Story about gymnast Nadia Comaneci from her childhood beginning as a gymnast and how she was discovered by Belya Karolyi. Nadia received 7 perfect 10's in the Montreal Olympics.—Alfonso Gregorio <[email protected]>

As a young child, Romanian Nadia Comaneci was discovered by domineering gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi. Karolyi and his wife Marta trained Comaneci in their school for eight years. Comaneci eventually became a gymnastics champion. In 1976, at the age of 14, she became the first woman to ever score a perfect 10 at the Olympics; she ended the competition with seven 10s, three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze and was a big celebrity in Romania and around the world. However, the pressure was too much for Comaneci to handle. She was separated from the Karolyis by the Romanian government and became overweight and out-of-shape. She eventually rebounded, though, at the 1979 World Championships.—Patrick Lin