On July 18, 1976, Nadia Comaneci stunned the world of world sports with the first absolute top ten. On Sunday, the “Montreal goddess” (a multiple Olympic, world and European champion) turned 62.

The former athlete thanked for all the wishes she received by posting a video on X (formerly Twitter).

“Thank you all for the wonderful wishes, they make my day so special. I know I’m celebrating this month with many wonderful friends. Happy birthday everyone” – Hope Komanechi.

Many Romanian sports and arts figures wished Nadia a happy birthday, and COSR posted a message on Facebook.

“For every curb that became a beam, for every strip of carpet that became uneven parallels, for the carpet that turned into dirt, and for every hurdle that a child jumped, for all the dreams that you inspired, and for every soul that you touched, THANK YOU!” – Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.

Goddess of Montreal

Nadia Comaneci, born November 12, 1961, started gymnastics at the age of 5, was selected by coach Marcel Duncan and enrolled at AS Flacăra Oneşti. She was coached by Bela and Marta Karoli from 1971, and at the age of 11 she won her first title of absolute national champion. Six months later, he competed in the “Masters” category, where he took third place.

In 1974, he achieved his first major success abroad, winning 1st place in the individual team at the “Friendship Cup” competition in Gehr (German Democratic Republic). A rapid rise followed, culminating in the results obtained in 1976 at the Olympic Games in Montreal – an edition of the Olympic Games that went down in sports history as the “Olympic Games of Nadia Comaneci”.

Nadia received seven points out of 10 (the first in the history of official gymnastics competitions!) and set an “absolute record”: 20 points, on uneven parallel bars (according to the then scoring code), writes cosr.ro. Nadia Comaneci won five medals in Montreal: three golds in individual events, bars and parallel bars, one silver with the Romanian team and one bronze on floor.

Video source: TVR / Youtube​

After 1977, Nadia trained in Bucharest with coaches Josip Hidi, Gheorghe Kondovici, Atanasia Alba (September 1977 – August 1988), Gheorghe Gorgoi, Anka Grigorash (April 1980 – August 1981). Nadia Comaneci won the first balance beam world title for Romanian gymnastics and two silver medals, vault and team, at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg.

In 1979, at the World Championships in Fort Worth (USA), Nadia, as part of the Romanian national team in gymnastics, won the first title of world team champion in the history of gymnastics (389.550 b).

She won the title of continental champion three times in a row and finally took possession of the “European Cup”, becoming the first gymnast to do so. In 1975, he won the “Champions Trophy” in London, and in 1979, at the “World Championships” held in Tokyo, he took first place in the floor and vault, second on the beam and third in the individual complex. In 1981, at the Universiade in Bucharest, Nadia won five gold medals.

He retired from competition in 1984, having won 25 medals at the Olympic Games, World and European Championships, of which 16 were gold.

The International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) scoring code for the uneven bars includes two elements called the “descent” and “spring vault”.

In November 1989, Nadia emigrated to the United States of America, then to Canada, after which she returned to the United States and settled in Oklahoma. She married Bart Conner, an American gymnast and Olympic champion. They have a son, Dylan Paul, who was born in 2006.

Check out this Instagram post

Posted by Nadia Comaneci (@comaneci10)

In 1996, she was elected honorary president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation (FRG). The US Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), which annually honors women for outstanding achievements in sports, awarded her the “Flo Hyman Award” in 1998. In addition, Nadia and her outstanding performances were included in the “Hall of Fame” of world gymnastics.

After the Olympics in Montreal, he became an honorary master of sports. In 1984, the International Olympic Committee awarded him the “Olympic Silver Order” for outstanding services in the field of sports and outstanding services to the Olympic cause. He received the “Olympic Necklace” from the Romanian Olympic Committee. In 2000, he was awarded the national order “Star of Romania” in the rank of commander, according to News.ro.