“The Goddess of Montreal”, decorated by Nicușor Dan. Nadia Comăneci received the National Order “Star of Romania” in the Grand Cross degree

The first gymnast in the world to achieve a perfect score of 10 at the Olympic Games at the age of 14, Nadia Comăneci, was decorated on Saturday with the National Order “Star of Romania” in the Grand Cross degree, according to a decree signed by President Nicusor Dan.

Nicușor Dan signed a series of decoration decrees on Saturday, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Montreal 1976.

As a sign of high gratitude, appreciation and pride for the dedication and exceptional professionalism with which she contributed to the consolidation of the Olympic prestige of our country, forever redefining the limits of human excellence and inscribing her name in the sports heritage and identity of Romania, the head of state conferred the National Order “Star of Romania” in the Grand Cross degree to Mrs. Nadia Comăneci, according to an announcement made by the Presidential Administration.

Also, as a sign of high appreciation for the excellence and professionalism with which it contributed to the consolidation of the Olympic prestige of our country, for the proven dedication in the process of training the young generations of champions, as well as for the influence exerted on the evolution of sport worldwide, the president conferred the “Sports Merit” Class I Order to the Onești Municipal Sports Club.

The decoration ceremony of Nadia Comăneci will take place from 12 o'clock at the Cotroceni Palace.

Nadia Comăneci, celebrated in a gala at the Parliament Palace

Nadia Comăneci was celebrated, on Friday evening, during a special gala organized at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, 50 years after the first grade of 10 in the history of Olympic gymnastics, obtained at the Montreal Games, according to Agerpres.

The multiple Olympic, world and European champion was applauded on the open stage for her performances as an athlete, but also for her work in promoting gymnastics. Through the 7 marks of ten in Montreal, Nadia Comăneci, then a girl of only 14 years, transformed artistic gymnastics into a global phenomenon, inspiring entire generations of children to practice this sport discipline.

Big names in world sport, former champions, friends and teammates came to be with the one who delighted the world half a century ago. Among them were the honorary president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, the president of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), Spyros Capralos, the president of the International Gymnastics Federation, Morinari Watanabe, but also Gheorghe Hagi, Ilie Năstase, Simona Halep, Răzvan Lucescu, presidents of federations, officials and politicians.

Marta Karolyi, Nadia Comăneci's former coach, was not absent from the Nadia Gala, along with her former teammates Teodora Ungureanu, Emilia Eberle, Dumitrița Turner and Marilena Vlădărău. Marta Karolyi received the 'Gold Necklace' of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, the distinction being offered to her by Nadia Comăneci and the president of COSR, Mihai Covaliu.

“I am very excited, it is a special day. All my life I have been in search of perfection and this was achieved in 1976, in Montreal, when Nadia achieved the historic 10. Very few people know that behind such a result there is enormous work. That is why I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the girls, the gymnasts, who made extraordinary efforts to achieve those results”, said Marta Karolyi.

Nellie Kim, Nadia's main rival in the gym, who won three gold medals and one silver medal at the 1976 Olympics, came to the Palace of Parliament.

“Something happened in Montreal that had never happened before. Nadia got a 10, she was sensational then. Not everyone can achieve excellence, but she did it. Her exercise was perfect and I still don't know who else can repeat it. And today we celebrate that fantastic day in Montreal,” said Kim.

“Thank you Romania, thank you to everyone who has been with me in these 50 years”

Romanian gymnastics was represented by numerous Olympic, world and European champions, who continued the path started by Nadia Comăneci in 1976. Ecaterina Szabo, Lavinia Agache, Mihaela Stănulet Olympic champions in Los Angeles 1984, triple Olympic champion from Seoul, Daniela Silivaș, the first absolute world champion in Romanian gymnastics, Aurelia Dobre, but also Cristina Bontaș, Gina Gogean, Mirela Pașca, Maria Neculita, Simona Amânar, Andreea Răducan, Maria Olaru, Claudia Presecan, Loredana Boboc, Cătălina Ponor, Monica Roșu, Silvia Stroescu, Daniela Sofronie, Sandra Izbașa, Larisa Iordache and Diana Bulimar, who for years in a row held the Romanian flag on the first places at international competitions, were with Nadia Comăneca on Friday evening.

Nadia Comăneci, who was accompanied on Friday evening by her husband, Bart Connor, her mother Ștefania Alexandrina and her brother Adrian, was visibly emotional when she received the “Perfection Award” from the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.

“Thank you Romania, thank you to everyone who has been by my side in these 50 years. And thank you to that little girl from Onești for having the courage to dream. Although, when I was a child I did not dream of perfection, I only dreamed of being better than yesterday. And the lesson I learned is that perfection does not mean never making mistakes… but having the courage to continue, believe and move forward. This evening it's about everyone who put a brick in my way. About the coaches who saw something in that shy kid from Onești. About my teammates with whom I shared emotions, sacrifices, victories and childhood,” she said.

“It's a great celebration because in this room all the girls from the last 50 years are together. It's something unique, a historic moment, 50 years of Romanian gymnastics history. Who would have thought that me and Nellie Kim would be friends, so that's what sport does. I don't think there's anything else that can bring so many people together,” added Nadia Comăneci, nicknamed the “Goddess from Montreal”.

Nadia Comăneci gave special thanks to her husband, Bart Conner: “I want to give a very special thanks to my husband, Bart. Whom I met three months before the Olympics in Montreal, yes, I know, I was only 14 when I competed in the America's Cup. It happened to be his birthday, and someone from a newspaper said to him: 'She's a pretty girl, don't you want to give her a kiss cheek?'… and that picture went down in history. Who would have thought that we could become husband and wife after so many years. I know that you couldn't catch me until 20 years later, but I'm glad that gymnastics brought us together. And I have no words to thank you for what you do for me, for our family.”

The performances of Nadia Comăneci

At the age of 14, Nadia Comăneci became the most famous gymnast in history after, on July 18, 1976, she stunned the sports world by obtaining the first grade of 10 at an edition of the Olympic Games, when even the electronic display board was not prepared for such a performance indicating 1.

Moreover, the Romanian athlete achieved the perfect score seven times at the Olympic Games in Montreal, winning three gold medals (in individual compound, beam and parallel bars), a silver medal (team) and a bronze (on floor).

Born on November 12, 1961, in Onești, Nadia Comăneci won in her career 9 medals at the Olympic Games (5 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze), 4 at the World Championships (2 gold and 2 silver), 12 at the European Championships (9 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze) and 5 at the Universiade (5 gold).

In November 1989, just a month before the fall of communism, she illegally crossed the border and settled in the United States of America. There she married the American Bart Conner, in turn multiple Olympic and world champion in artistic gymnastics, and together they have a son, Dylan Paul Conner.

Together with Bart Conner, she owns a gymnastics academy in Oklahoma City and several sports equipment stores, and in recent years she has been involved in several charitable actions through the Nadia Comăneci Foundation.

The former gymnast twice received the Olympic order from the IOC and was included by the International Gymnastics Federation in the Hall of Fame.

She is also a global ambassador for the Special Olympics and is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy.