prison sentence ranging from 40 to 175 years after admitting guilt to 10 counts of sexual assault against girls and young women, in addition to possessing child pornography. During the unfolding scandal, more than a dozen former gymnasts publicly stated that the Karolyis were integral to a system that fostered an oppressive culture, enabling Nassar’s conduct to persist without oversight. Certain victims also claimed they experienced abuse by Nassar at the Texas training center. Conversely, Karolyi and his wife informed CNN in 2018 that they had no knowledge of Nassar’s crimes and refuted any allegations of wrongdoing.