Nadia Comaneci (born 1961) is one of the most-celebrated gymnasts in the history of the sport. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, she was the first person in Olympic history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics. In all, she earned seven perfect scores at the 1976 games.

The future Olympic star was born on November 12, 1961, in Onesti, Romania, to Gheorghe, an auto mechanic, and Stephania Comaneci. By the age of six, she was already hooked on gymnastics. Then she was discovered by famed Romanian gymnastics coach, Bela Karolyi. He and his wife were looking for youngsters for the National Junior Team and he decided she had potential. She began to train two to three hours a day with Karolyi and he was impressed with her work ethnic.

Even great talent and a strong work ethnic did not guarantee results. Comaneci remembered that in early gymnastic competitions, she fell...