At the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976, 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci of Romania became the most famous girl in the world by scoring a perfect 10 in her gymnastics exercises. Before Nadia, nobody had ever scored a 10 and it was considered impossible. After that, her life should have been one of fame and luxury. But instead, it turned into a nightmare for the innocent teenager.
During the Olympics, Nadia met a youth from the USA named Bart Conner who was taking part on behalf of his country. Both appreciated each other’s skills and a few friendly words were exchanged.
They met again in other gymnastic competitions and the friendship grew. It wasn’t until the 1980s, when both were competing internationally, that their friendship evolved into a romantic relationship. But now the officials on both sides stepped in to break up the growing interaction between the two.
Authorities displeased
Bart Conner belonged to the USA while Nadia was from Communist Romania and the governments of both countries were displeased to note what was happening.
Nadia was put under watch by the Romanian secret police called the Securitate. They began to interfere with her day-to-day life. It was the police officers who decided where she could be permitted to go and whom she should meet. However, she needed to be present at all official functions of the government and give speeches extolling the virtues of various ministers and police officials.
She was afraid to speak to anyone about these incidents and put up with it. But many years later, an author named Stejarel Olaru wrote about her ordeal in a book titled “Nadia And The Securitate” which was based on declassified documents of the secret police.
Cat and mouse game
Her famous coach Bela Karolyi was himself one of the people recruited by the secret police to keep a watch on Nadia and file regular reports about her activities. But the vengeful Securitate trusted no one. Not even Karolyi who was doing their job. So they had a spy whose job was to keep tabs on the coach too. It was a hellish game of cat and mouse being played by several vested interests.
Had to eat toothpaste
In the book, Olaru describes how the girls were fed very meagre amounts to keep them slim. In desperation, the girls sometimes ate toothpaste to appease their hunger. If they failed to perform their exercises perfectly, they were beaten. When they went to the toilet, the door had to be kept open because the authorities were afraid that someone might commit suicide.
Within a short period, Nadia grew fed up with these outrageous policies. She decided that she must leave the country. But her ardent wish could not be fulfilled for many years. However, in 1989 she met a man named Constantin Panait at an official gathering in Bucharest. This man Panait was making plans to defect to Western Europe with a few others. By chance, Nadia learned of his plan and decided to join the group and run away to freedom.
Sad to leave parents
She realised that she would feel sad to leave her parents but her life had become a living hell. So on a pitch black and bitterly cold night in November 1989, a shepherd named Gitas Talpos guided the group of six persons including Nadia along a narrow mountain path across the Romanian border. Thereafter the group trekked dozens of miles over rough and rocky terrain till they reached Austria.
In Austria, they went straight to the US embassy and asked for asylum. The US officials now saw a golden chance to utilise this opportunity to denigrate Romania and Communism. They quickly made arrangements and the embassy official told her: “There is a flight leaving for the USA in two hours. You will be on it. Here are all the relevant documents. Keep these safely with you.”
Shock waves around the world
When she reached the USA, Nadia’s defection sent shock waves throughout the world. Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu was embarrassed as well as outraged. But after that, neither he nor his government and his secret police lasted long. Within a month, the Romanian revolution swept through the land. The President was deposed and lost his life while the dreaded secret police was disbanded.
After reaching the USA, Nadia once again got in touch with Bart Conner and their lives came together again. However, they did not marry immediately due to several legal hurdles. It was in 1996 that they got married and Nadia at last found peace. Now they live happily with their son Dylan Conner who is also a gymnast although not as good as his famous gold medal-winning parents.
| 
