Bela Karolyi, the charismatic if polarizing gymnastics coach who turned young women into champions and the United States into an international power in the sport, has died at the age of 82, per the AP. USA Gymnastics said Karolyi died Friday. No cause of death was given. Karolyi and his wife, Martha, trained multiple Olympic gold medalists and world champions in the US and Romania, including Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton. "A big impact and influence on my life," Comaneci, who was just 14 when Karolyi coached her to gold for Romania at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, posted on Instagram.
Yet Karolyi's strident methods sometimes came under fire, most pointedly during the height of the Larry Nassar scandal. When the former USA Gymnastics team doctor was effectively given a life sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting gymnasts and other athletes with his hands under the guise of medical treatment, over a dozen former gymnasts came forward saying the Karolyis were part of a system that created an oppressive culture that allowed Nassar's behavior to run unchecked. While the Karolyis denied responsibility—telling CNN in 2018 they were unaware of Nassar's behavior—the accusations led to them receding from the spotlight. USA Gymnastics eventually exited an agreement to continue to train at the Karolyi Ranch north of Houston.
It was at the Montreal Olympics where the world got its first real glimpse of Karolyi, who was coach of the Romanian women's team. When a solemn, dark-haired sprite named Nadia Comaneci enchanted the world with the first perfect 10 in Olympic history, a feat she would duplicate six times, Karolyi was there to wrap her in one of his trademark bear hugs. The Karolyis defected from Romania to the United States in 1981. Three years later Bela helped guide Retton—all of 16—to the Olympic all-around title at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. At the 1996 Games in Atlanta, he memorably helped an injured Kerri Strug off the floor after Strug's vault secured the team gold for the Americans.
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Karolyi briefly became the national team coordinator for USA Gymnastics women's elite program in 1999 and incorporated a semi-centralized system that eventually turned the Americans into the sport's gold standard. It did not come without a cost. He was removed from the position after the 2000 Olympics when it became apparent his leadership style simply would not work, though he remained around the sport after Martha took over for her husband in 2001.
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