What athletes have said about late gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi

Bela Karolyia controversial figure in the gymnastics world, has trained a plethora of Olympic superstars Nadia Comaneci Unpleasant Mary Lou Retton.

Karolyi died on November 15, 2024 at the age of 82. Over the course of his career, the alleged strictness of his coaching methods has been questioned more than once, as have those of himself and his wife. Martha Karolyi‘s relationship with former Team USA doctor Larry Nassar. Nassar is currently serving a life sentence for sexual assault.

Bela and Martha trained world gymnastics champions in both the United States and Romania. From 1999 to 2001, Bela was the national team coordinator for the United States National Artistic Gymnastics Team. Martha took over from him in 2001, after he resigned from his position.

Bela left a complex legacy, but his and Martha’s thirty-year careers produced nearly thirty Olympians and nine Olympic champions. USA Gymnasticswhich was included together with Comaneci and Retton Julianne McNamara, Phoebe Mills, Betty Okino, Kristie Phillips, Kerri Strug, Dominique Mocenau And Kim Zmeskalall of whom have been inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Related: Dominique Moceanu praises Team USA for prioritizing ‘wellbeing over medals’

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Olympian Dominique Moceanu praised the gymnasts who represented Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “As someone who was coached directly by Bela & Marta Karolyi, who began their coaching careers in the US in 1981, I have experienced firsthand the intensity and demands of their decades-long influence,” Moceanu, 42, wrote via X on […]

Here’s what the athletes who trained with Bela said about the late gymnastics coach:

Dominique Mocenau

Mocenau had previously spoken out about Karolyi’s alleged abusive behavior and coaching methods, which she detailed in her 2012 memoir. She was coached by the Karolyis and was part of the 1996 “Magnificent 7” team that won gold for the USA in Atlanta, Georgia.

After his death in November 2024, Mocenau went to X to reflect on her relationship with her former coach.

“Bela Karolyi was a man whose influence on my life and the sport of elite gymnastics is undeniably significant. He was a complex individual, who embodied a mix of strengths and weaknesses that left a lasting impact on those around him. Anyone who has followed my story knows that my journey under Bela’s guidance as my coach came with enormous challenges. His harsh words and critical attitude often weighed heavily on me,” the retired gymnast wrote.

“Although our relationship was fraught with difficulties, some of these difficult moments helped me define and determine my own path,” she continued. “As we say goodbye to Bela, I choose to send loving thoughts to his family and loved ones, and honor our relationship by embracing the lessons learned and striving to help create a world where compassion and encouragement guide our actions. May he rest in peace.”

Mary Lou Retton

“They built the dynasty here in America,” Retton, who in 1984 became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics, said in 2016 of both Bela and Martha’s influence on the sport, per USA Gymnastics. “It’s really all their job. It was difficult when Bela resigned. Not to say they didn’t have a lot of pillow talk at night, but he definitely didn’t go to the gym.”

She added, “This was Martha’s baby now, and she did a great job… Martha still has the snap. Most people don’t realize that even thirty years ago, Martha was the whole engine. She wanted to sit in the back. Now it’s her time to shine.”

Nadia Comaneci

Comaneci was one of the first gymnasts Karolyi coached in his career, and was notably the first gymnast to achieve a perfect score at the 1976 Olympics at the age of 17.

“A great impact and influence in my life❤️🙏🙏🙏 RIP Bela Karolyi,” Comaneci wrote via Instagram in November after Karolyi’s death, alongside several photos of her and her former coach together.

Kerri Strug

Strug competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where Karolyi notably helped an injured Strug off the floor after performing her jump on a sprained ankle, ultimately earning Team USA the gold medal.

“Bela is a very hard coach and he is criticized for that,” Strug said at the time ABC News. “But that’s what it takes to become a champion. I don’t think it’s really right for everyone to try to find out Bela’s faults. To be successful, you have to work very hard at everything in life.”

Ecaterina Szabo

“Bela could take on any role: he was a friend, a father, a coach,” the Romanian gymnast, who won three gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, told the French newspaper L’Equipe from coach Bela in 2017. “He could be very strict… But the mentality was different then. I’m not here to judge, but there was a lot of respect.

Betty Okino

“Before I entered the Bela Karolyi camp, I knew one thing; Bela was my bus pass to the Olympics,” the 1992 Olympian wrote an article from 2001. “After a few weeks it became clear how Bela was going to reduce the team. He would push us, criticize us and work us to our breaking point, and anyone who stood still earned the right to train with him.

She added: ‘Karolyi structured his training in a way that built your physical and mental strength to such a remarkable level, that even he couldn’t bring you down. Bela wanted to know that, when push came to shove, his athletes could handle any situation thrown at them.”