biography
pronunciation:
[komaneech]
| sex:
| female
|
| lived:
| (1961– )
|
| biography:
| Gymnast, born in Onesti, C Moldova. Representing Romania, she was the star of the 1976 Olympic Games, when at the age of 14 (coached by Bela Karolyi) she won gold medals in the beam, vault, and floor disciplines. She retained the beam and floor exercise gold medals in 1980. In 1976 she became the first gymnast to obtain a perfect score of 10 for her performance on the parallel bars and beam. Later she became an international judge, and coach to the Romanian national team. In 1989, amid much publicity, she defected to the USA via Hungary. |
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