Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Comaneci is a Romanian gymnast. She was born in Onesti, Romania, in 1961. At the 1976 Olympics, she became the first gymnast to score a perfect 10. She was only 14 years old.

Early Life

Comaneci started gymnastics at age six when a coach spotted her doing cartwheels in a schoolyard. She trained for hours every day. By age 13, she was winning international competitions. She became one of the most famous gymnasts in history.

A map showing the Romanian town where Nadia Comaneci was born.
A map showing the Romanian town where Nadia Comaneci was born. (Musichistory2009 / Wikimedia Commons)

Big Achievements

At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Comaneci scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars. The scoreboard could not display 10.00 and showed 1.00 instead. She earned seven perfect 10s at those Games and won three gold medals. She won two more gold medals at the 1980 Olympics.

Fun Facts

  • The scoreboard showed 1.00 instead of 10.00 because it was not designed to display a perfect score.
  • She earned seven perfect 10s at the 1976 Olympics.
  • She escaped communist Romania in 1989 by walking through the night to Hungary.

Did You Know?

Before Comaneci, no gymnast had ever scored a perfect 10 at the Olympics. Her flawless performance changed gymnastics forever. She showed the world what perfection in sports could look like.