In the 1980 Olympics in Moscow (when U.S. President Jimmy Carter refused to allow Americans to attend), Nadia once again competed. To Nadia’s disadvantage, the Russian put in their rowdy soldiers in the crowd to try and mess other athletes up.
When Comăneci performed her routine on the uneven bars, soldiers yelled at her “Fall Nadia Fall!” Comăneci, on her end, was so concentrated on the routine that she didn’t notice.
Oblivious To Her Huge Accomplishment
During the Montreal Olympics in 1976, one billion people were watching the young Nadia. Nadia had surpassed her main competitor, the Belarussian Olga Korbut, and was standing humbly on the winner’s podium. When reporters asked her how it felt to get gold and perfect 10’s, she replied that it was okay, as she had already received about 19 of them in other competitions.
Nadia later commented in an interview on what it was like to be such a young competitor at the Olympics "Actually, it was easy being young because you don't know. What you understand at 14 is different than what you understand at 20 years old. I had basically no pressure when I competed in '76, because I was 14 and a half, I only went to do my routines and I was just hoping to not mess up on beam or on bars. I came back from the Olympics, and when I got out of the plane, there were 10,000 people at the airport, and I didn't know why they came because I didn't think I had done anything different than I had done in the gym. So I didn't realize that, then."
Puberty Years
Following the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the Romanian government wanted Comăneci to take a bit of a break from the sport. Around this time is also when Nadia started going through puberty and growing taller. Because she stopped training, she was no longer following a strict diet.
When her coach first saw her after not seeing her for some time, he exclaimed that she had turned into an “enormous monster.” Nadia sure showed him who was boss and she ended up winning several gold medals later that year.
Trusted Investment
Nadia Comăneci and her husband run a whole bunch of gymnastics businesses together. One of which is called Grips etc. This company sells all sorts of gymnastics equipment like crashpads, practice bars, grip tape, chalk, and anything else related to the sport of gymnastics.
They even sell tape to re-grip your balance beam. Their items are very good quality so they aren’t the cheapest. Take the four foot by 12-foot long folding mat which sells for $225. You get what you pay for".
Comăneci Trains The Terminator
Nadia is well known in her gym in Los Angeles which sees many other famous actors and talents. She was in shock to discover that Arnold Schwarzenegger also trains in the same gym. Schwarzenegger, who competed as a famous bodybuilder before his political career, asked Nadia to be a personal trainer for that day.
The former governor and actor then shared their photo together on social media, saying: “It is fantastic to get to the gym early and have an Olympic champion as your trainer – thanks, Nadia Comaneci! 10 reps to honor the first perfect 10 score in the Olympics.” Respect!