Bela Karolyi, Controversial Gymnastics Coach Who Mentored Olympic Gold Medalists Including Mary Lou Retton, Dies at 82

Bela Karolyi, the legendary gymnastics coach who guided stars including Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci to victory at multiple Olympics, has died. He was 82 years old.

USA Gymnastics confirmed in a statement on Saturday, November 16, that Bela – who trained alongside his wife Martha Karolyi – had died. The cause of death was not given.

Comaneci, 63, also confirmed the news to USA Todaytelling the newspaper that the late coach “changed my life forever”.

“Almost 50 years ago, he led me to a historic First Perfect 10 performance at the Olympics … and it changed my life forever,” Comaneci said of Bela, adding that he died on Friday, Nov. 15.

Bela Karolyi carries an injured Kerri Strug at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Smiley N. Pool/Houston Chronicle via Getty

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In an Instagram post, Comaneci – who was 14 when she and Bella took home the gold medal for the Romanian team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics – also shared a black-and-white photo of herself as a child with Bella, writing in the caption: ” A big influence and impact on my life.”

Similarly, Bella coached a 16-year-old Retton to victory at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and had a memorable moment at the 1996 Atlanta Games when he was photographed helping Kerri Strug off the floor after an injury.

Before they defected from Romania in 1981, Bella and his 82-year-old wife trained stars like Comaneci. However, after they came under pressure from the Romanian government to promote “the power of the communist system” in their gym, as Bela put it Time In 2012, the couple fled to the USA and received asylum.

The Karolys opened a clinic in Texas and eventually changed America’s approach to the sport of gymnastics, successfully taking command of the national team nearly 16 years ago. Bela even briefly became the national team coordinator for the USA women’s gymnastics program in 1999, according to the Associated Press, and implemented the system that put Team USA on the map.

Mary Lou Retton with coach Bela Karolyi during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Andy Hayt /Sports Illustrated via Getty

By 1997, Bella was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, and in 2000, he and Martha were inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame together as a coaching team.

However, Bella’s legendary career was not without controversy. He and Martha were embroiled in a scandal after it was revealed that Dr. Larry Nassar molested girls at their training facility in Texas. When the allegations against Nassar became public in 2016, the couple were accused of ignoring the abuse that took place on their 200-acre ranch in Huntsville, Texas.

Former gymnast Jeanette Antolin claimed the Karolys knew Nassar abused her in her cabin, allegations that later led to a lawsuit by the couple, who claimed they were never told Nassar’s abuse was sexual in nature.

Nadia Comaneci and Bela Karolyi in 1991.

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More than 250 women and girls have accused Nassar of assault, including Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas.

An attorney for the Karolyis denied any allegations against the couple in 2017, saying in a statement to PEOPLE, “The Karolyis have had no knowledge of any complaint from anyone regarding the alleged abuse of any athlete by Dr. Nassar until they learned of his termination from USA Gymnastics in the summer of 2015.”

According to the AP, the pair are also accused of creating a toxic and abusive culture for the young gymnasts they coached during their years running Team USA’s training program — even though some of their staunchest defenders were their most successful students and mentors.

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Bela Karolyi during the 1991 World Cup.

Team de Frisco/Allsport

Dominique Moceanu, who became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in U.S. gymnastics history at age 14 under Belli, shared a lengthy statement about his life and legacy in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Nov. 16.

“Bela Karolyi was a man whose influence on my life and the sport of elite gymnastics is undoubtedly significant,” she wrote. “He was a complex individual, embodying a mixture of strengths and weaknesses that left a lasting impact on those around him.” “Anyone who has followed my story knows that my journey under Bela as my coach has been full of challenges,” she continued. . “His harsh words and critical demeanor often weighed heavily on me. While our relationship was fraught with difficulties, some of those moments of difficulty helped me forge and define my own path.”

“As we say goodbye to Bela, I choose to send loving thoughts to his family and loved ones, and honor our relationship by embracing the lessons learned and striving to help create a world where compassion and encouragement guide our actions,” Moceanu continued. – May he rest in peace.

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Source: HIS Education