Bela Karolyi, the legendary gymnastics coach who coached stars including Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci to victory at multiple Olympic games, has died. He was 82.
USA Gymnastics confirmed in a statement on Saturday, Nov. 16, that Bela — who coached alongside his wife, Martha Karolyi — had died. A cause of death was not given.
Comaneci, 63, also confirmed the news to USA Today, telling the outlet that the late coach had “changed my life forever.”
“Almost 50 years ago, he guided me to the historic performance of the First Perfect 10 in the Olympics … and that changed my life forever,” Comaneci said of Bela, adding that he died on Friday, Nov. 15.
Bela Karolyi carries an injured Kerri Strug at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Smiley N. Pool/Houston Chronicle via Getty
In an Instagram post, Comaneci — who was 14 when she and Bella took home a gold medal for team Romania at the 1976 Montreal Olympics — also shared a black-and-white photo of herself as a child with Bella, writing in the caption: “A big impact and influence on my life.”
Similarly, Bella