Nadia Comăneci and her husband run a whole bunch of gymnastics businesses together. One of which is called Grips etc. This company sells all sorts of gymnastics equipment like crashpads, practice bars, grip tape, chalk, and anything else related to the sport of gymnastics.
They even sell tape to re-grip your balance beam. Their items are very good quality so they aren’t the cheapest. Take the four foot by 12-foot long folding mat which sells for $225. You get what you pay for”.
Puberty Years
Following the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the Romanian government wanted Comăneci to take a bit of a break from the sport. Around this time is also when Nadia started going through puberty and growing taller. Because she stopped training, she was no longer following a strict diet.
When her coach first saw her after not seeing her for some time, he exclaimed that she had turned into an “enormous monster.” Nadia sure showed him who was boss and she ended up winning several gold medals later that year.
Mean Hecklers
In the 1980 Olympics in Moscow (when U.S. President Jimmy Carter refused to allow Americans to attend), Nadia once again competed. To Nadia’s disadvantage, the Russian put in their rowdy soldiers in the crowd to try and mess other athletes up.
When Comăneci performed her routine on the uneven bars, soldiers yelled at her “Fall Nadia Fall!” Comăneci, on her end, was so concentrated on the routine that she didn’t notice.
Comăneci Trains The Terminator
Nadia is well known in her gym in Los Angeles which sees many other famous actors and talents. She was in shock to discover that Arnold Schwarzenegger also trains in the same gym. Schwarzenegger, who competed as a famous bodybuilder before his political career, asked Nadia to be a personal trainer for that day.
The former governor and actor then shared their photo together on social media, saying: “It is fantastic to get to the gym early and have an Olympic champion as your trainer – thanks, Nadia Comaneci! 10 reps to honor the first perfect 10 score in the Olympics.” Respect!
Gold Olympians
Nadia met up with another fellow Olympian from the 1974 Montreal Olympics, who you may have heard of. Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce). They both won gold medal winners at the 1976 Olympics, with Caitlyn winning gold in the decathlon. But, they didn’t meet face to face until 40 years later for their golden reunion.
Nadia shared what the two spoke about "We mostly talked about how we can't believe it's been 40 years since the Montreal Games and exchanged information so we can get together again," Nadia continued. "She was even taller as Caitlyn! I always wear big heels, but since she does now too, there is no way I will be able to come close to her height anymore!"