Nadia Comăneci Biography: Height, Age, Husband, Children, Net Worth, Videos

Biography

Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner, born November 12, 1961, in Onești, Romania, is a legendary gymnast.

She is renowned for achieving the first perfect score of 10.0 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where she won three gold medals. She secured two more golds at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, totaling nine Olympic medals.

Comăneci‘s grace and precision revolutionized gymnastics, earning her five World Championship medals and establishing her as one of the greatest athletes in the sport’s history. After defecting to the United States in 1989, she became a coach, philanthropist, and advocate for sports development.

Romanian retired gymnast
Nadia Comăneci
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner
Stage Name:	Nadia Comăneci
Born:	12 November 1961 (age 63 years old)
Place of Birth:	Onești, Romania
Nationality:	Romanian
Education:	N/A
Height:	150 cm
Parents:	Ștefania-Alexandrina Comăneci, Gheorghe Comăneci
Siblings:	Adrian Comăneci
Spouse:	Bart Conner (m. 1996)
Boyfriend • Partner:	Not Dating
Children:	Dylan Paul Conner
Occupation:	Gymnast
Net Worth:	$10 million-$12 million (USD)

Early Life & Education

Nadia Elena Comăneci was born on November 12, 1961, in Onești, a small industrial town in Bacău County, Romania, nestled in the Carpathian Mountains.

Of Romanian ethnicity, she grew up in a modest household with her parents, Gheorghe Comăneci, an auto mechanic, and Ștefania-Alexandrina Comăneci, a homemaker, who were likely nominally associated with the Romanian Orthodox Church, the predominant faith in Romania. However, religious expression was suppressed under the communist regime.

Nadia has one younger brother, Adrian Comăneci, born in 1967. Her early life was shaped by Romania’s communist era, where state-controlled sports programs dominated. At four, her energy and agility were evident as she cartwheeled and climbed trees.

In 1967, at the age of six, she was spotted by coach Béla Károlyi in her school courtyard and joined his experimental gymnastics school in Onești. By the time she was seven, she had trained rigorously, balancing school and practice.

Her formal education was limited, as the government prioritized her athletic career over academics, providing sporadic tutoring after she moved to Deva for training under Károlyi. At nine, she won the Romanian Junior National Championships, and by 13, she had become a national champion. In 1975, at the age of 14, she claimed five medals at the European Championships, foreshadowing her historic performance at the 1976 Olympics.

Career

Nadia Comăneci’s gymnastics career remains one of the most iconic in sports history, defined by groundbreaking achievements and a legacy that transformed the sport.

Born in Onești, Romania, she was discovered at the age of six by coach Béla Károlyi, who enrolled her in his gymnastics school for intensive training. By nine, she had already won the Romanian Junior Nationals, and at 13, she claimed her first senior national title.

Her international breakthrough came in 1975 at the European Championships in Skien, Norway, where the 14-year-old won four gold medals—in the all-around, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise—plus a silver in the vault.

Her defining moment came at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where at just 14 years old, Comăneci became the first gymnast ever to score a perfect 10.0. She achieved this unprecedented score seven times during the Games, specifically on her routines for the uneven bars and balance beam.

The Olympic scoreboard, unprepared for perfection, famously displayed “1.00,” an image that catapulted her to global fame. She went on to win three gold medals (all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam), a silver medal (team), and a bronze medal (floor exercise), dazzling the world with her precision and elegance. Her performances not only redefined gymnastics standards but also elevated the sport’s international popularity.

Comăneci continued her dominance in 1977, taking golds in the all-around and uneven bars at the European Championships. Despite political pressures and coaching changes during Romania’s communist era, she competed at the 1978 World Championships, earning gold on the balance beam and silver in the all-around.

At the 1980 Moscow Olympics, she added two more golds (balance beam, floor exercise) and two silvers (all-around, team), bringing her Olympic medal tally to nine—five gold, three silver, and one bronze. She also won two golds at the 1979 World Championships in the team and all-around events.

Retiring from competition in 1981 at just 19, Comăneci left the sport with a record 20 medals from major competitions, including the Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships. Her perfect 10s and unmatched technical mastery set new benchmarks, inspiring generations of gymnasts to follow.

In 1989, she defected to the United States, where she transitioned to coaching and mentoring young athletes. Alongside her husband, Olympic champion Bart Conner, she co-founded the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy. Through the Nadia Comăneci Foundation, she has also become a dedicated philanthropist, supporting the growth of gymnastics worldwide and continuing to influence the sport she revolutionized.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Nadia Comăneci
• Facebook: Nadia Comaneci
• Instagram: Nadia Comaneci (@comaneci10)
• Twitter: Nadia Comaneci (@nadiacomaneci10) / X

Personal Life

Nadia Comăneci is 63 years old, born on November 12, 1961, in Onești, Romania.

She has been married to Bart Conner, an American Olympic gymnast, since April 27, 1996. Their wedding took place in Bucharest, Romania, and was a high-profile event, attended by thousands and broadcast live on television.

Comăneci and Conner met in 1976 at the American Cup in New York, where they both competed; however, their romantic relationship began years later, after Comăneci defected to the United States in 1989.

The couple has one child, a son named Dylan Paul Conner, born on June 3, 2006, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, when Comăneci was 44 years old. They have not had additional children, and their family life is centered in Norman, Oklahoma, where they run the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy.

During her competitive gymnastics career in the 1970s, Comăneci was recognized for her petite, athletic frame, which stood at approximately 4 feet 11 inches (150 cm) tall and weighed around 86–90 pounds (39–41 kg). These measurements were typical for elite gymnasts of her era, optimized for agility and strength.

Net Worth

Nadia Comăneci, the legendary Romanian gymnast, has an estimated net worth of $10 million to $12 million.

Her wealth stems from her Olympic success, including five gold medals and the first perfect 10.0 score in 1976, which led to lucrative endorsements with brands like Coca-Cola, Kodak, and Jockey.

Additional income sources include book royalties from her autobiography and Letters to a Young Gymnast, as well as public speaking and her roles as a gymnastics coach and commentator.

Alongside her husband, Bart Conner, she co-owns the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy and other ventures, such as International Gymnast magazine. Her philanthropy, including the Nadia Comăneci Children’s Clinic in Bucharest, reflects her commitment to giving back.