 Bela
Karolyi is said to be the most successful coach in the history of
gymnastics. He was born on Sept. 13, 1942 in Cluj-Mapoca Romania. Bela
began his coaching career in 1974 and began his Olympic coaching career
in 1976 for the country of Romania. It was there that he coached Nadia
Comaneci, when she became the first gymnast in history to score a
perfect 10. He was the individual coach of Mary Lou Retton in 1984 when
she became the first American Olympic Champion. He began his position of
head coach of the U.S. Olympic Team in 1988. A position which he
continued for both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. It was here in the
Atlanta 1996 Olympics that Bela helped the U.S. Team bring home the gold
medal! Bela helped the U.S. Olympic Team gain medals in 4 different
Olympics. Bela has trained 28 Olympians, 9 Olympic Champions, 15 World
Champions, 16 European Medalists, and 6 American National Champions. |