On Saturday afternoon, the USA Gymnastics broke the news. In its quick release, the organization stated, “USA Gymnastics has learned of the passing of hall of fame gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi on Friday, November 15. He was 82.” That ended the story, which once had started in the 1980s, in the golden land of the USA. And in the next 30 years, the story made inroads in the arena of both praise and criticism. Even so, facing both reactions, Karolyi never justified himself. Rather, after the Rio Olympics, he and his wife, Marta, went far away from public appearances. In the meantime, the man, the myth, and the mystery took the stage over and kept the world guessing about his stature. 

Today, after his passing away, Karolyi’s pupils have come forward to bid farewell to him. One of them is from the Magnificent Seven squad—the squad that once brought a chunk of limelight to the coach. However, Dominique Moceneau has her flowers ready for her former mentor. Yet she has something shareable that may lead to getting to know Bela Karolyi better. 

One of the ‘biggest little stars’ of US gymnastics pens her emotions 

Dominique Moceanu took her time to gather her emotions. After all, she had to pen down all the emotions that had once hit her in a bittersweet way. Nonetheless, Moceanu, now 43, preferred to reflect on both kinds of emotions. That’s how she crafted her Instagram story to bid farewell to her former coach. In the late hours of November 16, she remembered him as someone ‘whose influence on her life and the sport of elite gymnastics is undeniably significant.’ She also noted down, “As we bid farewell to Bela, I choose to send loving thoughts to his family and loved ones, honor our relationship by embracing lessons learned…” But in her Instagram story, Moceanu mentioned the struggle she had faced under Bela Karolyi’s tutelage. 

In her note for the deceased coach, the former Olympic champion wrote, “Anyone who has followed my story knows that my journey under Bela’s guidance as my coach came with immense challenges. His harsh words and critical demeanor often weighed heavily on me.” And how did that shape once? The quest for the answer may take us to the 1990s, when Dominique Moceanu entered the US Olympic gymnastics team at 14. 

Eventually, she earned the gold medal, representing the American team in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It was the first team gold medal for Team USA in women’s gymnastics and it came under the coaching of Bela Karolyi. That explains his image in the fold. But for Moceanu, everything was not smooth sailing. She had to continue her event despite facing grave injuries. Once in 2021, she spoke out, “I was 14 y/o w/ a tibial stress fracture, left alone w/ no cervical spine exam after this fall. I competed in the Olympic floor final minutes later.” Expectedly, those injuries and events impacted her vastly and she could never make it to the Olympics again. Rather, after 2000, she left the main stage of US gymnastics. That displays the sad end to her career. However, for a few, Bela Karolyi was an inspiration.

Bela Karolyi stood to be the northern light for several gymnasts

Before coming to the USA, Bela Karolyi coached Nadia Comaneci and a few other gymnasts in Romania. And can you guess his unprecedented success? In the history of Olympic gymnastics, Nadia is the first female to snag a perfect 10-point in the schedule. In the 1976 Montreal Olympics, she achieved that score in the balance beam event. She was just 14 then! In fact, in her gymnastics career, she has seven perfect scores and five Olympic gold medals. That promotes Bela Karolyi’s success story. But what about Nadia? 

The veteran gymnast always has had a different take on her former coach and it has been positive all along. That vibe continued to the last moment as well, when she paid her farewell to the coach by penning, “A big impact and influence on my life.” A similar tone resonated in Kerri Strug’s voice. As Dominique Moceanu’s teammate at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she too endured harsh treatment under the Romanian coach. Yet, later, she laid out, “Bela is a very tough coach and he gets criticism for that. But that’s what it takes to become a champion. I don’t think it’s really right that everyone tries to find the faults of Bela. Anything in life, to be successful, you’ve got to work really hard.” However, she has yet to drop any post to honor the coach. Although, what is your take on Bela Karolyi’s impressions? Let us know.