Nadia Elena Comaneci

An important person for me and for the entire country is Romanian gymnast NADIA ELENA COMANECI. I can call her "my hero" because she was the first gymnast in the world to receive a record 10 in an Olympic gymnastics competition. She is the winner of five Olympic gold medals and is considered the best of twentieth century sport and the best gymnast in the world, ever.

Nadia Comaneci was born on 12 November 1961, in Onesti, Bacau. She started gymnastics at the age of 6 in her hometown, where she was discovered by coach Bela Karoly, which connects to the great successes achieved by the future star of the gymnastics world. She first competed at a national level in 1970, as a member of her hometown team. At the age of 13 she won three gold medals and one silver at the European championships in 1975, from Skien, Norway. The same year, the news agency Associated Press named her "champion of Romania.

The climax of the career that brought her celebrity, was getting in 1976, in Montreal, the title of absolute Olympic champion at the Olympic Games. The little Romanian, then called the fairy from Montreal, received for five times grade 10 and won three gold medals in the individual compound, bar and parallel and one silver, with the team. Home, her success brought her the distinction of "Hero of Labor", the youngest Romanian distinguished with this title. In 1979, she won for the third time the supreme title, becoming the first sportsman in history of gymnastics who managed this performance.

Between 1984 and 1989 she was a member of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and helped train Romanian junior gymnastics. In 1999, Comaneci became the first sports star invited to speak at the United Nations to launch the Year 2000, International Year of Volunteering. In December 2003 was published her first book "Letters to a young gymnast." Nadia is currently busy with gymnastics and charity work throughout the world. She is one of world sport stars leading the Academy "Laureus World Sport", where funds are collected to help many children from disadvantaged areas of the Earth. Is a member of the "FIG Foundation, a prestigious foundation that aims to support former gymnasts who remain disabled after their careers. Also, Nadia attended humanitarian actions. Thus, she has promoted, among others, the international campaign to fight against breast cancer and then a competition supported by a large scale, "Special Olympics", widespread in the world and reserved for people with disabilities. Nadia has created a charity clinic in Bucharest to help orphaned children in Romania.

Because she is so recognized, has obtained many medals, the country is proud of her and she does everything possible to help orphaned children, Nadia Comaneci can be called "my hero".